How could I be a "permanent resident" of Indonesia as eks-WNI?

[ramsaso]

Sebenarnya, sy bisa ngomong dalam bhs Indo, tp karna sy kurang lancar dengan tata cara tulis nya, sy akan guna bhs. Ingris biar nggak pusing untuk orang2 yg baca ini.

So I was born in the United States in 1998. I'm a 20th century kid...

My mother and father, both Indonesian citizens, immediately registered me to hold Indonesian citizenship and, as a result, I had dual-citizenship until I turned 21.

Ever since living in the United States and being somewhat depressed in how to function in society here, I find that being in Indonesia would be beneficial to me and my well-being, because

1. I know the language pretty well (bhs gaul---pasti lah! Tp bhs baku, mungkin sy agak susah untuk ngomongnya tp sy msh ngerti, gitu).
2. I have relatives in Bekasi Barat so I have a place to stay.
3. People here in the United States, are really not that social than compared to people in Indonesia. You could say it's culture shock, to say the least, but I don't like being "cold" to others if you get what I mean.


My mother has often nudged me to be in Indonesia (she's living here as a green card holder) because of the reasons above, and to be honest, I'm inclined to agree with her.

Being that the case (with the Coronavirus still rampant in the world, even with the vaccine),
how would one be able to hold any sort of status (I'm not that versed with what Indonesia offers, for visas and all that) to stay and work there while still being able to hold my US citizenship?

I apologize in advance should this be too broad.

 

[dafluff]

As an ex-WNI you are eligible for a KITAP (Permanent Stay permit, valid for 5 years), provided you have a WNI relative that can sponsor you. The normal step would be to apply for a VITAS, make it a KITAS after you arrive, then convert to KITAP after 1 year in Indonesia.

With the pandemic restrictions still in place, I am not sure if they do take applications at this time, but you can try. The system is entirely online now: https://visa-online.imigrasi.go.id/

 

[Helpful Herbert]

Getting residence is fine as an ex-WNI, but what will you do here? If you want to work, as a 23yo, that might be more difficult to do, because as a non-citizen your options are quite restricted on a KITAP.

 

[Nimbus]

If you’re not doing anything productive in USA, perhaps you can spend several months in Indo to see how things work. Yes, life can be challenging in USA, but Indonesia is no cake walk either. In many respects life in Indonesia is harder than America.

 

[dannyboy]

hey Ramsaso,

you can check out this old thread:

Visa Options for ex-WNI (Vitas, Kitas, Kitap)

Hey all, I figured out that there are many uncertainties and questions still floating around regarding the visa options for ex-WNI even though there were many threads written about it. So, I thought this is probably a good place to gather all the information in one place.I will start with some...

www.expatindo.org

 

[HappyMan]

I don't know much about exWNI status specifically, but I think your major problem is going to be finding work locally and getting a visa/work permit for that work. I don't know what you do or what your qualifications are, but the old classic "I'll go teach English" method of immigration has become difficult here, requiring five years teaching experience in your home country and a relevant degree in order to get a work permit. It is my (very general and shallow) understanding that most fields are similar, in line with the government's intention to prioritize the employment of locals and import only necessary experts (hence the 5 years experience).

If you have some form of income that does not require you to work for or with Indonesian companies or companies that have a presence here, then I guess you just need to arrange to stay. What came to mind for you to start with was the SosBud visa, but you'll get better info from the link above than what I could give you.

 

[jukung11]

#1 Get a college education in the United States, if you don't already have one. I have met a few acquaintances of Indonesians that sought refugee status in the United States after the 1998. They were unfamiliar with all the tricks of the U.S. higher education system and I helped them navigate to get into colleges for their children. If you want, you can PM me and I will give what insight I can about how to quickly and cheaply get a U.S. degree.

Unlike the U.S. system, Indonesia separates the right to legally work from the right to legally stay. Combined with the fact that your parents are not in Indonesia to sponsor you, your best bet is to get a legal work permit from an employer. Since you have American citizenship and an American college degree you can get employment as an English teacher. The experience requirement is typically waived for that form of employment. If you already have a degree in a specific field, you can look into that. If you are unfamiliar with the legal requirements for employment in Indonesia, I can write more on that.

#2 Get a covid vaccine in the United States. They are doing a much better job at vaccinating the public. Indonesia is planning to reopen first to vaccinated travelers.

 

[Banana72]

So you said you were born in 1998..I assume you've always lived in the US and rarely visit Indonesia? Did you go to college there? Since you say you can speak Indonesian, I assume you have Indonesian friends there? Say you move here...any particular reason you think you'll do well here? Depending on who you hang out here, (I'd say) Jakartans now are different than 20 years ago (of course you were three at that time..)..and just want to honestly say, as much as you feel you're not 'American enough' to really gel in with the crowd there...you might get another shock when you try to blend in with the people here too (but then again I don't know too many 20+ year olds....maybe they are easy to hang out with each other these days). Just my opinion as another ex-WNI.

 

[Nimbus]

So you said you were born in 1998..I assume you've always lived in the US and rarely visit Indonesia? Did you go to college there? Since you say you can speak Indonesian, I assume you have Indonesian friends there? Say you move here...any particular reason you think you'll do well here? Depending on who you hang out here, (I'd say) Jakartans now are different than 20 years ago (of course you were three at that time..)..and just want to honestly say, as much as you feel you're not 'American enough' to really gel in with the crowd there...you might get another shock when you try to blend in with the people here too (but then again I don't know too many 20+ year olds....maybe they are easy to hang out with each other these days). Just my opinion as another ex-WNI.

Sorry for the thread necromancy. You raised a very good point. As a second generation American immigrant, it’s quite common to feel that he doesn’t fully belong in USA. Having said that, he is still born and raised in USA, so a lot of things and values that he takes for granted are not necessarily respected by the average Indonesian.

Language is only one aspect of the adjustment, culture is a bigger part. To be an ‘accepted’ adult Indonesian he is expected to behave a certain way and understand the unspoken rules. If he is a bule trying to live in Indonesia, people are willing to cut him some slack if he commits some gaffes. However, as an ethnic Indonesian, they may see him as weird, or worse, uncultured.

Indonesia feels foreign to me, that’s despite the fact that I was born, raised, and college educated there. I can still blend in with minor issues, but the same is not necessarily true for an American-born kid who has spent his whole life in USA.

 

[Banana72]

Sorry for the thread necromancy. You raised a very good point. As a second generation American immigrant, it’s quite common to feel that he doesn’t fully belong in USA. Having said that, he is still born and raised in USA, so a lot of things and values that he takes for granted are not necessarily respected by the average Indonesian.

Language is only one aspect of the adjustment, culture is a bigger part. To be an ‘accepted’ adult Indonesian he is expected to behave a certain way and understand the unspoken rules. If he is a bule trying to live in Indonesia, people are willing to cut him some slack if he commits some gaffes. However, as an ethnic Indonesian, they may see him as weird, or worse, uncultured.

Indonesia feels foreign to me, that’s despite the fact that I was born, raised, and college educated there. I can still blend in with minor issues, but the same is not necessarily true for an American-born kid who has spent his whole life in USA.

No problem...good thread to raise it from the dead. Yeah as an adult it's definitely harder to blend in (or to even just find acquaintances). Jakarta people in particular i think is very purpose-driven minded especially about business. I tried the Indonesian expat mixer group a few months ago, thinking it was a good place to meet people with the same hobby (wine tasting), it was more about people exchanging business cards and (excuse me...) foreign-hunters looking for potential dates.

I've been here for 10 years now even my friends back in the US told me they realize I may never go back. In the past 10 years I've been to maybe 1-2 expat parties and quite a few more since early this year especially since I created my wine group. Ironically in those parties I never managed to successfully connect with other Americans and in a couple instances I even saw them connect with each other, making plans to hang out, asking for contact numbers while they couldn't get past the 'oh you're American too' with me. A lady from my wine group (who is also back in the US) even made the honest mistake of mentioning to me during our wine party, man it's hard living here in Indonesia i can't even find a single American to hang out with....and another expat looked at me and asked 'You are an American right?' and the lady smiled apologetically and said 'well, you know what i mean' which I answered 'absolutely'. On a lighter note....them British expats (the ones i met anyway) were quite fun and friendly, especially after the second bottle....

p.s. The exception to this is of course Puspawarna and her husband who were lovely and some of the friendliest people I've met in my early years living in Jakarta Hope both of you are doing well!

 

[Nimbus]

No problem...good thread to raise it from the dead. Yeah as an adult it's definitely harder to blend in (or to even just find acquaintances). Jakarta people in particular i think is very purpose-driven minded especially about business. I tried the Indonesian expat mixer group a few months ago, thinking it was a good place to meet people with the same hobby (wine tasting), it was more about people exchanging business cards and (excuse me...) foreign-hunters looking for potential dates.

I've been here for 10 years now even my friends back in the US told me they realize I may never go back. In the past 10 years I've been to maybe 1-2 expat parties and quite a few more since early this year especially since I created my wine group. Ironically in those parties I never managed to successfully connect with other Americans and in a couple instances I even saw them connect with each other, making plans to hang out, asking for contact numbers while they couldn't get past the 'oh you're American too' with me. A lady from my wine group (who is also back in the US) even made the honest mistake of mentioning to me during our wine party, man it's hard living here in Indonesia i can't even find a single American to hang out with....and another expat looked at me and asked 'You are an American right?' and the lady smiled apologetically and said 'well, you know what i mean' which I answered 'absolutely'. On a lighter note....them British expats (the ones i met anyway) were quite fun and friendly, especially after the second bottle....

p.s. The exception to this is of course Puspawarna and her husband who were lovely and some of the friendliest people I've met in my early years living in Jakarta Hope both of you are doing well!

Yes, this path is often a lonely one. We simultaneously belong to two countries and to none.

You are much more politically correct by calling it purpose-driven, I call it profit-oriented and cutthroat. The common complaint about American adult life is lack of personal connection due to individualism and apathy. You’d still be lacking true personal connection in Jakarta, but it’s mostly due to a dog-eat-dog world. You always have to have your guard up.

I lost contact with my college buddies in Jakarta (half of it on purpose) because they had the gall to attempt taking me to an MLM event. Seriously dude? The only reliable friends I have are from high school.

It’s been a while since I met Puspa too, I hope Hawaii is kind to her.

 

[Banana72]

Me...politically correct...maybe because that's I'm an American (haha). Yeah profit based and cut-throat is more like it. and yes....a class mate from elementary school (!!) wanted to meet up and hang out...told him, wow yeah, cool let me gather up some people...and nobody responded...when I met up with him I was like "btw dude, nobody wanted to hang out with us, and I guess nobody wanted to be seen as a Kangen water prospect". As I said that, I saw him bringing a big ass water bottle...and he was like oh yeah I do this because of 'health' reason cause i want my friends to be healthy (goodness, how noble he is...) and yes...that was the first time and the last time we hung out.

You're still lucky to have your (true) friends from high school. Mine are all gone or the ones who were cool with me moved to other countries. I invited a select few, even the ones sitting next to me to a party. First question (typical Indonesian) "Who else is coming?" and sure enough not one of them came. No, I don't wear bad cologne and my breath doesn't stink.

 

[Nimbus]

Me...politically correct...maybe because that's I'm an American (haha). Yeah profit based and cut-throat is more like it. and yes....a class mate from elementary school (!!) wanted to meet up and hang out...told him, wow yeah, cool let me gather up some people...and nobody responded...when I met up with him I was like "btw dude, nobody wanted to hang out with us, and I guess nobody wanted to be seen as a Kangen water prospect". As I said that, I saw him bringing a big ass water bottle...and he was like oh yeah I do this because of 'health' reason cause i want my friends to be healthy (goodness, how noble he is...) and yes...that was the first time and the last time we hung out.

You're still lucky to have your (true) friends from high school. Mine are all gone or the ones who were cool with me moved to other countries. I invited a select few, even the ones sitting next to me to a party. First question (typical Indonesian) "Who else is coming?" and sure enough not one of them came. No, I don't wear bad cologne and my breath doesn't stink.

It is sad, but I understand to a degree because life is tough in Jakarta. When somebody is in survival mode, anything goes. I’m constantly reminded that they’re just “cari makan”. Still, it doesn’t make it sting less when you’re on the receiving end of the shenanigans.

I really don’t miss the Machiavellian aspect of life in Jakarta. In America people are at least more transparent if they don’t like you, thus saving you the hassle.