How to apply for a spouse sponsored KITAS

The best way to apply for a Spouse Sponsored KITAS is to apply directly in Indonesia. To do so, the foreign spouse should first apply for a Single Visit Visa (Visa Kunjungan Satu Kali Perjalanan also known as SosBud Visa) in order to have plenty of time (up to 6 months) for the KITAS application procedure and a stress-free transition.

General Information

How long does it take?

A week for the Single Visit Visa. Up to 2 months for the KITAS.

What documents will you need?

For the Single Visit Visa:

Application letter/form
Guarantor letter (the guarantor is your spouse in this case)
A passport with at least 6-month validity (original + copies)
Proof of sufficient funds (min. USD 1,500)⁽¹⁾
Exit ticket
Any document required by the Indonesian Embassy where the visa is applied for.

For the ITAS:
3 copies of each:

Indonesian spouse’s bank statement showing a balance of at least 10 to 20 million Rupiah (as proof that the couple can live in Indonesia for a full year)
Marriage certificate:
- Akte Perkawinan (for Christian, Hindhu and Buddhist marriages in Indonesia) OR
- Buku Nikah (For Muslim marriages in Indonesia) OR
- Surat Tanda Bukti Lapor Perkawinan (for overseas marriages already reported to the Catatan Cipil)
Proof that your marriage is registered in your home country. It can be a simple letter that you obtain from your country’s embassy in Indonesia with official stamps and signature.
Indonesian spouse’s KTP (ID Card). The status must show “Married”.
Indonesian spouse’s Kartu Keluarga (Family Card). The status must show “Married” for your spouse.
Applicant’s passport (copies of all non-empty pages)
At least 3 sets of passport photos on red background in following format 2x3cm, 3x4cm, 4x6cm (once again, it is useful to make many more for your future applications/conversions).

How much does it cost?

For the Single Visit Visa:

+/- USD 50

For the ITAS:

KITAS: Rp 1,000,000 (electronic) or Rp 800,000 (non-electronic)
1-Year MERP: Rp 1,000,000 ⁽²⁾
Photo and Fingerprints: Rp 55,000
2 Meterai (stamps): Rp 12,000

General tips:

Don’t bribe: There is a push to clean corruption and extortion practices from the Indonesian Public Services. If you encounter any difficulties or have any doubt, ask for help at the Expat Indo Forum and someone will guide you on how to deal with the situation.

There is no such thing as too many photocopies: Whenever you are handed a document or form from the Immigration Office, make copies of them. Keep extra copies of all the documents you hand out. Chances are some will be lost in the process and you will be asked to provide them again. Same with passport photos: make extra ones, in all requested sizes that you can use for your next administrative applications.

Be firm and persistent but polite: When dealing with certain government officials, there is certain power play. You must stay polite and calm even when you need to be firm and persistent. No matter how frustrating, losing your cool will only make things worse and slow down the overall process. If you encounter any difficulty ask for help on the Expat Indo Forum.

Keep calling: If you need to call any of the government offices listed below, you will need patience and a strong will. If nobody picks up the phone, keep calling dozens of times until someone picks up. If you can go there yourself, it will probably be faster. Also, do not expect to get anything done at any government office in on a Friday from 11am onwards as it is Friday prayer time.

Step-by-step procedure:

Step 1: Apply for and enter Indonesia on a Single Visit Visa

You can apply at the Indonesian Embassy/Consulate of the country of application (it can be different from the applicant’s country of citizenship). Click here for more information on how to apply for this visa.

Once you have your visa in hand, enter Indonesia to receive a Stay Permit (Izin Kunjungan).

Step 2: Collect the necessary forms at your local Indonesian Immigration Office (Kantor Imigrasi or KanIm) to start the conversion process

You and your Indonesian spouse should head to the Immigration Office to convert your Izin Kunjungan into an ITAS. The Immigration Office where you will make your application should be the one where you are residing and matching with your spouse’s address on the ID Card (KTP). Example: if living in Tangerang, you will go to the Kantor Imigrasi Kota Tangerang.

Once there, you should request the following forms at the counter (free):

Pernyataan dan Jaminan Suami/Istri (Sponsor statement of responsibility)
Surat Permohonan Konversi (Request of Conversion Letter)
Perdim 24, 25, 26, 27 (These are 4 different forms, but they are very similar)
Curriculum Vitae (A short summary of your life, work, education and visa status in Indonesia)

The same forms will be required when you apply for an ITAS extension or a conversion from ITAS to ITAP.
Fill out the forms and attach the required documents.

Step 3: Bring back the forms and documents at the Immigration Office

After you have assembled your file, you are ready to go back to the Immigration Office to deposit your application file. You will also need to leave your original passport with the Kantor Imigrasi.

The clerk at the Immigration Office will check that your file is complete and provide you with a receipt. At this point, they will let you know that there will be an interview either at your home or at the Kantor Imigrasi. They will be in touch to let you know when. How quickly the interview is organized is anyone’s guess: a couple days to a couple weeks (the later is more likely).

Step 4: The interview

First of all, it may sound intimidating, but in most cases it’s not. If you are legitimately married to your wife and do not intend to carry out any illegal activity, there is nothing to worry about. The officials merely want to check that your marriage to your Indonesian spouse is legitimate.

A few tips:

Here is a list of typical questions that may be asked during the interview when applying for a spouse sponsored ITAS.
Display a couple of family pictures around the house in a way that they cannot be missed.
Preparing a few copies of couple or wedding photos to show the interviewer is also a good idea.
Be patient and polite. It is very likely that the officers will show up unannounced or at very short notice.
The interviewer “may” try to push you into paying a “special fee” to expedite the process. Please don’t. Be firm but polite and stand your ground. While this situation is more and more rare, if you encounter a difficult officer, please do not hesitate to seek advice on our forum.
After the interview, the officers will let you know when to come back to the Kantor Imigrasi for the next step.

At this stage, they may also request payment of the official fee to be paid at the appropriate counter at the Kantor Imigrasi.

Step 5: Pick up the file from Kantor Imigrasi to bring to the Kantor Wilayah (KanWil)

On your 3rd visit to the Kantor Imigrasi, you will be handed your file that you will need to photocopy (they usually have a photocopy both on site) then you will hand it back to the clerk along with the fresh copies.

The clerk will then give you your file back that you must bring to your local Kantor Wilayah (Regional Administrative Office). Depending on where you live, the Kantor Wilayah may be very close to the Kantor Imigrasi (in Bali, they are 1km apart only for instance) but in other regions, it can be quite far (such as in Banten: the Kantor Imigrasi is in Tangerang Kota while the Kantor Wilayah is in Serang… 60km away!), so be sure to check and plan ahead.

Step 6: Depositing the file at the Kantor Wilayah

Once at the KanWil, hand over your file to the clerk who will check that your file is complete and that the KanIm did their job correctly. Then, you must wait for the Head of Immigration (Kepala Bidang Keimigrasian) at the Kantor Wilayah to review your file and issue an approval letter.

Step 7: Delivering the approval letter to the Directorate General of Immigration in Jakarta

Once this letter is ready, send it to the Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (Directorate General of Immigration) or DitJen in Jakarta.

There are 2 options to go about this:

Pick up the approval letter from the KanWil and deliver it yourself to the DitJen in person or via courrier
Let the KanWil send the letter themselves with the next batch of inter-office mail

If practical, we recommend the first option as it is much faster and can shave a few days to a few weeks off the process.

If you decide to deliver it yourself, address it to:

Bpk Direktur Izin Tinggal dan Status Keimigrasian
Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi
Jalan Rasuna Said Kav 8-9
Jakarta

Once the documents are delivered to the DitJen, you must wait for the the Assistant Director of Immigration and Citizenship Status (Kasubdit Status Keimigrasian Dan Kewaranegaraan) to review your case file. When they are, they will issue a letter with a decision number (Nomor Keputusan Direktur Jenderal Imigrasi) granting you a new immigration status.

Step 8: Go back to KanIm after decision is made.

Allow at least 14 days for the decision letter to be completed at the DitJen. They will update their system online and your KanIm will be able to check this. If your status is approved, you can take photos and fingerprints on the same day.

Step 9: Pick-up your KITAS

Go back to KanIm to pick up your passport. Make sure that it contains the following:

The ITAS stamp which should show “Limited Stay Permit” with an expiration date of 1 year.
Your MERP (Multi Exit Return Permit) with an expiration of 1 year.
The KITAS card (the K in KITAS stands for Kartu which means card)

(1) New requirement as of November 2016

(2) As of now, the MERP is compulsory with the application of a KITAS.