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Repatriation of Expat Remains to Home Country

Steps and procedures for the needed permits to repatriate remains if an expatriate passes away in Indonesia

Recently I received the sad news from one of my clients that one of their expatriates had just passed away in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. The body was to be cremated in East Kalimantan, and the ashes would be brought by his family to his home country of Australia.

Here are the steps of getting the permits for the purposes of Cremation and bringing the ashes to your home country.

Step 1:

The company who sponsored the expatriate or the family of the expatriate has to request a formal letters of statement of death & cause of death from the hospital, which is called:

1) “Surat Keterangan Pemeriksaan Kematian”
 2) “Surat Keterangan Karena Penyakit Menular/Tidak”

The hospital will request a copy (and you must to show the original as well) of the passport and ITAS/ITAP card of the deceased expat.

Step 2:

Upon the issuance of the letters in step 1, next you have to request a “death report” or “Surat Keterangan Kematian” from the Neighborhood Chief (RT/RW) where the expatriate resides in Indonesia by submitting a copy of the:
1) “Surat Keterangan Kematian” from the hospital
2) Copy of the passport of the deceased expat
3) Copy of the ITAS/ITAP card of the deceased expat

Step 3:

After you obtain the letters from “step 1” and “step 2”, next you have to take the letters to the municipal office “Kantor Kelurahan” to obtain a Death Report Form - “Formulir Pelaporan Kematian”.

Step 4:

Next you need to apply for a confirmation letter from the local Manpower Department stating that the expatriate who was working for the Company (company name mentioned), has passed away.

Step 5:

Take the copies of the:

1) Surat Keterangan Pemeriksaan Kematian & Surat Keterangan Karena Penyakit Menular/ Tidak – from hospital
2) Surat Keterangan Kematian – from RT/ RW
3) Formulur Pelaporan Kematian – from Kelurahan Office
4) Passport, ITAS/ITAP card, IMTA/ Work Permit
5) SKPSKPS or certificate of temporary resident permit - KIP / SKPSKPS
6) Confirmation letter from the local Manpower Dept. (step 4).

These forms/letters will be used to apply for the “Kutipan Akta Kematian” or Death Certificate at the Civil Department (Suku Dinas dan Catatan Sipil).

Step 6:

Once the Death Certificate is issued by the Civil Department, then you can apply for the Exit-Permit Only - EPO at the local Immigration office. The required documents are:

1) Copy of Death Certificate issued by Civil Dept. (must show the original too.
2) Some photographs of when the expat passed away
3) Statement letters (as step 1) from the hospital
4) Sponsor letter from the company

Step 7:

Copies of the permits/ documents (step 1 to step 5) will be required by the crematorium to perform the cremation of the deceased expatriate. The crematorium will issue a statement of the cremation after performing the cremation, and put the ashes in the cremation vase.

Step 8:

Upon finalizing step 7, the family can apply for a police report for bringing the ashes/corpse to a different province in Indonesia, or country overseas, called the “SURAT KETERANGAN MEMBAWA JENAZAH KELUAR DAERAH/ NEGERI”. This should be applied for at the local police department (Resort Police Dept.) before you attempt to bring the ashes to the home country.

Paperwork for Cremations

The cremation prosedure is  simple, if the death occurs in the hospital. Prior to the cremation, the crematorium agency will require the following:

  1. Death certificate & cause of death from the hospital
  2. Copy of passport and E-itas (or other relevant immigration document)
  3. Original letter from the expat's embassy that the embassy does not have any objection to their citizen's crematation, as requested by their family.

Once the above required documents have been completed, then the crematorium agency can carry out the cremation.

Paperwork Required if an Expatriate Dies at Home

If an expatriate residing in Indonesia passes away at home then the following documents will be required:

  1. Death statement from RT, RW, and Kelurahan offices
  2. Cause of Death Statement from the Doctor.
  3. Letter from the resort police department may be required - stating that the death is caused by normal circumstances.
  4. Letter from the foreigner's embassy.

I would suggest that in a critical/ emergency situation, it would be much better if the sick foreign national be taken to the hospital before he/she passes away. Then, there will not be a police department investigation into the cause of death of the foreign national.

 

I hope this information will be useful to whoever foreigners or expatriates who live in Indonesia.

Our thanks to Ratna Agustina of Rami Formality Services for sharing this information with the community.

Last updated Ocober 11, 2021