KITAS sponsored by the Indonesian spouse

[beebop]

Can you become a citizen after having a KITAS sponsored by work after 5 years instead of being sponsored by your spouse on a KITAS?
Just asking as there is no way I'll ever be able to afford to just sit around for 5 years on a spouse sponsored KITAS.

No you cant become a citizen via working visa. Exactly what you say is true about not being able to afford to just sit around for 5 years. I want to build a house and start a family but seems i have to put that on hold because of having to satisfy immigration by showing money in the bank. I want to expand my wifes businesses too but cant again because of the same reason. It really is difficult. I dont recommend anyone comes to indo on a wife sponsored kitas unless they truelly know what they getting into and are minded enough to survive. In my case, love is blind and i come from a country that i dont want to return to. Ends up in a situation made awkward only by immigration.

[atlantis]

I guess you mean to say if i cant get a KITAP i should remain on a KITAS and then become a citizen.

Correct. I've edited my post #352 accordingly.

Hmmm.. Is it possible to become a citizen before having to restart the kitas cycle? Renew 5 times means 6 years rite? And its possible to become a citizen once living in indonesia for 5 uninterupted years.

In theory, yes. The naturalization process should take less than 6 months if all the papers submitted by the applicant are complete and in order. At each step, the parties involved (ie kanim, kanwil, depkumham) have a deadline to provide an answer. The naturalization process of my son took less than 4 months from beginning to end in 2007.

Beebop, I'd like to give you what is possibly the best advise I could give you: don't stress, don't panic, don't show emotions, don't rush when dealing with any administration in Indonesia. Document yourself and stay tuned about any change. When you start a procedure, never show that you are desesperate about it and never show that you have a deadline to obtain it. Stay on the ball and always apply softly pressure. When you have a problem, don't shout, just talk. If it ain't enough, write.

With this simple method above I went through countless procedures involving Imigrasi, Polisi, Kantor Pajak, KanWil, BPN, Depnaker, CaPil, kantor Tata, Jasa Raharja...etc without much troubles.

I suppose becomming a citizen gonna require fat bank accounts too anyway.

No. Not anymore, at least for those who are married to an indonesian citizen. It requires a proof of income. If your wife (or any friend) has created a business, ask her/him to draft a working contract stipulating that you will be hired as soon as you become a citizen.

[atlantis]

Can you become a citizen after having a KITAS sponsored by work after 5 years instead of being sponsored by your spouse on a KITAS?

People working must, in this particular case, first obtain a KITAP. People who work and have no marital relation with a WNI must follow the naturalization process as it is described in PP 2/2007. People who are married with a WNI follow a different procedure. In your case, travellingchez, the difficulty may be to explain it to the PNS you will face. Most have very poor knowledge of law and are unaware of the various texts corresponding to various situation. The citizenship act is still "new (only 5 years) and most PNS lack of knowledge. A user of this forum has contacted me for a similar case. He is working for 10+ years, but his jabatan/function doesn't allow him to get a KITAP. However he is married with a WNI. From what he told me, Imigrasi keep refusing his citizenship application arguing that he doesn't have a KITAP and that he should first get it (at a cost of puluhan juta in order to close the eyes on the jabatan problem). It is, in my opinion, a misinterpretation of the law. People who are married have a right to obtain citizenship as per article 19 of the UU 12/2006. If one reads carefully the citizenship act, one will find out that those married with a WNI will have to follow a different procedure. This special procedure corresponding to those married with a WNI has been defined with the PerMen M.02-HL.05.06/2006 which doesn't require an applicant to have a KITAP (5 uninterrupted years + akta perkawinan/buku nikah being the main requirements).
The case of the user who has contacted me is indeed very interesting and I am eager to "work" on it, if he decides to push it forward, by explaining him why they are wrong in their interpretation of the law and to explain him how to deal with legal problem.
As I said, the citizenship act is still too new and many low ranking PNS are absolutely unaware of its many stipulations. The pejabat at the top are too busy milking money to bother to educate their subordinates. Do the job for them: educate yourself in order to be able to fill the gap and have your rights respected.
Things however are improving. I remenber the time, not long ago, when organizing yourself a KITAS was seen as merely impossible by many. Nowadays, though not yet fluid, it is way, way easier. I predict that KITAPs and citizenship application, in less than 5 years, will be as easy to get than a KITAS now. The effort of all in limitating the agent phenomena will help to clarify and ease the procedures. The systematic use of middlemen contributes to develop and maintain corruption. That is one of the reasons why I have never used any and participate in this forum. That's a chance for me to share the knowledge I've acquired.

Well, I hope the above is clear enough, but if it isn't, feel free to add more questions.

[atlantis]

No you cant become a citizen via working visa.

That is wrong. Those who are KITAP holder have a chance to apply if they wish. Being a permanent resident and having actively participated in the national development allows a possible naturalization by presidential decision.
A word of wisdom: if you are in this case, the first step of the application starts at your bank... . The recognition of your participation to the national development in a significant manner has a price tag.

[Shinta]

My experience for the extension KITAS sponsored by istri WNI was published the following link.
I really do encourage my expat friends not to give up. There are still honest civil servants around.
To feed agents (who sometimes do not serve well anyway) with millions is certainly not the way.
Another story was the SKLD in Denpasar. They were asking immediately 350K, but after my brave wife asked for kwitansi, it came immediately down to 100K.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...on-office.html

I am just curious, and after you pay 100.000 Rp you get the akwtansi or not? you have to pay really?

[travellingchez]

Thanks for that Atlantis. At least I know that it is a possible (although difficult) option for the future if I choose to become WNI. I'd be interested to hear the outcome of the guy PMing you. If one can do it then hopefully others can follow suit with more ease.

[atlantis]

Thanks for that Atlantis. At least I know that it is a possible (although difficult) option for the future if I choose to become WNI. I'd be interested to hear the outcome of the guy PMing you. If one can do it then hopefully others can follow suit with more ease.

I will sure write about it on the forum if he decides to go ahead. As I said it is a prettyy interesting case, with the main difficulty being to avoid to have any of the pejabat loosing face in the process. He will have to explain them the sense of the law without them realising that something is wrong in the fact that a foreigner understands and knows better than them laws written in their language. Not an easy task, but a fun one for sure.

[marcus]

by Dr. Michael Beer:...They were asking immediately 350K, but after my brave wife asked for kwitansi, it came immediately down to 100K.]

I am just curious, and after you pay 100.000 Rp you get the akwtansi or not? you have to pay really?

In my case with the officer at the Catatan Sipil : he asked for 250k , I asked for the receipt , then he changed to 150k , we went to the cashier counter and he gave me a real receipt but signed by him . When I asked for a receipt signed by the officer at the cashier counter , he just gave me the document for free .

[beebop]

The case of the user who has contacted me is indeed very interesting and I am eager to "work" on it, if he decides to push it forward, by explaining him why they are wrong in their interpretation of the law and to explain him how to deal with legal problem.

If i want to become a citizen during my 6th year (after 5th and final kitas by wife extension), is that unusal to warrent a little help from you? Or has it been done enough for immigration to know what to do themselves?

The naturalization process should take less than 6 months if all the papers submitted by the applicant are complete and in order. At each step, the parties involved (ie kanim, kanwil, depkumham) have a deadline to provide an answer.

I think im gonna go for this one. Gonna need some assistance though. Ha! I really need to start brushing up my bahasa indo.

Originally Posted by beebop: 'I suppose becomming a citizen gonna require fat bank accounts too anyway.'
No. Not anymore, at least for those who are married to an indonesian citizen. It requires a proof of income. If your wife (or any friend) has created a business, ask her/him to draft a working contract stipulating that you will be hired as soon as you become a citizen.

Now there is good advice!

However it may be harder than im hoping it to be. Check the link from the jakarta post this morning.

https://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/expatriates-be-warned-irate-justice-minister-is-on-the-warpath/419284

[atlantis]

If i want to become a citizen during my 6th year (after 5th and final kitas by wife extension), is that unusal to warrent a little help from you?

To be honest, Beebop, I am sure that by then I won't be available on this forum for some time already.

However it may be harder than im hoping it to be. Check the link from the jakarta post this morning.

https://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home...warpath/419284

It is in line with what I was saying in a few posts in the past months. The trend is toward more control concerning the foreign population.
This particular articlle is being discussed here also in the forum.

[blu3angel]

Hey guys..
I've been reading the forum about KITAS and getting more and more confused. Actually in my case, my husband's KITAS now is on his employment. However now he wants to change it (alih status) on to my (the wife) sponsorship. According to a few posts in this forum, I need to have certain amount of money stored in bank to apply for that Kitas; starting from 2,5mil income per mth. Is that true? Since I asked to Dirjen Imigrasi the other day and they didn't require any kind of bank statement or letter to proof my financial capacity. I actually just registered a company under my name but since it's new, it hasn't had any profit or any other financial activity. Another thing, is it really okay to just apply on my own without going through agent for kitas extension, keeping in mind that immigration would just "juice" more money or time from me along the process? Please advice asap.
Thanks

[marcus]

1) Some immigration officers ask for bank account statements and others don't . You can see , below , my case and others who got the KITAS without showing any bank account .
2) In many cases you may face officers asking for some extra money , but reading all the successful examples and all the related government regulations , you really don't need to pay anything extra , except for the folder(s) . At the immigration , always pay at the cashier counter and get , normally , a detailed computer printed receipt (name , type of service , value , ..).

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.or...2841#post72841 , posts 246 , 247
http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.or...s-in-real-time...

[blu3angel]

If my husband's KITAS (working based) expires and he wants to convert it to my sponsorship, does he really need to go out of the country first then come back on a Sosbud then the rest of the process? Or maybe there's any other way to do it?

Thanks

[nickie]

If my husband's KITAS (working based) expires and he wants to convert it to my sponsorship, does he really need to go out of the country first then come back on a Sosbud then the rest of the process? Or maybe there's any other way to do it?

Thanks

No he does not need to leave the country. Please read these threads below

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.org/showthread.php/1351-Change-the-KITAS-sponsor-from-company-to-wife

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.org/showthread.php/6074-Changing-KITAS-sponsor-without-leaving-the-country

[marcus]

One detail , don't wait it expires . You need to request the new KITAS at least one month before the old KITAS expires .