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Home » Practical Information » Legal Matters in Indonesia » Visas and Documentation
Indonesian Government Authorities
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Home » Practical Information » Legal Matters in Indonesia » Visas and Documentation Indonesian Government Authorities
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Indonesian Government Agencies you may have to deal with for documentation: Indonesian Embassies, Consulate Generals and ConsulatesThese are the official Indonesian government offices outside of Indonesia where foreigners must go in order to apply for visas to Indonesia, as well as other matters relating to business and cultural relations with Indonesia. All of these offices have a "Consular Section" which handles consular issues. The embassy is located in the capital of each country. The Consulate Generals are in larger cities and serve a particular set of states/provinces. Consulates provide more limited services that Consulates General. The offices in close proximity to Indonesia are in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, Songkha and Bangkok in Thailand. These offices provide the perfect destination for relatively inexpensive 'visa runs'. Be careful to check that the Consulate is a Consulate General (like Penang and KL) or they may refuse to process the Sosbud Application.
See a full listing of Indonesian representative offices on the Menteri Luar Negeri (Indonesian Foreign Ministry) Menlu website. R T - Rukun Tetangga (pronounced err tay)Every Indonesian knows who this is because they must report to him in the neighborhood where they live and also report any visitors staying longer than 24 hours. The RT is the "Neighborhood Chief" and as such is your first port of call for a lot of paperwork. You can obtain a confirmation letter from your RT to confirm that you live at your address, which you can then take to the Kelurahan before Kecamatan and other offices for other paperwork needs. Kantor KelurahanThe Kantor Kelurahan is your local registry office for giving notice of birth, marriage, death, change of KTP (for Indonesian nationals), and to obtain the Domicile letter which is required for your KITAS application. These government officials are paid a very minimal basic wage and rely on 'donations' to top it up. This is reflected by the lack of investment in their everyday operations - decades old typewriters, foolscap paper and no computers in sight! The Kantor Lurah (which oversees a Kelurahan) is the smallest administrative division in Kotamadya or Kabupaten as defined in the decentralization law concerning regional government. They are headed by a Bapak Lurah who is chosen by the Regent (Bupati) or Mayor (Walikota) with the recommendation of the Bapak Camat (District Chief) who is/will be his direct supervisor. A Kantor Lurah oversees an area that is usually the size of a village. The Kantor Lurah has authority on community empowerment and services and is in charge the implementation of peace and public order at the village/neighborhood level. They also are in charge the maintenance of infrastructure and public services. You may have to deal with this office for procedures concerning birth certificates, SIM or SKTT, for example. Their exact function and privileges are defined by Regional Regulations (Peraturan Daerah) and vary a lot from one Kabupaten/Kota to another. If you have any trouble with dealing with a Kantor Lurah, the first office you should head for is the Kantor Camat. It is worthwhile to pursue a just, fair and balanced relationship (do not refuse involvement/donations for your kelurahan) with the Kantor Lurah and any of its staff. Domicile letter for KITAS requirements KecamatanThis office is an organizational step up from the Kantor Kelurahan and may even be the same location in some locales. They provide additional processing for paperwork issued and signed by the Kantor Kelurahan. The Kecamatan is computerized and they issue the new KTP or Family Card for Indonesian citizens if there is a change of family circumstances (birth, death, marriage). If an Indonesian has changed their address but it is not on their KTP and they do it sometime afterwards, suddenly perhaps in response to an immigration requirement for you, beware, it can take a month to get the new KTP. The Kantor Camat oversees a Kecamatan which is one of the administrative divisions or districts of a Kabupaten (Regency) or a Kotamadya (City). They are headed by a Bapak Camat who has several functions such as coordinating all the Kelurahan under his jurisdiction and having the same duties, but at a higher scale or handling by delegation, of a Bupati/Walikota. Many of the affairs of this office concern regional autonomy. Their exact function is determined by Regional Regulations and may differ from one regency/city to another. It isn't always true that the Camat handles KTP, for example. It would be best to check first at the Kelurahan level to ask which office is in charge of what. In Manado, for example, although the Kecamatan is involved in the process of KTP issuance, they do NOT actually issue the cards, which is the privilege of the Dinas Kependudukan dan Catatan Sipil. The Bapak Camat is appointed by a Bupati/Walikota upon the recommendation of the Sekretaris Daerah (SekDa) who is his supervisor and who you should complain to if you have any trouble with your Kantor Camat (matters unsolved by Bapak Camat). The SekDa can be found in the Kantor Walikota (if you live in a city) or in the Kantor Bupati (if you live in a regency). KTP - Identity card for Indonesian citizens Kantor ImigrasiThe Kantor Imigrasi (KanIm - immigration offices) are administrative units responsible for all immigration maters in Indonesia, as delegated by the Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (DirJen Immigrasi). Immigration falls under the authority of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights (Depkumham). KanIm are ranked depending of the importance of the area they supervise. There are four categories of KanIm:
KanIm are headed by a Kepala Kantor Imigrasi (Kakanim) and organized in sections (Seksi) for KanIm kelas 1, 2 & 3 or field (Bidang) for KanIm kelas 1 khusus. which are under the supervision of a Kepala Seksi (KaSi) or a Kepala Bidang (KaBid). Typically the sections are:
If you have any problems with an immigration officer at a locket in the office, ask to see his Kasi/Kabid. If you have any trouble with a Kasi/Kabid look for the Kakanim. If you are planning on doing your immigration work yourself (not through an agent) It is beneficial to have good relations or even just to meet and talk with the Kakanim and being seen talking to him. Your personal knowledge of the Kakanim can have a positive effect on your ability to work smoothly with his subordinates. If you have any serious problems with your KanIm that the Kakanim can NOT solve it or is involved in or does not want to receive your complaint, you can contact either the: - Kepala Division Keimigrasian in the Kantor Wilayah Knowledge of this hierarchy (and a mention of it) often smoothes out bumps in procedures which are conducted in a manner not conforming to the law. Visa on Arrival – VOA extensions Kantor WilayahKantor Wilayah are an Instansi Vertikal of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. They are the administrative division in charge of the control, centralization and supervision of the work of all administrative division of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights at the provincial level. Their activities by definition are very wide and include, on top of the activities defined in the above paragraph, the coaching and socialization of law and human rights, including their protection, promotion, compliance, enforcement and respect thereof. They also deal with intellectual property rights. Last but not least, they supervise all the KanIms in their area of authority (i.e., the province). In each Kantor Wilayah, there is a Kepala Divisi Keimigrasian who is the real big boss for Immigration matters at the provincial level. He is seconded by a Kepala Bidang Lalu Lintas, Izin Tinggal, dan Status Keimigrasian and a Kepala Bidang Intellijen, Penindakan & Sistem Informasi Keimigrasian. If you have a major problem dealing with a Seksi/Bidang Lalu Lintas or a Seksi/Bidang Statuskim, explain it to the Kepala Bidang Lalu Lintas, Izin Tinggal, then Status Keimigrasian of the Kantor Wilayah. If you have a major problem involving the Inforsakim or the Wasdakim Seksi/Bidang, then contact the Kepala Bidang Intellijen, Penindakan & Sistem Informasi Keimigrasian of the Kantor Wilayah. Alternatively, write direct to the big boss! But do NOT contact any of them for petty problems that you can solve at the immigration office by writing to the relevant Kasi or Kakanim. Contacting the Kepala Divisi Keimigrasian of the KanWil because an official asked you for Rp 300.000 for a SosBud extension rather than the official rate of Rp 250.000 would be totally unnecessary. A simple letter stating the case to the Kasi or Kakanim would do the trick much better and faster. Third (and subsequent) Visa SosBud extensions Direktorat Jenderal ImmigrasiThe Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi is located on the compound of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights on Jl. Rasuna Said Kav 8 & 9 in Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan. It is co-headed at the moment (6/2011) by Bapak Bambang Irawan and Bapak Muhammad Indra. Direktur Jenderal Imigrasi usually head the DitJenIm for around two years. They are helped by various Direktur who head up a Directorate. At the moment, DitJenIm comprises six directorates and a Secretariat (SekJenIm). The directorates are as follows:
You don't have to pay anything in the DitJenIm for any permit. Payment of any PNBP (Penerimaan Negara Bukan Pajak), the fees authorized to charged by Imigrasi, concerning KITAS issuance must be done in the KanIm, and a kwitansi MUST be remitted on the spot. All the official fees for the immigration office can be found in the Peraturan Pemerintah nomor 38 tahun 2009 tentang Jenis dan tarif atas Jenis Penerimaan Negara Bukan Pajak yank berlaku pada departemen Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia. Police OfficesArticle 4 of the UU nomor 2 tahun 2002 tentang Kepolisian states that the Police of the Republic of Indonesia has the aim of insuring the national security which includes maintaining security and public order, discipline and rule of law, as well as peace within the community by upholding human rights. POLRI is headed by a Kapolri, who is appointed and dismissed by the President upon the approval of the DPR (Parliament). The structure of the police organization - from the top to the smallest unit is:
Surat Tanda Melapor Diri - STM Catatan SipilThis is the Indonesian Civil Registry office, which deals with births, deaths, and marriages. Kantor Urusan AgamaThis office operates independently of the Catatan Sipil. Muslim marriages can take place, which do not need to be registered with the Catatan Sipil. The KUA system is manual, there are no computers. They issue a Marriage Book to the husband and wife called Buku Nikah. It looks like a Passport, not a Marriage Certificate. If you are rich (and a foreigner) you can pay as much as Rp 3 juta to get married at the KUA office. If you are poor, as little as 100,000 rupiah. The trick to keeping the price down is to ensure that your Indonesian wife (to be) obtains a letter from her RT that she has low income status and the KUA should apply the lower fee. If you are married in a Muslim ceremony overseas, you must report your marriage to this office for it to be legal in Indonesia. Divorce RegistryThis office is organized in the same way that marriage registration is divided - between Catatan Sipil and Kantor Urusan Agama. Your city will have a Muslim and Civil Divorce Registry/Court.
Our thanks to mrcibubur and Atlantis for the original submissions on the Expat Forum which were combined, revised and added to in order to create this article! |
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