I spent $800 on a 'digital nomad visa' service that was a total scam

I was in Bali six months ago and saw an ad for a company that promised to handle a 12-month visa for Indonesia. They said it was a special deal for remote workers. I paid them $800 upfront. After two weeks of no updates, they stopped answering my emails. Turns out they just filled out the same free online form anyone can use. I lost all that money and had to start the visa process over myself. Has anyone found a real, honest visa helper for Southeast Asia?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.jana1mo ago

Check the official government immigration website first, every time. I learned that after a bad experience in Vietnam. A "consultant" there wanted a huge fee to file paperwork I could have done myself in an afternoon. For Indonesia specifically, you can apply for the B211A visa online through the official imigrasi site. It is not fast or fun, but it is real. I would not trust any middleman service unless they come with a personal recommendation from someone you actually know.

ryan3691mo ago

Man, that's a rough lesson to learn the hard way. It reminds me of how many things are like this now, where someone just slaps a fancy label on a basic service and jacks up the price. Like those "premium" phone chargers that are just cheap ones in a white box, or "life coaches" who read you a blog post. You pay for the promise of it being easy. Scott.jana is totally right about checking the official site first. It's almost always more boring and more work, but at least you know it's real and you aren't just paying a stranger to google something for you.

ward.jamie1mo ago

Got ripped off in a similar way trying to get a work permit for Thailand last year. Paid a guy in a Chiang Mai cafe who claimed to have "connections" and then he just vanished. Ended up doing it myself through the official website, which was a pain but at least it was real. What country are you trying to get the visa for now?