Immigration Director (Silmy Karim) said in a statement late Monday (September 4) that Altman had issued a 10-year visa to Altman, given his "international reputation as a head of an AI research and development company" and his "potential contribution to AI development in Indonesia."

Karim said that once gold visa (golden visa) holders enter Indonesia, they do not need to apply for a temporary stay visa at the immigration office. "We spread red felt (welcome them) in exchange for their resources to Indonesia."

There is no need to queue up at the Indonesian airport

According to an immigration statement, 38, Altman, known as the "father of ChatGPT," is able to enjoy a better exit process at Indonesian airports without having to queue for customs.

Mr.Altman visited Jakarta in June to give a speech on artificial intelligence. It is unclear whether Mr.Altman's golden visa was applied for by him or issued unilaterally by the Indonesian Immigration Authority.

Indonesia introduced golden visas last week, allowing foreigners who invest heavily in the country to reside for five to 10 years. A five-year visa requires corporate investors to form a company worth $2.5 million (HK $19.5 million); a 10-year visa requires US $5 million.

Foreign investors who do not want to set up a company in Indonesia can also qualify by buying Indonesian government bonds to apply for a gold visa, ranging from US $350,000 to US $700,000 (HK $2.73 million to HK $5.46 million).

Indonesia announced plans to launch a golden visa in May, when tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga said the plan aims to attract talent and investment in digital, health, research and technology to create more jobs for the country.

In Indonesia, the United States, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and other countries have introduced similar "golden visas" for investors to attract capital and entrepreneurial residents.

# Immigrant #Gold visa #Indonesia #Artificial intelligence #ChatGPT