Immigration, working, and identity cards

Paperwork..

KEEP EVERYTHING -  SCAN EVERYTHING

You'll find Indonesian officials require a lot of paperwork of all sorts to produce pretty much any sort of document, sometimes even asking for very old stuff as has happened to me on several occasions.

1 - Keep every bit of paperwork you ever get from anyone.
2 - Copy any paperwork you're given to pass on to any other office, even if you don't need it.
3 - Scan everything and keep copies on several disks to back them up. I also keep a copy of everything on my phone so I have it with me at all times - That can be handy from time to time, especially as you can bluetooth them to an official's computer and he can print them out.
4 - Keep at least one set of all the main documents in a folder (With 2 sets of photocopies) and take them to every meeting where you think you might be asked for anything.
5 - Scan your passport and all immigration stamps and any permits (KITAS KITAP and so on).
5 - Keep copies of all police reports and scan them. These will only be needed in unusual times but they can prove handy to have available
6 -  Make colour copies of the required documents. They can be simple photocopies but colour tends to be well received and that can help in difficult situations.

The paper trail for most official stuff in Indonesia follows the same route -  This doesn't include immigration and other sets of officials, but they might very well want documents you obtain by following this path.
This is how you will get ID cards, family cards, register births, and all the other stuff expats could end up needing.

RT - The local head of your street or small area
RW - The head of the RT
Kelurahan - The office that looks after all the stuff from the Rws
Kacamatan - The office that looks after all the stuff from the Kelurahan
Catatan sipil - Office of civil registration

Long, hard, the RT/RW are often part time and work so can be hard to get hold of, and the queues are commonly terrible.
Get to offices thirty minutes before they open and make sure you stand in front of the door so you're first.  Two minutes after opening there will be 50 or more people ahead of you.

Always turn up to any office reasonably dressed. For men, that means long trousers, shoes and a shirt with a collar (Polo shirt works).
Ladies, a skirt or dress below the knee and no plunging tops.
You're likely to be refused service if you turn up in shorts and a T shirt.

It's not uncommon for your local RT or RW to offer to do all the work for you (For a price) - This isn't illegal as long as they don't offer you any ways around the law, just sticking to ways around the messing about and queues.
This is more likely to be offered in smaller towns and villages where people tend to lack money.
As I dislike the messing around, I generally take them up on the offer.

Most of the corruption has been cleared up now so don't attempt to offer a bribe.
Doing so is likely to cause a lot of problems for you.

Visa on arrival

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DO NOT BRING RECREATIONAL DRUGS INTO INDONESIA - A LONG PRISON TERM AND/OR A FIRING SQUAD AWAIT YOU
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Citizens of many countries can enjoy a free visa on arrival in Indonesia, that list and a wealth of other information is HERE
Most VOA applicants are just 'rubber stamped' and welcomed to Indonesia but there can be problems:

Turning up drunk at the airport
Wearing 'disrespectful' clothes
Too many VOAs with little or no time between them
Your passport has less than six months validity
You don't have a ticket to leave Indonesia (Rarely asked for in normal circumstances)

Clothes don't need to be your best suit or dress, just looking decent and reasonable.  Officers are used to backpackers and businessmen and they let pretty much everyone through without a problem, but there can be issues if you don't follow reasonable norms.

The free VOA is valid for 30 days (not a month) and can't be extended.
Overstaying a day or two is quite common, and usually the result of a mistake in checking dates, so these are generally treated with a small fine and not much more.
Serious overstays are much more of an issue and can lead to very large fines, blacklisting, and/or worse.

If in dispute with an immigration officer, NEVER raise your voice or act threatening in any way.

KITAP for expats married to an Indonesian

After two spouse sponsored KITAS, an expat married to an Indonesian is allowed to apply for a KITAP (Five year immigration document).
This allows freedom to do some casual work or work in a family business.
The law is a little contradictory, so better to be safe and not take up full time employment without an IMTA work permit.
However, this spouse sponsored KITAP is usable as an immigration document for work in Indonesia.
Most expats married to an Indonesian citizen AND have held two KITAS temporary stay permits have an easy run to get a KITAP but immigration may require proof you have sufficient funds to remain in Indonesia without working, or enough so casual work is adequate to meet your needs.
If you have a work permit, that won't happen.

NOTE

All KITAP holders should get a KPT WNA (or KTP OA, as some refer to it)

The old police registration (SKLD) is no longer required for foreigners in Indonesia.

KITAS / KITAP - Change of details.

In the days of the blue book, if you changed address, you simply took a letter from Pak RT and your blue book to immigration. Job done.
The demise of the blue book has changed things so now you must have:

Copy of your KITAS/KITAP
Original KITAS/KITAP
A request/permission letter from your sponsor
A letter from the local village office (Surat domicili)
A red folder (From immigration - free of charge)
Two forms (From immigration - free of charge)
Your passport
A copy of your passport
If immigration ask for other documents, smile and get them.

Moving house within an immigration AND local administration area is simple enough, a letter from your local PAK RT/RW usually being fine but, if you move outside either an immigration area or local administration area, you need much more.
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Changing passport whilst on a KITAS/P

If you change your passport whilst on KITAS/P, you must inform immigration.
Take with you:

Original KITAS/KITAP
Copy of your KITAS/KITAP
A letter from your sponsor
Old passport
New passport
Photocopies of ID pages of old and new passport
Photocopy of relevant visa page of old passport

The required form can be obtained from immigration free of charge, along with the red folder you must put it in.

Identity card (KTP/SKTT) / Family card (KK)

SKTT and KTP WNA ID cards are available with some messing about, but no one ever tells you the law.
The fines for not having one are minor, but I've heard of people spending a night in the cells whilst waiting to sort out the problem.
KITAP holders should also have a KK (Family card).

Foreigners on a KITAS are required to get an SKTT.
Foreigners on a KITAP are required to get a KTP WNA.

NOTE - The residency card (KTP or SKTT) MUST be carried at all times or you could be subject to arrest.
The fines are small as this is considered to be a minor crime, but you could end up with a night in a cell whilst it's sorted out, followed by a small fine.

The requirement for a police ID card (SKLD) were dropped some years ago, so you can forget that one. A lot of sites still list this as a requirement, but just ignore it

The process is simple, but can be a real pain to get through.
Most of the problem is the local government officials are commonly unfamiliar with the law on this matter, assuming that foreigners can't appear on the family card.
A KITAP holder should appear on his or her family card along with the rest of the family but it's not uncommon to have a separate one for the foreigner. I never managed to get on mine until I became Indonesian. No real problem if you don't manage.
A foreigner KTP is pretty much understood by most offices now.

Whatever happens, ALWAYS remain polite. The first angry word is very likely to mess you up until you move house, so don't bother trying.

The process starts with a surat domicili (Letter of residence) from your Pak RT, then goes through the list in the paperwork post.

Some Pak RT/RW (Area head) just don't want you to have any documents, so you'll have a heck of a job with this. Sadly, there is some racism here, but not much.

The whole process should take about two weeks.

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Working in Indonesia

ASEAN country citizens have some freedom to work here if they are in given professions, but restrictions still apply.

To work, you need to get a work permit (IMTA) and a visa (ITAS or ITAP).
To get a work permit, you MUST have a skill that is not available locally.
This does not include lifeguard, cook, waiters, massage parlour workers and/or other unskilled work.

Be aware, the penalties for working illegally can include, fines, prison time, and deportation.

YOUR DREAM OF WORKING AS A LIFEGUARD OR A HAIRDRESSER ON BALI IS JUST A DREAM - FORGET IT.

A spouse sponsored KITAP holder is allowed to work informally without a work permit, part time and without contract. Working in your spouse's business is fine.
Holders of this immigration document are restricted (according to the work department but argued about a lot) from formal work.

KITAS (immigration document) and IMTA (Work permit) should be dealt with by your employer at no cost to you.
This means you should take the contract seriously, noting you might well be asked to pay fees if you resign before the contract period.
You should have an exit permit to leave the country, and it's your employer who deals with that, so no thinking about running away.

As for two year contracts - don't.
The company only gets a one year work permit, so the common reason they want you to stay is they have a high staff turnover.
Take that as you wish, but there is no way I'd sign a 2 year contract without a very special reason.

Your employer will ask you for a lot of documents but apart from signing letters and the identification process, your employer does all the work at no cost to you.
The employer is also responsible for your flight tickets.

Working as an English teacher.

There are a lot of schools wanting to hire 'native' English speakers.
These range from the language mills, many offering poor salary and lousy working hours, to top quality international establishments, offering massive salaries and very nice working conditions.
The former start at about Rp5,000,000/month, but more commonly Rp8,000,000.
You can live on it if you aren't a party animal but, if you like the night life, you'll be scratching around after the second Saturday of the month.
Real schools  generally offer from Rp20,000,000 upwards.
Update. EF now say 11 million/month is their minimum salary.

To be legal, the school should provide the work permit and KITAS (immigration document) and you have to be from any one of five countries.

UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

As with every work permit/KITAS I've heard of, you MUST get an exit permit.
You can't get that unless the school signs it off.
The moral here, don't bug your boss and don't bother trying to do a runner, the airport immigration will turn you back.

lukereg wrote:

Working in a 'language mill' ish Fred has pretty much hit all nails on the head. There are however exceptions to the rules for western teachers it being Indonesia.  But degree qualified,  drug and hiv free reachers are now expected norms and my company English First is now also  expecting every new teacher to provide background checks before coming here which is a first for Indonesia.

Whilst that sounds strict or over the top I see an end to the days of back packer teachers and the dawn of a more professional level and approach to teaching English here. After 6 years in this industry I can say I am seeing it change constantly for the better.

A note from a friend on this subject.........

Here are the latest requirements for a teacher who wants to work for a private school and there is no guarantee that a visa will be issued anyway. There is also a requirement for a full health  (physical and mental) check, HIV and drug check as well as background checks. Bear in mind this is for a 1 year job which is 50% less a month than in China, so I am sure you will agree that private schools are on the decline and I cant say how long this will last. I am sure there will be a relaxation with these rules again this year but I cant say when. You should also know that these rules also effect everyone here as well at the moment. Needless to say, I am not in a comfortable position.

Current Visa Requirements
Citizen of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK or USA
Over 25
BA degree holder with any major
TEFL certification
5 years of teaching experience after BA awarded

Cambridge CELTA and DELTA are commonly being asked for at the moment, and Cambridge TKTs are becoming popular in many schools as Cambridge tests and IGCSEs are becoming more common.

For high schools the degree is required but not necessary as these schools come under a different department in the Education Ministry. Teachers working there might find themselves on a business visa for up to a year before a Kitas is issued and then only when all the boxes have been ticked.

These rules are known to be flexible - no idea how, but they can be 'massaged' - I wouldn't recommend it in case you get caught up in something illegal.

Retirement visa.

These are done through a travel agent, and must be collected from outside Indonesia, although there's nothing stopping you applying whilst you're in the country on a tourist visa.
Any Indonesian can sponsor a retiree, but that's unusual except in the case of family.

INCOMPLETE LIST - MORE TO COME

You need to be a minimum age of 55 at the time of application.

Application form and guarantee from sponsor (An approved travel agent)
Copy of Business License (SIUP) of the sponsoring travel agent.
Copy of Taxpayer Identification Number of the sponsoring travel agent.

Statement of pension funds or Bank statement from the country of origin showing a minimal income of $ 2,500 per month
Health, death, and third party liability insurance.
Photocopy of marriage certificate (If applicable)
Colour photocopy of passport.
(The passport must be valid for at least 18 months)
Statement letter to show the rent of accommodation
Statement you will hire a local maid

Application for Indonesian citizenship

This is possible for some expats but isn't an easy or simple process.
Citizenship is a major change with advantages and disadvantages, not something you should or can do on a whim, and definitely not to be done so you can buy a holiday home on Bali .

To gain Indonesian citizenship you must have a minimum of five years continuous legal living in Indonesia or ten years on and off whilst holding a KITAS or KITAP.

You must have no criminal record that left you with more than one year in prison. NO drug use at all as that sort of stuff will immediately kill your application.

It's easier and much faster for people married to Indonesians.

Expect the process to take around two years, more if not married to an Indonesian.

You MUST give up your original nationality before the citizenship is confirmed. This must be in writing from your previous government.

The whole process is in Indonesian - If you can manage that, you have sufficient skill in that language. There is no formal language test as such but the final stage is mostly interviews so, if you can't manage the answers in Indonesian, you're unable to get past those.
Questions vary a lot but there are several panels of people including immigration, senior police offices, people from Hukum HAM and several others including doctors that check your health record.
You move to a new set of interviewers as they become free to speak to you.

The interviews are the final stage in a very long and careful process that includes a lot of home visits from various people and a lot of checking up on the applicant. Questions vary a lot but you should know the national anthem, Pancasila, UUD 1945 and what all these mean to Indonesia as a country and life here.
The long and the short is, apart from the set requirements, you have to prove you're likely to be a good Indonesian, not just using the passport as an easy way to buy a villa in Bali but really live in Australia or where ever.

Your old passport is kept by you but the corner is cut and it's cancelled electronically meaning it's just a worthless book but serves as proof the passport is no longer valid. Immigration will require that as part but not all of the proof you have renounced your citizenship of whatever country.

If you meet the time requirements and are seriously considering this move, I'll be happy to guide you by PM.