New immigration regulation: Changes to Visit Visa and VITAS

One of the facts of life in Indonesia, is that laws and regulations are in a state of continuous change. At Expat Indo, we do our best to keep our readers up-to-date with current regulation, especially those pertaining to visa and immigration.

Therefore, we would like to alert our readers that a new regulation concerning the procedure for application and issuance of Visa on Arrival (VoA), Visit Visa (Visa Kunjungan) and Temporary Stay Visa (VITAS) recently took force. Signed by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, the new regulation took effect in late 2016. The regulation modifies, clarifies or confirms previous regulations.

In general, Indonesia has made it easier for tourists to visit the country through their visa free program. On the other hand, immigration is under intense political pressure to better control and monitor foreigners who are within Indonesia. Consequently, we expect this pressure to drive immigration policy going forward. This new regulation is but one step in that direction.

We outline the main points of interest within the new regulation below.

General

• Only one valid visa can be issued per person. In the past we had questions from users who already had a valid Visit Visa in their passport. The question was whether they could be granted a VoA at the Port of Entrance in addition to the Visit Visa they already have. One reason for this might be in order to keep their Visit Visa valid for a later return visit after a shorter visit on the VoA. The answer is now a clear: NO!

• Any visa must be used within 90 days of issuance.

• In case of a refusal of issuance of a visa, the foreign applicant will be notified of the refusal. However, the REASON for the refusal will no longer be given to the applicant (nor their sponsor). This is a major difference with past regulations.

• A visa may be canceled for several reasons, including by request of the sponsor. The visa holder will not be given the reason for cancellation. If the foreigner is eligible for a VoA or visa free entry, this may be issued at the Port of Entrance to allow entry in lieu of the cancelled visa.

Visa on Arrival (VoA) and Visit Visa (formerly Sosial Budaya Visa)

• An applicant for a VoA does NOT have a requirement of a minimum amount to have to cover the cost of his/her stay.

• For application of a Single or Multiple Entry Visit Visa, an applicant must prove that s/he has at least the equivalent of USD 1,500 to cover the cost of living during their intended stay.

• For an application of a Visit Visa (Single Entry, Multiple Entry or VoA), an applicant should have a return or onward ticked to their next destination.

• In order to apply for a Single Entry Visit Visa (Visa Kunjungan Sekali Perjalanan), an applicant must have a passport valid for at least 6 months.

• In order to apply for a Multiple Entry Visit Visa (Visa Kunjungan Beberapa Kali Perjalanan), an applicant must have a passport valid for at least 6 years (!).

• Multiple Entry Visit Visa are now valid for 5 (five) years with each visit not exceeding 60 days. This is much longer than the previous 1 year validity.

• Multiple Entry Visit Visa are available for several reasons. Among others for family reunion, tourism, trading or business negotiation, attending seminars and fairs, attending meetings with head office or representative office in Indonesia.

Temporary Stay Visa (VITAS)

• VITAS is now available for a period of 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year or 2 years depending on the category of the applicant.

• In order to apply for a VITAS, an applicant’s passport must have at least:

12 months of validity for a VITAS allowing a 6 months stay or less.
18 months of validity for a VITAS allowing a 1 year stay,
30 months of validity for a VITAS allowing a 2 years stay.

• For an application of a VITAS, an applicant must prove that s/he has at least the equivalent of USD 1,500 to cover the cost of living during their intended stay.

Other

Visas are once again issued with and identified by an Index number.  Probably to ease classification and control of foreigners within Indonesia. This is a return to the procedure pre-2010. The most common index are:

• B211A: Single Entry Visit Visa
• B211B: Single Entry Visit Visa requiring an authorization of DitJenIm prior to issuance
• B211C: Single Entry Visit Visa for journalist
• B213: VoA
• D212: Multiple Entry Visit Visa
• C312: VITAS for TKA – Tenaga Kerja Asing (Foreign worker)
• C317: VITAS for family reunion
• C318: VITAS for Former WNI – Warga Negara Indonesia (Indonesian Citizen)
• C319: VITAS for Retirement

Questions/Comments/Discussion

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