The following is a report of the DIY conversion of a spouse sponsored Itas to Itap that I recently followed in Denpasar, Bali. I applied for conversion on the 3rd of December 2018, having collected my DIY Itas on the 8th of November, and eventually picked up my Kitap on 25th February, 2019, for a total elapsed time of 84 days, taking into account Christmas, New Year, and Bali’s Galungan and Kunigan holidays.
While processing my Itas at imigrasi, I collected the following forms for conversion of Itas to Itap, including the pink immigration folder (all free):
1. Pernyataan dan Jaminan Suami/Istri (Sponsor statement of responsibility)
2. Surat Permohonan Konversi (Request of conversion letter)
3. Perdim 24, 25, and 27
4. Surat Pernyataan Integrasi (Integration statement)
5. Curriculum Vitae (in which you write a short summary of your education, work history, hobbies and current visa status)
Imigrasi Visit 1. Submitted the above forms, two of which were signed over meterei, and produced the following documents (showed originals and provided
three black and white photocopies of each):
1. KTP spouse. For Denpasar imigrasi, the KTP must have a Bali address and show your spouse’s status as ‘Kawin’, ie married
2. Kartu Keluarga (KK) spouse. Also needs to show spouse’s status as ‘Kawin’
3. My SKTT (you should have gotten this from your local Catatan Sipil after you got your Itas)
4. Passport, with photocopies of data page, Vitas page (as I did the e-Itas) and page with e-Itas entry stamp.
5. The electronic Itas letter that was emailed to me
6. Surat Domisili for myself, (and also for my wife, as our current home address is not the same as on her Bali KTP)
7. Marriage certificate (in our case Buku Nikah)
8. Letter from my embassy in Indonesia recognizing our marriage
9. Three 3x4cm passport photographs on red background
All my documents were accepted and I received a receipt / payment instruction. I was advised to wait for the imigrasi home interview before paying the relevant fees (Itap- Rp. 3.5 juta, 2 year MERP – Rp. 1.75 juta and biometric fee – Rp. 55k, for a total of Rp. 5.305 juta). After two weeks of waiting, I called to check on the status. I was then advised I could pay and wait for the imigrasi call to schedule the interview. Paid the next day at BCA and coincidentally that night at 10pm my wife received a text saying that the home interview would occur the next morning.
Two officers from the imigrasi intelligence division duly visited our home around 10am the next morning. They asked to see my wife’s original KTP and KK, as well as our Buku Nikah, and studied these documents carefully, along with my passport (they had my whole immigration file with them). We were given two forms to fill out, my wife signed both and I had to sign one. Had a chit chat about our backgrounds, e.g., where we got married, what are we doing in Bali etc, as well as more specific questions (can’t remember them all but if you’re legit it will be no problem). Was asked again (same as during my Itas interview) whether I was working in Bali. Felt this was a red flag and said no, which also happens to be the truth. The interview lasted about an hour or so. I was advised to return to imigrasi in two weeks for biometrics – with apologies for the delay due to Christmas, Galungan and New Year holidays.
Imigrasi Visit 2 – As advised, I returned in early January for photo, fingerprints and signature. Was asked a few ‘interview type’ questions in Bahasa Indonesia, e.g., my wife’s full name, where she is from, where we live now, whether she works etc. Was then told to return on in 10 days.
Imigrasi Visit 3 – Returned on 14th January and was asked to photocopy (2 copies plus I cheekily made an extra one for myself) the completed and imigrasi countersigned Perdim nos 24, 25 and 27, as well as the report of the home visit (quite interesting reading – apparently they interviewed our neighbours as well to ask about me!) and the recommendation memo by imigrasi staff to DitJenIm (formal and fact/law based, I was quite impressed by how official and serious this memo was). Returned the documents in a blue folder, bought from the photocopy place. A file was then assembled in the blue folder by the officer, which I was asked to take to the Kantor Wilayah, about 700 meters away from Denpasar Imigrasi. This was a quick and painless visit. The friendly officer on duty checked the file to ensure it was complete, and said it would be sent to Jakarta for approval, and to check back with imigrasi in a month regarding the status. Unlike the reports from others who have done this process, I was not given the option to send the file myself to Jakarta by courier.
Checked in via phone after one month and learned that the process was still with Jakarta. Btw, you can also check the status of your application online at any time at the following website,
https://izintinggal.imigrasi.go.id/IT-online/manajemen_layanan.xhtml by logging in with your file and passport numbers. The only problem with this system is that there is no list of the approval steps so, while it’s rewarding to see the application status updated periodically, it is not clear what steps still remain. In any event, when you see ‘Pemindaian Dokumen Selesai’ you know you are finished, as the relevant approval has been sent by Jakarta. Upon seeing this status update online and checking with imigrasi by phone to confirm, I was advised to present myself three business days later to collect my Kitap and passport. Hooray!
Imigrasi Visit 4 - On 25 February, exactly 84 days after my application, I picked up my Kitap as well as my passport. My passport bore two stamps, one for the five year Itap, and the other for the two year Merp.
Like my Itas application, I found it very straightforward to process the Itas to Itap conversion on a DIY basis. The imigrasi staff in Denpasar were at all times friendly, helpful and professional. Based on my positive experience, I would highly encourage anyone applying for a spouse sponsored Itas or Itas to Itap conversion to consider just doing it yourself and avoid using a costly agent.