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Sooner or later in Indonesia, you will be required to write a Surat Permohonan. Probably to a government office or official. A Surat Permohonan is simply an all purpose letter of request or a petition to an official. Even though often redundant, most government officials will still ask for one in many situations.
An expat may be required to write one when requesting a Letter of Domicile from the local village chief, or to apply for a visa and so on.
Every Indonesian school child should have been taught how to write one. However, if you don’t have one nearby to ask, don’t fret, we’re here to help.
General Format of a Surat Permohonan
All surat permohonan follow a simple format:
- Who is it addressed to?
- What is it regarding?
- Who is making the request?
- What is being requested?
- Closing statement.
- Date and Signature (usually with meterai – an Rp 6000 tax stamp)
You then have to include as much information as is necessary to fulfill your request. For instance, for a letter of domicile, you should include:
- Your name
- Address
- Birthplace and Date
- Passport number
- Gender
- Nationality
- Address
- Job
For a visa extension, your sponsor should make the request letter. Therefore, be sure to include their information as well.
Sample of Surat Permohonan
Below is a sample of a standard Surat Permohonan. You can tailor it to your needs by changing the items in parenthesis:
Kepada Yth.
(the government offical you are petitioning)
(their office address or at least city if you don’t know the address)
Perihal: (what this letter is regarding)
Dengan hormat,
Saya yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini :
Nama : (your name)
Tempat / Tgl. Lahir : (place and DOB)
Pekerjaan : (job)
Kebangsaan : (nationality)
Nomor paspor : (passport number)
Alamat : (address)
Dengan ini mengajukan permohonan (input what you are requesting).
Demikianlah permohonan ini saya buat dan atas perhatian serta kebijaksanaan Bapak/Ibu, saya mengucapkan terima kasih.
(date and place),
Hormat saya,
(affix meterai here, then sign over it)
(your name)
Even more samples
Some more sample Surat Permohonan you can use for:
- Applying a Sosial Budaya Visa at KBRI Singapore: link
- Getting a Surat Domisili from your local RT, for the purpose of making an NPWP: link
- Extending an Ijin Kunjungan/Sosial Budaya visa: link
- Applying for a spousal Online Vitas: link
Questions/Comments/Discussion
Questions about specifics or need a more customized sample? Come to our forum and ask the community!
