KITAS holder wants to sponsor friend's Sosbud

[Vicissidude]

My friend from back home is planning to arrive in a little over a week, and planning to stay for 60 days. He might stay longer, but he has no problem leaving and doing some more traveling if that's the case.. I recommended he stop by Penang before coming to Indonesia since the Indonesian consulate there was really easy to work with and I previously got a 60-day tourist visa with just a 24-hr processing time.

However, I just read that they changed the laws and now require a sponsor to get that visa. Read the article and comments here: http://lifeinbigtent.com/how-to-get-indonesian-visa-in-penang/

I'm assuming that information is correct since multiple people report the same thing in the last several months.

I'm a KITAS holder so I can sponsor him, right? My current visa expires 10 April 2018 but I already renewed my work contract and so will be renewing the KITAS too. Will I be allowed to sponsor him given that he will arrive between 14-16 February (allowing just under 60-days before my visa expires)? Can I sponsor him for a tourist visa, sosbud, both, neither?

If I can't sponsor him, one of our Indonesian friends can probably do it. Either way, I also wanted to check about the sponsorship letter. I found this format posted by Marcus a while back on that other forum: http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.o...ts/614-social-budaya-visa-sponsorship-samples

Can I just write it up and send it to my friend as a PDF for him to print off and bring to the consulate? Does it need a stamp? Will they require the original letter?

Anything else I'm forgetting?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Davita]

If your friend has an acceptable passport he can get a paid Visa on Arrival VOA (US$35) for 30 days. He can then get a further 30 day extension (US$35) for a total of 60 days.

 

[Vicissidude]

If your friend has an acceptable passport he can get a paid Visa on Arrival VOA (US$35) for 30 days. He can then get a further 30 day extension (US$35) for a total of 60 days.

Yeah that’s the other option. But it’s really a pain. It takes a whole week to extend and kantor imigrasi is just annoying. Last time I did that, I had to go in 6 times because “masih sistem error mister.” Of course, they’d let me wait for an hour or two before telling me they still couldn’t take a picture that day.

It’d be much less hassle to just send him a sponsorship letter and get 60 days if that’s possible. Plus, he already booked his flight to Penang :/

 

[Davita]

Yeah that’s the other option. But it’s really a pain. It takes a whole week to extend and kantor imigrasi is just annoying. Last time I did that, I had to go in 6 times because “masih sistem error mister.” Of course, they’d let me wait for an hour or two before telling me they still couldn’t take a picture that day.

It’d be much less hassle to just send him a sponsorship letter and get 60 days if that’s possible. Plus, he already booked his flight to Penang :/

In that case you are correct.
I've done the same from Vancouver where a relative in Indonesia sent the sponsorship letter to me. I then applied for a Sosbud visa which was granted...this gave me 60 days initially and then monthly extensions up to 6 months. But the extensions were as onerous as you say your extension for a VOA was.
Here in Bali the VOA extensions seem easy to get.

 

[Vicissidude]

In that case you are correct.
I've done the same from Vancouver where a relative in Indonesia sent the sponsorship letter to me. I then applied for a Sosbud visa which was granted...this gave me 60 days initially and then monthly extensions up to 6 months. But the extensions were as onerous as you say your extension for a VOA was.
Here in Bali the VOA extensions seem easy to get.

Since he’ll be in Penang anyway, I’ll whip up a sponsorship letter and hope for the best. The Sosbud would be a good option for him. He might not stick around for longer than 2 months but it’d be good to have that option.

Was your sponsorship letter an original copy with a stamp sent via post? Or just a simple Word doc sent by email and you printed it out?

 

[Davita]

Since he’ll be in Penang anyway, I’ll whip up a sponsorship letter and hope for the best. The Sosbud would be a good option for him. He might not stick around for longer than 2 months but it’d be good to have that option.

Was your sponsorship letter an original copy with a stamp sent via post? Or just a simple Word doc sent by email and you printed it out?

My sosbuds were a few years ago and hard copies. Not sure what is required these days but I recall my relative had to provide a recent bank statement copy as to his financial ability to be a sponsor. Seems to me that all they want is someone to be 'responsible' and 'available' if the foreigner misbehaves.

 

[centurion]

The sponsorship letter can be sent by email in colour pdf bud has to be signed over duty stamp (materai).
The sponsor has to provide his KTP or KITAS/KITAP and send the scans to the applicant. The bank statement can be asked from the sponsor or the visa applicant and I think now has to have a minimum balance of 1500 USD (at least this is for immigration VITAS), maybe for sosbud it is not a requirement.

 

[waarmstrong]

A 60 tourist visa can be applied for at any consulate or embassy for a fixed fee beginning with a rather easy online application process. Your friend should get the application in immediately, from where ever "back home" happens to be. Seems to me that adding an extra stop only complicates a situation born procrastination.

 

[Davita]

A 60 tourist visa can be applied for at any consulate or embassy for a fixed fee beginning with a rather easy online application process. Your friend should get the application in immediately, from where ever "back home" happens to be. Seems to me that adding an extra stop only complicates a situation born procrastination.

I was going to say what Waarmstrong has said above but assumed there was something limiting him getting a 60 Tourist Visa (without a sponsor) from where he lives.

Then I read your link to Penang RI Consul and saw what you meant...it doesn't appear to offer a Tourist Visa without a sponsor and why I suggested, if sending a sponsor letter, to apply for a Sosbud Visa as it is extendable.... a 60 day Tourist Visa is not supposed to be extendable.

 

[Vicissidude]

A 60 tourist visa can be applied for at any consulate or embassy for a fixed fee beginning with a rather easy online application process. Your friend should get the application in immediately, from where ever "back home" happens to be. Seems to me that adding an extra stop only complicates a situation born procrastination.

Regardless of whether he can still get that visa without a sponsor, it's unfortunately not an option at this point. He departs from the US in less than 48 hrs. He has a week of travel planned with Penang as his last stop before Indonesia. I'll get a sponsorship letter to him before then and we'll see what happens.

 

[Vicissidude]

The sponsorship letter can be sent by email in colour pdf bud has to be signed over duty stamp (materai).
The sponsor has to provide his KTP or KITAS/KITAP and send the scans to the applicant. The bank statement can be asked from the sponsor or the visa applicant and I think now has to have a minimum balance of 1500 USD (at least this is for immigration VITAS), maybe for sosbud it is not a requirement.

Beautiful, thank you for the info. This all sounds pretty straightforward and simple, especially if it can be a scanned PDF.

One more question: Where do I get one of those silly stamps?

 

[centurion]

You can buy in indomaret or alphamart.

 

[Vicissidude]

Unfortunately I don’t have a good update, but hopefully informative for others. Foreigners, even legal residents with a KITAS like myself, cannot sponsor a visa applicant. My friend was told at the consulate in Penang that his sponsor must be an Indonesian citizen.

The info I found at http://www.expat.or.id/info/docs.html#VisitVisa is incorrect or out of date.

It’s not a disaster in this case as we anticipated this would likely happen, and my friend will either enter on a VoA (up to 2 months with an extension) or visa free for 30 days.

 

[jstar]

And in a forum far far away....

It's a shame nobody knew/remembered this?

 

[centurion]

I sent a sponsorship letter for SosBud for my mother, we will see will she get the visa.I will update.
I was her sponsor for SosBud without any problems 3 years ago.

 

[jstar]

2013, my brother’s visit, KBRI Holland.

 

[Vicissidude]

It's a shame nobody knew/remembered this?

Also a shame that website is being neglected...

I sent a sponsorship letter for SosBud for my mother, we will see will she get the visa.I will update.
I was her sponsor for SosBud without any problems 3 years ago.

Please do. Where will she be applying? I wonder if different embassies/consulates enforce policies like this differently.
After my experience, I'd really recommend getting an Indonesian friend to sponsor her if it's possible.

 

[centurion]

My mother got a Sosbud visa 2 days ago based on my sponsorship as a KITAP holder. She took the visa in Belgrade, Serbia.
Submitted documents were my KITAP, guarantee letter, air tickets+application form and statement about sufficient funds, minimum 1500 USD.

 

[Vicissidude]

My mother got a Sosbud visa 2 days ago based on my sponsorship as a KITAP holder. She took the visa in Belgrade, Serbia.
Submitted documents were my KITAP, guarantee letter, air tickets+application form and statement about sufficient funds, minimum 1500 USD.

Wow thanks for the update. I guess it depends on the specific consulate/embassy. Or maybe your mom was simply more charming than my stupid friend

 

[centurion]

You also can get a sosbud visa based on hotel booking & flight booking, in that case, you don`t need a sponsor.