PERtoDPS
No overstay fines if stuck and no flights, although what caught me out was this: there was flights but as high as $3000 (normally $200), Good luck keep us updated
SamD
My final Sosbud renewal was due next week. Also have my Kitas application in the pipeline. My agent says she can arrange it all and she has been really good over the years I have used her. But I am still a bit concerned about how it is all going to pan out.
You would think the authorities would be happy for foreigners to stay and prop up the economy until this passes and things get back to normal, if that ever happens.
mugwump
Spoke with my agent today in her office, and she said that the airport shutdown is extended till May 29. Didn't hear about this anywhere, but she claims it was on local TV news.
Has anyone else heard this.?
mugwump
[SIZE=6]Just learned by email from my agent that immigration is now closed, and won't re-open for another 3 weeks. What I don't know is if this means all of Immigration in Bali, or just the Singaraja office which I deal with.
My application to renew my KITAS was filed with my agent 8 weeks ago tomorrow, and my latest link in the procedure was a visit to Singaraja March 31, to hopefully perform my last task before approval.
My agent further disclosed that there would be no further applications accepted by Immigration.
Sorry that I can't provide any further information at this juncture, but wished to pass this on to those with upcoming renewals. When I learn other details will add to this post, and will most certainly appreciate any info.anyone else has. I have been attempting to contact my agent today both by email and phone without success until a few minutes ago.[/SIZE]
mugwump
Am beginning to feel like the little boy that cried wolf!
Just maybe (?), I have been the victim of erroneous information, and regret its transmittance if false.
After not getting any others confirming nor denying the shutdown of the Immigration Dept. attempted to contact said agency today in Singaraja, and while not getting an answer on the phone saw online evidence of their being open.
Help Spicy! If you can shed any light on this subject from your observation would appreciate your input.
After phoning Ngurah Rai learned that they are open on the International Side with incoming flights.
Just regret being the purveyor of inaccurate information, and welcome what others may have on this.
SamD
My Sosbud renewal is due next week. Haven't heard from my agent about any immigration shutdown. She told me I can extend my Sosbud past the normal expiry for at least one month so the authorities are helping us. Stay calm and be like the Balinese.
mugwump
SamD wrote
My Sosbud renewal is due next week. Haven't heard from my agent about any immigration shutdown. She told me I can extend my Sosbud past the normal expiry for at least one month so the authorities are helping us. Stay calm and be like the Balinese.
Good advice!
Juggler
Our kitas due for renewal mid June. Spoke to Sydney embassy and they advised they could renew there. I then spoke to my sponsor agent and she advised that you have to do it in Bali. I then asked Sydney embassy again and they emailed and advised that rules / procedure changed on 4 April and now have to renewed in Bali... Agent now advised if we cant get back before expiry it will be cancelled.
any ideas how to do it as we cant get back
thx
SamD
I would change agent. My agent told me she can get my Kitas without me leaving Bali. I was supposed to make the application at the Sydney embassy when I went back in May. That is all changed now of course. I am not sure what is happening but just crossing fingers and hoping for the best. I will speak to my agent next week and let you know what she says.
SamD
I am in a similar situation. Already paid 10million for my kitas but unsure of my status. Just playing it by ear for now. You would think the Indonesian government would be bending over backwards to make sure foreigners stay in the country. I am happy to be here and contribute to the local economy. Jokowi should be ringing me up and asking if I need anything.
Juggler
Well i am currently paying 8jt for my retirement visa.
Does any one know if this is still current?
permenkumham #7 in 2020
as far as i can make out if you are not in indo you can renew at a embassy.
can any one shred some light as i am using translator so maybe im missing the finer points
thx
Juggler
Well maybe its been rescinded i can find it anymore
mugwump
Juggler wrote
Well i am currently paying 8jt for my retirement visa.
Does any one know if this is still current?
permenkumham #7 in 2020
as far as i can make out if you are not in indo you can renew at a embassy.
can any one shred some light as i am using translator so maybe im missing the finer points
thx
That is what I pay also, but also neglected earlier to mention the 10j that I pay includes 2j for a merp (multiple exit re-permit) provision.
SamD
I
Mark wrote
Getting a spouse sponsored Kitas on a DIY basis is a piece of cake. I got my first Kitas and then straight away Kitap that way. There were no hiccups and the process was transparent and straight forward. I think you are throwing money away by using an agent.
I was under the impression that I had to use an agent for the kitas. Too late now as I have already paid but I probably would have still used one anyway. I just don't like dealing with officialdom. And seeing all the documentation that my agent provided I don't think I would have been able to navigate the bureaucracy very well not being a native speaker.
mugwump
As an update to my situation, and original panic attack feel responsible to address the problem.
I am in the fifth year of a 5 year retirement visa and applied for the renewal for this fifth year on 13 Feb. So it was in the process prior to the shutdown. On 31 March went to Singaraja office of immigration and had my picture taken and answered questions in accordance with those addressed. My Kitas will expire 10 May. If it isn't approved by then and passport returned (assuming I was accepted) by that time whose fault is this? Crazy things have happened here but this situation rests solely on the shutdown of Immigration during the process. So how could I possibly be responsible?
Likewise when the shutdown was first announced Immigration expressed some leniency toward people caught in the grinder without alternative, and extended normal expiration dates.
Now the same logic would apply, in that if the candidate could have renewed at the required date but was unable to because of the closure of normal Immigration operations and procedures, then how can it be the fault of the applicant? To deny on those grounds would create a black mark that would live for along time and create a legacy that Indonesia could hardly afford to live with.
The latest I have heard is that Immigration is closed now with the exception of applications in process such as my own apparently tended to by a skeleton crew, BUT will reopen in approximately 3 weeks to normal procedures.
Sorry for the lengthy explanation, but feel that you guys should be safe because you haven't erred in your attempt as it would have been achieved had the people that make those decisions been available to do so, and extensions should in all likelihood be made.
JohnnyCool
My 5 year retirement KITAS “ended” in Nov 2019.
I thought, “OK – I’ll have to start all over again”.
(I can’t publicly spell out in [I]any[/I] detail what happened next. Let’s just say that my ‘agent’ isn’t typical.)
My KITAS [I]was[/I] extended for one more year [I]without[/I] having to leave the country!
I’m not sure what to expect at the end of t[I]his[/I] year. [I]Another[/I] mysterious extension or just something unexpected? (Pandemic issues aside.)
One of the biggest problems for expats in this country is getting access to correct, reliable and trustworthy information. Government ‘outlets’ both here and abroad, (embassies and consulates), don’t seem to be on the same page. Same goes for their ‘official websites’!
That means that it’s often nigh on impossible to “know” what’s what, and how to proceed ‘accordingly’ (based on conflicting ‘information’ from different ‘sources’).
That’s one reason why there are so many “agents” all over the place competing with each other to provide their “services”.
Where do [I]they[/I] get [I]their[/I] ‘information’ from?
(I’m not saying they’re [I]all[/I] “bad”, but there are various shades of “good”.)
I’ve also seen some pretty bewildered facial expressions on Balinese applying for an Indonesian passport in an immigration office.
Also a licence to drive/ride one from the police.
For me, I have [I][B]never[/B][/I] had to submit to [I]any[/I] kind of “tests” (eyesight, health, knowledge of “road rules”, etc).
(Untrue – [B]once[/B], in 1973 on a motorbike. Had to ride around a bunch of plastic caps, both ways, without knocking any over. I passed.
I then watched a young female Western tourist try the same, but she knocked a few over! Some police ‘examiners’ ran out and moved them further apart, and I guess she ‘passed’ too.)
In some ways, there [I]are[/I] still similarities between what happened then with ‘moving the caps further apart’, and moving goal posts regarding 21st century immigration rules, laws, and cohesion.
With no disrespect to the [I][B]Bali United[/B][/I] soccer team, I wish there was a ‘[I][B]United Indonesia Government Offices[/B][/I]’ team. Whether it could play ‘soccer’ or not is irrelevant. So long as it didn’t keep changing the ball’s shape and its location.
Wouldn’t [I][B]that[/B][/I] be a wonderful start?
:cool:
JohnnyCool
SamD wrote
I am in a similar situation. Already paid 10million for my kitas but unsure of my status. Just playing it by ear for now. You would think the Indonesian government would be bending over backwards to make sure foreigners stay in the country. I am happy to be here and contribute to the local economy. Jokowi should be ringing me up and asking if I need anything.
Sorry [B][I]SamD[/I][/B], but the Indonesian government won't be "bending" anywhere in [I]your[/I] (or "our") direction anytime soon.
I also [I]think[/I] that the 10 million you've paid is excessive. Do you have an Indonesian wife? If so, [I]she[/I] could be your 'sponsor', rather than your "agent".
I've been paying around 5 million for several years.
Being unsure of our status is par for the course.
Read the post I just sent to no one in particular.
:)
SamD
I am applying for the spouse visa. My agent is very efficient and seems to know her way around the system. But I haven't ever questioned her fees. Maybe I should. I thought 10mill was about the going rate. So much going on now I don't really know what to do. I have always followed my philosophy that if you don't know what to do then do nothing. It has helped me in all sorts of situations. For example,as a VFR pilot suddenly caught in whiteout conditions I just took my hands off the yoke and watched the instruments. It was a harrowing experience but I came through it ok. I am doing the same in this financial crisis but not sure if it is the right policy . I am thinking it might be prudent to cash in my pension now. But to do that I have to stop working.
Sod it. Have another beer and do nothing.
mugwump
SamD wrote
I am applying for the spouse visa. My agent is very efficient and seems to know her way around the system. But I haven't ever questioned her fees. Maybe I should. I thought 10mill was about the going rate. So much going on now I don't really know what to do. I have always followed my philosophy that if you don't know what to do then do nothing. It has helped me in all sorts of situations. For example,as a VFR pilot suddenly caught in whiteout conditions I just took my hands off the yoke and watched the instruments. It was a harrowing experience but I came through it ok. I am doing the same in this financial crisis but not sure if it is the right policy . I am thinking it might be prudent to cash in my pension now. But to do that I have to stop working.
Sod it. Have another beer and do nothing.
That 10mill mark is what I pay each year for my Kitas visa, and have found in the past that it is about standard.
JohnnyCool
mugwump wrote
That 10mill mark is what I pay each year for my Kitas visa, and have found in the past that it is about standard.
[B]"That 10mill [I]standard[/I]" [/B]may well be a going rate, (or ball-park figure between agents).
I bet you that it costs them much less but they still have to make some kind of profit.
Sure, they have to do a bit of running around, cover their cost to be an approved/registered agent, etc.
People pay so that in the end, they only have to front up at immigration for the photo fingerprint session,
and to collect the finished product. Two times at best.
Even if you have a spouse-sponsored Kitas, he/she will still have to do a lot of leg work each time you have to apply for the annual extension.
That's when we use our 'special agent' to do those things, for around 5 million each time.
Maybe around 12 years ago, using 'normal agents', I paid about 7 million. Some quoted as much as 15 million!
:rolleyes:
