STM required to ask for an ITAS

[Takri]

Hi all,

As I'm getting prepared to start the process of converting my SosBud into an ITAS ikut istri, I'm double checking my documents.

So I was wondering about the STM (I forgot... is it the name? reporting you house a WNA to the police office).
I wasn't aware of it when I first came and live in the house rent by my wife, since I thought that report to the kepala dusun was enough. Shame on me . So is it an absolute requirement? A surat keterangan domisili from the kepala dusun is not enough?
Second, if the STM is absolutely required, is there a way to fix the problem knowing that the fine can be very high in case of not reporting in the 24 hours after the WNA first arrived? What if my wife goes to the police office and say "hey I'd like to report that starting from yesterday I'm housing my husband X", will the police office request proof of where I was housed before?

Thank you for your advices.

Chris

[marcus]

The local Police's STM (Surat Tanda Melapor/Report Certificate) is not normally required for the Sosbud Visa conversion to KITAS .

You may get one now . And after getting the KITAS you will have to get a new STM (due to the KITAS) as it is required for the SKLD , which is the registration card from the province's Police (PolDa) .

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.or...husband./page1 (KITAS , how)

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.or...2841#post72841 , (posts no. 246/247 , example of converting Sosbud into KITAS)

[mrcibubur]

I disagree with you Marcus on this one. The STM was requested by Bogor Immigration on my Sosbud Conversion last year to Kitas and they asked me to get a second one when the date on the first one expired before I went and got the SKLD.

I have also experienced, more than once, with my ex wife as the sponsor, reporting to the Polres for the STM, on one occasion, six weeks late. It is the sponsor, not the foreigner, who the Polres officers will embarrass because the Indonesian person is sponsoring you and SHOULD know what to do. That, of course, is not always the case. on the last problem situation, they demanded 5 juta, incredibly and kept delaying issue of the STM which led to a delay in a Sosbud extension and in the end I had to make a hasty retreat from the country before a prompt return.

On the other hand, you COULD get through process (In part if not in whole) without the STM but it is going to take some explaining and wriggling to the Polres officers and officials.

[john madden]

On the other hand, you COULD get through process (In part if not in whole) without the STM but it is going to take some explaining and wriggling to the Polres officers and officials.

This doesn't make sense Mrcibubur. If one is to "get through process ... without STM " why would you then have to "explain and wriggle to Polres" when it's Polres that do the STM? Do you mean : "If one is to get through the KITAS process without STM you may have to do some fast talking to Imigrasi if they ask to see it."?

The solution it seems to me is to report on time for STM, or failing that report late but explain that since arrival in Indonesia you've been travelling and staying commercially. Now that you are staying at a private domicile your landlord/sponsor is keen to fullfil their obligations to report.

I was not asked for STM by any of KanIm, KanWil or DitJen when doing the Sosbud to KITAS1 conversion.

[atlantis]

The solution it seems to me is to report on time for STM, or failing that report late but explain that since arrival in Indonesia you've been travelling and staying commercially. Now that you are staying at a private domicile your landlord/sponsor is keen to fullfil their obligations to report.

I was not asked for STM by any of KanIm, KanWil or DitJen when doing the Sosbud to KITAS1 conversion.

It is very apt in my opinion.
The bottom rule is to always do in time any documents. In my 12 years here this is what I have done and I have to say that it saved me a LOT of headches. I can't remember having been caught late on any document.

As per Marcus and JM's post, I have never been asked a STM for the two conversion of IK to ITAS I've gone through in 2007 and 2009. To be honest, I would have simply refused to provide it if asked by an immigration officer. An STM is delivered to the person who accomodates you and not to you or your sponsor. therefore it isn't a document you are required to have. Period.

Most of the time, the number of documents Immigration ask you depend on how much they think you are confused. If they have the feeling that they can easily make you feel that you have a missing document, if you are unsure about the procedure of if you look confused, be sure that they will try their very best to give you hard time to finally propose you to "help" you. I am always amazed by how skillfull they are at this little game.

A note about the STM. It should disappear as a requirement in the next few days. UU 9/1992 has been abrogated and PP 31/1994 is about to be abrogated. They are the two statute who are the legal basis for its existence. The UU 6/2011 doesn't mention any police report as being mandatory and it seems that the new PP won't impose it also. Unless we have a new Peraturan Kapolri imposing it, using UU 2/2002 as a legal basis, the STM may well become a souvenir... Stay tuned.

[mrcibubur]

It is very encouraging news, Atlantis, if indeed the STM is to be done away with, so to speak, it is a nuisance process for foreigners who just want to take care of their family life in Indonesia.

In my own case, back in 2009 with my ex wife as sponsor not my wife now, it presented problem because I had entered Indonesia but she refused to carry out the reporting. This was for Sosbud of course. When she eventually went to Polres, they demanded the money. On an earlier occasion when the marriage was good, we did what John madden said, went travellling around Indonesia before returning to Cibubur after a couple of weeks. We tried to register at another Polres somwhere in Indonesia but they refused and directed us to Cibinong. On arrival at Cibinong and even showing them photos and marriage certificate (though not necessary) the officer was confrontational and unco=operative.

On that first Sosbud after holiday, we were 14 days late and they were only looking for mistakes to benefit from. The delay of seven weeks on a later Sosbud was a tough family problem. I know in the context of things itshould not be asked for by Bogor Immigration but on every application with Bogor so far including the KITAS last year, they insisted I produce it, as my wife is of course the Sponsor and they know she got the STM.

Going to Polres Cibinong has been a torture experience over the years. Hopefully it will be a thing of the past.

[Takri]

Thanks for all your helpful answers.

Chris

[jstar]

Yes, the STM seems to have disappeared (see other post on reporting foreign visitor in your home).

[nirva]

hi thre,,,can you all please kindly help me for an example sponsorship letter to ask the STM from police station??thank you in advance.

[Takri]

Hi Nirva,
As far as I know you don't need any sponsorship letter since STM is what the Indonesian person who host a foreigner will get after reporting the foreigner to the police office. It is just a report (free), so the only needed documents are a fotocopy of the foreigner's passport + visa and a fotocopy of the Indonesian person's KTP.

Chris