Bali Expat Forum - Bali Travel Forum

Hi all,

Well I'm finally back in Lombok YAH - 6 weeks away, I really don't know how you girls do it being away from your hubbies for 6 months...

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone can give me their experience regarding registering with the local police when you are on a social visa?

As I mentioned in a previous post they want 50,000 for each extension on my visa, which is quite a lot for us. Does anyone else do this that is on a social visa. I understand it is required when on a kitas? But SB?

Cheers

FG

Well, as far as I know, you need to register once only, when you "arrive", for a sosbud that is.

for the Kitas I have to register with the police every yearly renewal.

Great news Freo Girl, sorry cannot help you with question though!

I couldn't bear to be away from hubby either....

50,000 is about $5. Have you got your figures right?

Hi Karen

I too only have to register on arrival & I dont think we pay at all. Made usually deals with it.

Jimbo - you may be thinking Karen is mistaken in her figures but for some of us out there we think in Indonesian terms & Rp50,000 per extension would be a lot. Sometimes we take as little Rp10,000 per day in our kios & that is not profit. Profit on most things we sell is only a few hundred rupiah. So when you are living like that Rp50,000 seems a lot.

Gemma

Jimbo, yes it is about USD 5 - but as Gemma says we are living on an Indonesian income. My husband can work all day for 50,000 Rp - so take how much you earn per day in USD and think of it in those terms.

Interesting that you don't pay Gemma, I suppose it is the downside to living in a more touristy area?

How about in Bali - anyone on a SB over there that has not been there for years and years? Do you register/pay?

Karen

I've never heard of paying the police every time one renews a SB or single entry business visa. I just do it a few days after arrival, and for that matter, my wife or brother in law does it for me. The cost is Rp 10,000, and it's only once for the period of the visa, and all four extensions.

Jimbo - you may be thinking Karen is mistaken in her figures but for some of us out there we think in Indonesian terms & Rp50,000 per extension would be a lot. Sometimes we take as little Rp10,000 per day in our kios & that is not profit. Profit on most things we sell is only a few hundred rupiah. So when you are living like that Rp50,000 seems a lot.

Gemma, not trying to be a wise arse, but with figures like that, how can you afford internet time?

Hi Roy

Dont worry. You are right. It is for the very reason that we can't live on what we make that I have to go to UK to work. Previously when I returned to Uk I was very well paid for my work & was able to save enough to live reasonably well & have another building project. However that company has now gone down the tubes so there is no more walking straight back into a great job. I found myself this time out of work for the first month in London & now earning nearly half the salary I did before. Now I have saved enough to hopefully live on for 8 months (including going out to KL to get a new visa) But it will not be enough to live as we have previously. I am going to try & ration myself to once a week on the internet. When I think made mightn't make in a day what I spend in an hour I do feel bad.

Mind you our homestay will be going in the Rough Guide in a few months time. If we get more guests, it will make a big difference & who knows I might even be able to stay a year! Going back to UK will be so much harder now that I do not have my mum to stay with.

I also have another little business venture we are going to start. No outlay but it might bring in some money, so fingers crossed.

Wish us luck.

Gemma

umm the police is getting a few extra bucks from you that's for sure. "back in the days" i used to pay about 20'000 each month, but i figured it was a hoax and the police wasn't honest so i just quit paying them. now i only pay one time per entry .. about 20.000rp or so for "administration" (that would be the officer handling the 15gram paper from my fiancées hand carefully taking it into a storagedesk and putting it into the files for any future needs).

abit off topic but... one of the immigration-officers in denpasar suggested me to get the one year family-kitas instead of using the somewhat complicated sosial budaya with all it extensions and papers. it's the visa "in between" working kitas and sosial budaya which is as cheap as 2 sosial budayas but has the convenience as the working-kitas(exept that you can't work..). well, this is what they told me anyway so i might go for that instead. i also have a good friend who is mixed balinese/australian but still australian citizen. his mom who's is balinese gets him the one year family kitas and she also suggested me to get it. maby this visa would suit some of you?

Limited Stay visa's are valid for one year. We may be talking about the same thing though.

Sorry guys but although I know its possible to live in Indonesia for 5 dollars a day I just naturally presumed no one was doing it.

Personally although I love Indonesia I would not want to live as a poor person there. Especially if I had no access to medical treatment other than what you can afford on $5. Obviously renting or buying a place is also not possible and then when I think of all the utility costs etc etc I do not know how you manage. Good luck to you.

Hmm, I read this topic now and it makes me think. When I got my social budaya visum at the embassy nobody told me about registering to the police..How should I know about these things? Or will I be told to do so when I arrive in Indonesia?

Well actually it is not the person on the visa who has to register with the police but the person who owns the house where you are staying. It is Indonesian law to report within 24 hrs any foreigner living at your residence. That is why hotels make you fill in a form and that form goes to the police.

You should not have to pay but it is normal in Indo to pay an admin fee to keep the peace.

I never paid anything.

The owner of the property I lived at sent the necessary paperwork to
the Police.

Well that's interesting! I will mention that to the owners next time I see them. My house is owned by an Australian woman and her Indonesian husband.
But seeing as I know they are expecting me to do it, my husband registered with the Sengiggi police for me today, this time we paid Rp30,000 for the whole 6 months after a bit of 'negotiation'.