New to Indonesia

[Yoyo dadda]

After living in Thailand for 4 years I'm kicking myself that I didn't move here 3 years and 8 months ago. I hope the shine lasts. I digress...

1. I arrived in Bali, April 9, with a "visa free" stamp... I hold a USA passport. Any legal avenues inside Indonesia that allows me to stay another month or two ? If not.. My intention is to get a long term visa to stay for "some years". Which Indonesian embassy/consular is the easiest /savvy /welcoming... Singapore... Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok. Or other cities?

2. I am 67 years old and have a pension income of more than 1.500 usd. I need to rent a place for about 7 million or more.. 1 year contract... I need to hire a maid (cost?) and I need health insurance. I'm self insured and this bit scares me... A 67 year old is a bad bet for most insurance companies... However I've read about a nationalized scheme here that is available to me.. Yes? Cost?

Is it so difficult to do this myself? The word "agent" pops up in every paragraph with my research.

My apologies if all my answers I on a pinned post somewhere on this forum .. I just didn't see such info. Thanks in advance.

 

[jstar]

Besides getting married to an Indonesian, you'd have two possibilities; or get a retirement visa which has to be sponsored by an Indonesian agent and has some more constraints as you figured out, or get as many visit visa (formerly called SosBud) as possible and leave and return to the country to repeat the cycle.

Welcome btw.

 

[snpark]

visa free - no, you have to leave, then come back on the paid $35 voa which you can extend once for 30 more days, while you do that you can research a sosbud visa, a 60 day visa which you can extend 4 x 30 days inside jakarta without flying, or get a 1 year multi entry business visa but you have to leave at least once every 60 days
both of those allow you to at least be here legally

there is retirement visa i think but i dont know much about it

yes find a very good agent, makes life a lot easier for the sake of spending a few hundred dollars to save you time and hassle

 

[R Cameron]

I don't know the ins-and-outs of the retirement visa, but I think an agent is actually required, and if not certainly extremely helpful.

There is NO way to stay past 30 days with the "visa free" entry. With the VOA that costs 35USD you can extend once for 60 days. Certain types of visit visa (not VOA or visa free) can be converted to longer visas.

Singapore is generally the easiest and fastest for visa services simply because there are some very efficient agents there.

As for health insurance, I believe that is simply a reference that you must sign up for the national health service BPJS, which is only a few USD per month.

Here's a thread that is 3 years old so it may be outdated, and of course Google is helpful: https://www.expatindo.org/community/threads/retirement-visa.190/

 

[ekspat]

Besides getting married to an Indonesian, you'd have two possibilities; or get a retirement visa which has to be sponsored by an Indonesian agent and has some more constraints as you figured out, or get as many visit visa (formerly called SosBud) as possible and leave and return to the country to repeat the cycle.

Welcome btw.

If your Indonesian friend is willing to be your sponsor of visit visa, does he/she simply go to immigration office in Indonesia by presenting certain supporting documents and indicating which country's Indonesian embassy or consulate where you are making application?

 

[scouser59]

As for health insurance, I believe that is simply a reference that you must sign up for the national health service BPJS, which is only a few USD per month.

Here's a thread that is 3 years old so it may be outdated, and of course Google is helpful: https://www.expatindo.org/community/threads/retirement-visa.190/
[/QUOTE]
bpjs is only available if you are working or married to an indonesian ,not for pension visa .

 

[jstar]

If your Indonesian friend is willing to be your sponsor of visit visa, does he/she simply go to immigration office in Indonesia by presenting certain supporting documents and indicating which country's Indonesian embassy or consulate where you are making application?

No, you as applicant need to present the sponsor letter together with the other docs (copy of the KTP of the sponsor, and I would definitely include bank statements) in the embassy (KBRI) where you apply.

Of course the extensions take place in Indonesia.