Bali Expat Forum - Bali Travel Forum

Dear expats,

I got the social visa, for which my sponsor is in Semarang. I will be arriving in Jakarta, and want to head to Papua without a visit to Semarang, but my sponsor says that "I have to report to the police on arrival", including fingerprint (!!!) etc.
I don't really believe this, I assume the agent gave some confusing information. Please advice: do I really have to go to my sponsor's local police station on arrival, or only deal with this sort of thing when I renew the visa?

Thx

If you have a social visa, no fingerprinting needs to be done, at least I never had it done when using it.

For my Kitas however, I needed to supply the fingerprints....

Sorry, but I have to disagree with Bert on this subject. For five years I lived in Bali with a SB...social cutural visa. I was finger-printed twice, and oddly, it was each finger of each hand...what a mess of black ink! This fingerprinting was required by immigration, not the police.

Yes, upon arrival at your intended long stay location, and with any visa other than a tourist visa, reporting to the nearest police station is expected, and required. By this, you are in effect, only "checking in" and in fact, it's a good idea.

No, if you are not going to be staying in Semarang, there is no need to report yourself to local police station there, or in Jakarta either, if as you say, you are headed to Irian Jaya. You mentioned Papua, but I'm assuming you ment Irian Jaya, Indonesia.

Once in Irian Jaya however, you should most certainly report your presence, and visa status to the local police. They may, or may not require fingerprints.

If you wish to travel in the more remote areas of Indonesia, certain requirements are expected above and beyond the more frequented travel destinations. These requirements are intended for your own safety, and, in the event of bad luck, identification of your remains...if there are any.

Just kidding...well, sort of anyway.

I've been on Soc/Budaya ever since my second visit to bali (in 97) and have used it ever since (don't know how many visas i'm up to now.. lost track of it a few years back) . First due to studies and in recent years my fiancee sponsor me. Never had to do fingerprints but you have to file a neat little report on your whereabouts in bali and how long you will be staying for at the local policeoffice. /Tommy

I'm a little bit confused here. Can you come on a social visa and do your extensions in different immigration-offices? Because we partly will stay in Semarang and partly in Bali.

I think this finger printing thing is getting less and less common...at least here in Bali anyway. I must say, it was a long time ago when I was finger-printed.

As far as I know, and I asked someone who works in immigration, extensions can be handled at any immigration office throughout Indonesia.

However, an experienced trekker that I know on Bali says that when he is going to be traveling around Indonesia for a length of time, he leaves his passport with his agent (who will handle his renewals for him) and only takes high quality photo-copies of his passport on his trek.

His point with this is that a passport is a valuable commodity and there is no sense risking having it lost or stolen. Of course if one’s port of departure is not going to be the same as one’s port of entry, his approach is not feasible.

I would investigate a lot more prior to your trip. I spent a long time in Irian Jaya and it was a difficult area to be allowed to go to with special permissions. Things may have changed recently but I would certainly advise you to check before going. Certainly its not a tourist area although I have met people travelling there to see the indigeonous culture.

Your local Indonesia consulate will advise.

Good advice Jimbo. We don't want to forget what happened to David Rockefeller:

http://www.sundream.com/~majapahit/imag ... trophy.jpg

Jimbo,

I didn't realize that you had lived in Irian. When were you there? I lived there from 1989-1998.

Regards,

Bruce

Thx for the answers...
I am aware of the surat jalan requirement in Irian Jaya (as much as I know recently renamed Papua, not PNG), thats a separate thing.
To make it clear: I will stay in Semarang, not in Irian Jaya, but only after I return from IJ, and dont want to go there just for reporting, unless absolutely necessary.

Drbruce

I was in Jayapura from 84-86, Merauke 86-88 and then in Sorong 88-90. I was part of an iternational study group for the World Bank on the Transmigration project.

During this time I visted most of Indonesia looking for suitable sites for transmigrants. Litaray "dari Sabang ke Merauke"

I always understood that the extensions had to be done at the immigration office local to your sponsor.

Also I am fingerprinted on every social visa that I have had when I have stayed at least 4 months. So my prints are on file many times over & as Karen says the take all prints from both hands & the ink is a nightmare to get off!

So overall, this seems to be quite messy...

mimpimanis wrote:.....& as Karen says the take all prints from both hands & the ink is a nightmare to get off!

Who's Karen?

Oh God I must be going crazy!!!

I seem to have though that Roy's post was by Karen aka Freogirl.

Sorry Roy

I`m coming to Indo in augusti on a tourist visa, as I am Sweden I`m not included in the VOA agrement eventually I will get a social visa but just wonder if I have to aply for a new touristvisa if I for example just go to singapore and back for the purpose of visa renewal?

thank`s