Indonesia gives OpenAI CEO Sam Altman its first ‘golden visa’

On Tuesday, Silvy Karim, Indonesia’s director of immigration, announced that it was giving a 10-year permit to Altman, whose OpenAI developed the viral chatbot ChatGPT. The statement came just days after the Southeast Asian country unveiled the new visa, meant for wealthy investors. 

The country’s immigration ministry said it hoped Altman could contribute to the development of artificial intelligence in Indonesia. 

The immigration ministry announced on Saturday that those willing to invest at least $350,000 into Indonesian public equities, deposit accounts, or government bonds will be eligible for a five-year permit. Those who invest $700,000 can get a 10-year permit. Wealthy individuals can also get the visa by establishing a new company, or having their company invest at least $25 million in the country. The scheme targeted “quality investors,” Karim said at the time. 

Yet it’s not clear Altman needed to do any of that to win his permit. On Tuesday, Karim explained that the country could also grant the visa to those who have “an international reputation and may bring benefits to Indonesia,” according to a translation from Bloomberg. 

The OpenAI founder may have been at the top of Indonesia’s list for a while, with the country’s investment minister citing Altman by name as someone who might get the country’s golden visa in early August, according to CNBC Indonesia.

According to the immigration ministry, Altman also gets priority through the country’s security screening, and is exempt from needing to apply for a temporary stay permit.  

“We are rolling out the red carpet in return for the resources they provide to Indonesia,” Silmy said in his statement, according to an Agence France-Presse translation. 

Altman visited Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city, in June as part of a whirlwind global tour to share his views on the opportunities and challenges of A.I. The OpenAI CEO, during a public forum in Jakarta, said he planned to “democratically” hand over the responsibility of judging the risks of A.I. to national governments, according to the Jakarta Post. Altman also reportedly received a copy of Indonesia’s plans to develop A.I. by 2045.

Indonesia’s Immigration Ministry did not immediately respond to questions whether Altman had applied for the visa, or whether the country had granted the visa on its own. OpenAI did not immediately respond to questions asking whether it was currently partnering with Indonesian companies or organizations.

What are golden visas?

Indonesia’s new “golden visa” is its second targeting wealthy foreigners. After months of considering a visa targeting digital nomads, the country finally unveiled a “second home” visa offering five- and 10-year permits to those with at least $130,000 in funds.

Many governments, including the U.S., offer some form of investment visa. These programs have long been popular with wealthy individuals in countries like Russia and China, but rich Americans increasingly turned to these schemes looking for a better (and more affordable) quality of life overseas, facilitated by the shift to remote work.

A few countries, like Malta, go even further by offering outright citizenship to those ready to invest enough money.

Still, a few popular destinations are reconsidering their golden visa programs, blaming them for increasing costs and worsening housing affordability. 

Western countries are also uneasy with the golden visa’s popularity with Chinese and Russian businesspeople, particularly after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Some Russians under Western sanctions have taken advantage of golden visa schemes in places like the U.K.

Portugal—the country that helped put golden visas on the map, at least for ordinary Americans—ended its program earlier this year, citing a need to stop real estate speculation.