moving to indonesia

Bert Vierstra

Well what can I say :)

tom

I am a U.S. citizen, my wife is n Indonesian citizen, and our 2 children are dual. We are moving from the U.S. in approx 1 year. I understand under the new law I will be granted legal residence? I think I come on a visitor visa and then start the process after we arrive? I want to ship some household goods, several surfboards, and a few kayaks. It is my undersanding under a kitas visa I can brng personal propert with no customs duty? Will I be able to do this under our status? I know the kayaks and surfboards may be a stretch as far as "personal property". We will have a business in Indonesia and these could be used as rentals. Anybody have any answers?

aimeefrancesrose

all sounds interesting! good luck! whats your new business going to be? My partner brought his windsurfing equipment over, and there was no problem, I think if they were brand new.... that might raise questions....

spicyayam

[QUOTE]I understand under the new law I will be granted legal residence? I think I come on a visitor visa and then start the process after we arrive?[/QUOTE] I think the main changes of the new laws are that you can get permanent residency in a shorter amount of time and you get longer visa stays, like for 5 years. And the extensions are supposed to be for free. Since you still have one more year before you make the move, the new visa laws will become clearer by then. Coming on a social visa and then changing to a wife sponsored KITAS seems to be what most people advise. [QUOTE]It is my undersanding under a kitas visa I can brng personal propert with no customs duty? Will I be able to do this under our status? I know the kayaks and surfboards may be a stretch as far as "personal property".[/QUOTE] This seems to be the experience of other people on the forum, ie. you can bring in goods duty free if you have a KITAS. Customs issues aside, you need to consider whether it is better value for money to sell your gear and then buy new when you arrive, rather than paying for transport costs. Surfboards are probably easy to come by, but kayaks not so much. I can understand you want to do some forward planning, but anything could change in the next year and you probably need to ask the same question in 10-11 months time :icon_lol:

tom

We will have some rooms for rent and sporting equipment for rent in Kuta Lombok. Some of the boards are a little out of the ordinary since I am older and heavier than the normal surfer in Indonesia. Others will be soft boards forbeginners. Both not easily avaliable. I will have to visit the consulate before we go. I am not sure if it will be a problem reciving goods if I m on a visitor visa ad waiting for the permenant resident process. I do have plenty of time, I know. Hopefully it'll go fast. Thanks for the replies.

spicyayam

There's a good summary of the new laws here: FAQ on the new immigration law - straight from Tim Advokasi Perkawinan Campuran

matsaleh

There's a good summary of the new laws here: FAQ on the new immigration law - straight from Tim Advokasi Perkawinan Campuran

Great information, Spicy.

tom

Thank you.That explains things well and is about what I expected. Still nothing about bringing in personal effects while on visitor visa and waiting for ITAP. I don't want to give some customs official the opportunity to enrichhimself at my expense.

titi

Great information, Spicy.

Yes....I agree with you matsaleh:-) Tom..I think it's good idea to take 1 agent/company to assist you cause the process normally will be continuously. My boss also married with Indonesian wife and he let an agent handle this, you can check the address at Media Cargo, sorry I don't remember the agent's name but this is the same office with the cargo. Good luck.

tom

Thanks Titi. I emailed Media Cargo and am awaiting a reply. That is probable a good idea to have an agent. It may cost less in the long run than trying to haggle with customs myself or my wife I should say. She is usually up for a good bargaining session but this may be a bit much. The laws may or may not be clear in our case but since we may have things that being considered personal belongings could be open to discussion an agent in the know would be helpful.

matsaleh

I also use this company. They are very professional.

titi

Thanks Titi. I emailed Media Cargo and am awaiting a reply. That is probable a good idea to have an agent. It may cost less in the long run than trying to haggle with customs myself or my wife I should say. She is usually up for a good bargaining session but this may be a bit much. The laws may or may not be clear in our case but since we may have things that being considered personal belongings could be open to discussion an agent in the know would be helpful.

tom....thanks for your reply. I just remember, it's mas travel, Retirement Visa and any kind of visa, Villa and Property | MAS Tours & Travel | Retirement Visa and any kind of visa, Villa and Property, the email is sujono@mas-travel.com (this is the owner) or info@mas-travel.com. Good luck once more.

tonyworkers

that should be no problem, just talking with the cargo shipping.