Thread: 6 month social visa sponsor

Hi

I am a bit confused in regards to the 6 month social budayasa visa and hoping someone can shed some light for me. I am going to Bali for 6 months towards the end of this year, I am initially going in September but as I need to return to Perth in November for a wedding I will start with a 60 day visa for Sept-Nov as I read you cannot exit and re-enter on a 6 month visa. When it is time to apply for my 6 month visa is it easy to let a company like Bali Ide handle everything for me? Are the rules still current that you must extend your visa every 2 months? I dont want to get into trouble! I have emailed Bali Ide a few times but no one has replied. Would it be easier to ask 1 of my Bali friends to sponsor me and then I try and handle everything, or can Bali Ide sponsor me and handle my visa extensions?

Thanks for any help anyone can offer

Kind Regards
Lindsey

Are the rules still current that you must extend your visa every 2 months?

The sosbud visa is a 60 day single entry visa intended for long social/cultural visits. After the first 60 days, it is renewable here in Bali for up to four times, each time allowing for an additional 30 days...thus it is often thought of as a 6 month visa, or more accurately, a 180 day visa.

Since you will begin your visit with a 60 day tourist visa, you should have plenty of time to find a local sponsor among your friends here, as Bert mentioned. Also during that time, you could handle your sosbud visa arrangements directly with PT Bali Ide, which I agree with Bert, is the best visa agent company on Bali.

Use the direct link Bert provides on this forum, and call them directly. Ask to speak directly with Lusiana, but if she’s busy, the rest of the staff is capable, friendly, and informative.

The way those sosbud renewals work is very simple. About two weeks prior to the expiration of your initial 60 day sosbud visa, you will bring your passport, and whatever documentation, additional 4 X 6 cm photos, copy of sponsor’s KTP (identity card), etc. that Bali Ide requests...plus money of course, to the Bali Ide office and they will handle your renewals for you. At that first time you renew, if you already know how many more times, (up to four total), that you will want to renew, then you can leave all that is needed for those four renewals with them, and they will automatically handle each of your renewals. They will also hold on to your passport, so make photocopies if you think you might need them for identification. The beauty of this is that during your renewals, you won’t have to do a thing, as it will all be done for you.

Bali Ide will give you a receipt for your passport. In the event that you are requested to present your passport to local authorities, i.e. the police, presenting them with a photo copy of your passport along with the receipt from Bali Ide will suffice nicely...so don’t worry about not having physical possession of your actual passport with you during that renewal time.

This can all sound very complicated and confusing, and for the first time, it can also be nerve wracking, but it really is rather easy and by using the best, PT Bali Ide, you should put your mind at ease and enjoy every minute of your six months. Cheers!