KITAS sponsored by the Indonesian spouse

[marcus]

... when do you pay the fees for KITAS when you first apply or when you pick it up? Thanks.

Besides paying at the end of the process in the way Bad_azz told before , unfortunately there are also places that are asking for payment at the beginning of the process too . No matter when you pay , make sure to get the receipt/Tanda Terima Pembayaran with your name , no. Permohonan , Jenis Permohonan , No. paspor , ... , value paid , stamped and signed .

[bad_azz]

Besides paying at the end of the process in the way Bad_azz told before , unfortunately there are also places that are asking for payment at the beginning of the process too . No matter when you pay , make sure to get the receipt/Tanda Terima Pembayaran with your name , no. Permohonan , Jenis Permohonan , No. paspor , ... , value paid , stamped and signed .

Oh, I learnt something new there, the little buggers- wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a consistent way of going about things

[Davita]

Oh, I learnt something new there, the little buggers- wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a consistent way of going about things

I agree but how can this nation do these things when the following is the norm.....Jakarta Post....

"Thousands of Jakarta’s civil servants did not show up for work Monday after week-long Idul Fitri celebrations. The absent civil servants ignored a warning from Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who said their allowances would be cut if they missed work on Monday.
Based on the monitoring of 39,913 civil servants, 6,072 failed to appear for work on Monday, while 1,733 showed up late, said Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said on Monday."

[marcus]

... of 39,913 civil servants, 6,072 failed to appear for work on Monday, ...

Not bad , almost 85% appeared to work .

I was a government employee in my country and here too . The problem i saw is not that government employees don't come to the work place , but instead , the very little good work we did . Once one of our country's (very rare) preoccupied middle rank boss told us (off course in an informal conversation) , that for the benefit of the country , he would be in favor of working time only in the mornings , up to the lunch time . This way the country would save the cost of lunch (we had free lunch) , lower : electricity bill , phone bill , ...
And something like that really happened during some time : the big boss told us to come after the lunch time on Mondays , and go home at the lunch time on Fridays , as we heard , exactly to save the cost of 2 lunches/person per week .

[waarmstrong]

I am not surprised that there is a government action countering the notion that there is, for civil servants, anyway, "no free lunch."

[Daniel50]

Marcus immigration gave us 2 forms one for KITAS and one for MERP. I believe since 2014 MERP is mandatory? We may hand in our KITAS documents tomorrow. The MERP form has a place to put our KITAS # which we do not have yet. When do we hand in the MERP form? After we get the KITAS or at the same time? We are in Jakarta Barat. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[EndedUpHere]

Marcus immigration gave us 2 forms one for KITAS and one for MERP. I believe since 2014 MERP is mandatory? We may hand in our KITAS documents tomorrow. The MERP form has a place to put our KITAS # which we do not have yet. When do we hand in the MERP form? After we get the KITAS or at the same time? We are in Jakarta Barat. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

They will later fill out the KITAS number. Just return both.

[marcus]

(1) ... I believe since 2014 MERP is mandatory? ...

(2) When do we hand in the MERP form? After we get the KITAS or at the same time? ...

(1) The Law doesn't state that , but it seems Immigration is making it mandatory . They even made the 2 Permits in a single stamp .

(2) As I said above , now usually at the same time . But if you don't want it now , you can try to ask if you can get only the KITAS .

[Daniel50]

Thanks again, for both people who took the time to reply.

[columbo68]

Hello Expats!

I am currently with my wife in Manado and daughter (dual citizen) on a social visa and we will return to the USA in late September. Today, we obtained another extension on my social visa which is very silly because we have to submit the same paperwork every single time and they are aware that we will be returning to the USA in late September. By the way, obtaining the social visa at the Indonesian Consulate in Los Angeles was very easy and the extension process here in Manado is complicated and redundant.

We do have plans in the future to live in Manado so my wife asked immigration officials at the local immigration office what was the process to obtain a KITAS. She was told that she must be in Indonesia to apply for my KITAS and that I must be outside of Indonesia with approximate wait time of two weeks for the KITAS. . The KITAS will be sent to an Indonesian consulate of my choice. She was told that I must NOT enter Indonesia under any other visa and will to have wait for my KITAS before I can enter Indonesia.

My wife sent me a PDF file from this website that explains the immigration process very differently and from what I read it appears I can change my social visa to a KITAS without needing to leave Indonesia.

Is the PDF file from this website still accurate information or has the immigration procedures change for 2016? Is the local immigration office wrong about the procedures to obtain a KITAS.

[marcus]

(1) She was told that ... I must be outside of Indonesia with approximate wait time of two weeks for the KITAS. .

(2) The KITAS will be sent to an Indonesian consulate of my choice ...

(3) it appears I can change my social visa to a KITAS without needing to leave Indonesia ...

(1) Unfortunately sometimes information is not correct .

(2) The officer was referring to the "telex visa" , not KITAS . So about this way in getting the KITAS :
- One needs to request the Visa at the Immigration website .
- After it is approved , Immigration issue this "telex visa" , which is a "pre-approval" of the Visa you requested . You need to go (or send somebody) to Jakarta to pay Rp100'000 fee + present some original documents .
- Although Immigration theoretically send this telex to the Embassy/Consulate one chooses , they require you to have a copy of that to present to the Embassy/Consulate .
- So with this telex and other documents , you request an one year Limited Stay Visa/VITAS .
- You enter Indonesia with the Visa and within 30 days you need to request the KITAS in your Indonesian city .

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.or...nd-other-visas (example of online VITAS "pre-approval" process)

(3) Yes , and this is the second way to get a KITAS and in your case , the best way :
- You request directly at an Embassy/Consulate (except you are a citizen of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Guinea, Iraq, Israel, North Korea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, or Somalia) a (single entry) Social Cultural & Family Visit Visa (Sosbud Visa) sponsored by your wife .
- You have up to 150 days to request the conversion of this Visa into a KITAS , from the date you enter Indonesia (150 days will require you to extend the Visa 4 times) .

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.or...2841#post72841 , (post no.128 , example of converting Sosbud into KITAS)
Note : Nowadays you can deal with Jakarta by courier/post and Immigration does visit the couple at their home . More or less documents may be requested , depending on each Immigration office .

[columbo68]

Thank you Marcus for clarifying the confusion we received at the local immigration office. We might be returning in 2017 or 2018 on a permanent basis.

[brodee]

I got my kitas sponsored by my wife on KIPEM i also used an agent in Bali.....referring to a previous post by me I have asked my agent about recieving KITAS (plastic card) but only a round online itas stamp in passport and he says it,s all i need now...I,ll take my chances and leave it at that...

[Davita]

I got my kitas sponsored by my wife on KIPEM i also used an agent in Bali.....referring to a previous post by me I have asked my agent about recieving KITAS (plastic card) but only a round online itas stamp in passport and he says it,s all i need now...I,ll take my chances and leave it at that...

I'd talk again to your agent because you should have a KITAS (Kitas IS the yellow card). It may no longer be plastic as they've reverted to paper. Read other posts where if the police ask for the Kitas, and, like me, only carry a copy, you can be detained. They say a foreigner needs to carry the original.

[brodee]

Find it hard to believe they would revert to paper again,people are getting fined for having non e_ktp