Reporting to police on arrival

[trinrick]

Hello All ,I am now liveing in Bali and have taken a lease on a house in Nusa Dua, doing Fly in fly out rosters 28 days work roster 28 break ,my question is when I return to Bali for my 28 day break on a 30 day tourist visa do i have to report to the local police station as I have heard.

[Jimbo]

If you have all your correct visa (Kitas, Dinas , Work Permitetc) and all the correct paperwork for working in Indonesia the answer is no.

Your question seems to me that you have not. If so beware you could end up with heavy fines, being banned from Indonesia or in the worst possible scenario..prison. Your sponsor/employer for work would have normally given you this information.

[Jimbo]

Oops should read before writing. The answer is no. Its a bit complicated by the fact you have rented a house but in effect you are a tourist and should not have to report to the police.

[mimpimanis]

However the owner of the house should report your arrival. It is their responsibility. When you check into a hotel, they bring your registration slip to the police. With a rental the owner may not know about this, or want to be bothered if you are in and out all the time, so you might like to go along yourself.

[Sanurian]

I believe that you're completely wrong in stating this, Jimbo

...Its a bit complicated by the fact you have rented a house but in effect you are a tourist and should not have to report to the police...

My understanding is that every foreigner in Indonesia needs to be "reported" to the police. For tourists staying in hotels, this is done automatically by the hotels so the guests are seldom aware of the process. Even staying overnight somewhere else requires the owner of the premises to make a report. (Naturally enough, this is often ignored but technically "illegal".)

The reason? Just think about it. For example, a tourist arrives in Indonesia and books into a hotel. A few days later finds the tourist at some other location, maybe at a party. Could be some local affair, (like a bazaar), maybe an expat's villa, whatever. The tourist crashes the car/motorbike, gets sick and dies, drowns somewhere...How will the police know who the tourist was?

mimpimanis rightly pointed out that

...the owner of the house should report your arrival. It is their responsibility...

She also mentioned the point that

...the owner may not know about this, or want to be bothered...

Probably the latter, "being bothered". Many Indonesians would rather not have to go to a police station to fulfill their legal "responsibility".

In my own case, I always report/re-report myself after being out of the country for any length of time. How much it costs depends upon who is on duty at the time. I've paid between Rp 20,000-50,000 for a year.

The funny part is that it would take very Wild Horses to get my Balinese landlord to do his "duty". I do it for him. Without fail, he's on my doorstep the very next day asking for a photocopy of the report...

8)

[Git]

The answer is yes,report to the local police station within 24hrs of arrival,make a copy of your passport or they will take yours. :wink:

[Jimbo]

I stand corrected based upon the logic of the views expressed which make sense if you are staying in private accommodation. However the onus for reporting a tourist is own the owner not on the tourist although Sanur makes a valid point.

I have not reported when I have stayed at my house (In Brother in Laws name) but he should have done......... i did say in my defense that renting a house made it more complicated :?

[trinrick]

ok thanks everyone i think just to be on the safe side I will report when i arrive in country

[Bert Vierstra]

Well.... If you are staying in a "tourist" accommodation there is no need to worry.....

If you are renting a house or something its a good thing to ask the owner, (who's responsibility it is) if he or she has reported you staying in their place to the police....

Some owners, like in my case, don't know about the obligatory reporting......