Retirement Visa process

The requirements seem to be less strict now for the retirement visa, so what your agent says could be true. Make sure that your agent is actually a licensed agent. There have been reports on this forum of immigration checking up on people, so while your agent may not say you need this or that, you might need to show it later. I wouldn't want to commit to any property without seeing it first, so I would be careful with what they are offering you. Does the agent say you have to commit to their property to get the visa? If so I would be wary of that. Unless you want to avoid flying back after two months, I would be inclined to take things slowly. Try and get a recommendation for an agent also as some tend to overcharge.

the person I'm dealing with seems to have a different email address. Could there be a scam happening here?[/QUOTE]It seems common here for people to use their personal yahoo address for their company email, of course not professional, but it happens. You could call or email the company to double-check - better safe than sorry! I have heard negative stories about most visa agents so difficult to recommend a specific one.

A Bali agent has now informed me that this is unnecessary, that they can send a telex to the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney where I can collect my retirement visa for entry into Bali. The only requirements, apart from age and valid passport, are life insurance and bank account (which they tell me I can get in Bali after arrival). They also offer to help me find a rental property near ubud.[/QUOTE]You agent is correct...he can easily co-ordinate everything and submit to the appropriate Immigrasi in Indonesia. Assuming everything is correct they will telex to the RI Embassy/Consul of your choice (i.e. Sydney) and, on attendance, they will stamp an ITAS in your passport. On arrival in Indonesia you will be admitted on that ITAS and instructed to have the agent submit your final complete documentation within 7 days, whereupon, in a couple of weeks, you will receive your Retirement KITAS, Blue Book, Multi-entry permit (MERP) if optionally applied for, and other documents if still needed. The agent is paid handsomely to do this work so I suggest you just communicate with them and let them earn their income.I am on my 2nd Retirement Kitas. I was in Indonesia whilst the 1st was processed and did go to Singapore to receive the initial Kitas. The 2nd one was issued locally and was complicated as I had a new passport and changed address from Jakarta to Bali...no problem.....just took a little time.I used Bali-Mode and can recommend although, from your input, it is likely you are using same. If so, I can assure no scam...I know the owner and he is a retired Immigration Officer before starting his business. His website was under re-construction recently, and maybe some info has changed, but I was in his Legian office last week and he has some 10 staff running around like beavers as he is so busy....remember, the Jakarta Immigrasi Office got flooded.My personal opinion would be to use a realtor to find accommodation or use a hotel/home stay for a while to acclimitise. There are many scams in this long-term rental area so you need to be personally alert and have someone trusting to show what's available.Best of luck and happy retirement.

Hi first reply - great information we are coming over in July for a couple of weeks then moving over end 2014 I am a very regular viewer of the forum , valuable, informative and sometimes just very funny. Hopefully will catch up with some of you in Candi Dasa and Sanur in July

Can someone please tell me if they think an immigration agent is best to go when retiring to Bali. I read so many conflicting stories as to what I need and how much cash I require to live there. I will have approxiamtely $100,000 + my Australian pension.

Can someone please tell me if they think an immigration agent is best to go when retiring to Bali.[/QUOTE]You have to use an agent for the retirement visa.Is this too fanciful?[/QUOTE]You can live cheaply in Bali, day to day costs are quite low if you eat at home and don't drink too much. The expensive things are visa, medical insurance and flights.

You are correctly identifying two significant costs. * Medical insurance of "oldies" is problem, and I, like a few others, have no insurance at present. So that is one option but you may not like it.* Centrelink - I don't get anything from Centrelink, but have friends who do, and they do seem to need to return every 6 months. Other reports sometimes suggest every 3 months. You need to talk directly to Centrelink about this - then factor in the necessary air-fares.

I'm also in my mid 70's and do not have medical insurance....a years insurance costs more than a heart transplant.I told my much younger wife that when the engine stops just find a good day on the Hindu calender and make sure my ceremony holds up the traffic for at least an hour.Revenge is so sweet!

Here is a link to recent changes to Aus Pension Payments. Best to call Centerlink and confirm the impact on your individual circumstance.[url=http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/outside-australia#a3]Payments paid while outside Australia[/url]Also, it doesn't look like Australia has an international social security agreement with Indonesia.[url=http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/centrelink/international-social-security-agreements/countries-that-have-agreements-with-australia]Countries that have International Social Security Agreements with Australia[/url]

I'm now having trouble getting affordable medical insurance due to my age. Have any other over-70s any advice?[/QUOTE]Save your money in a high interest account and use it if you need medical care. I don't have medical insurance as I find paying for treatment when I need it cheaper.

Same here, I came here nearly 5 years ago with an international travel/accident etc insurance. That has stopped. I am 70 and don't worry about medical help at all. I have NO insurance as it is much cheaper to save your money and pay when needed. A visit to a doctor will set you back about 10 US$ and often includes a handful of pills.And I love that idea to stop the traffic and everything else on a cremation/creation day:icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin: (or my lady can just put me out with the rubbish.)

Medical insurance is required for the retirement visa. That's the only reason I'm getting it as I've never had medical insurance before, apart from the Australian low income Medicare system. [/QUOTE]Your agent should be able to help on this issue of insurance for the elderly. Mine did... I have no insurance but on my 2nd Retirement Kitas.Off subject but it was the same with my MM2H long term visa for Malaysia...all I needed was a letter from an Insurance Compant rejecting health Insurance due to age.

I'm still waiting for further details on the new Centrelink requirements for expats & fear they may insist recipients return to Australia after a very brief period. Has anyone any confirmed information on this as I can't survive for long without the pension?[/QUOTE]Much better to wait for Centerlink for confirmation but I wouldn't be suprised if there are problems for you. If the pension system works like the taxation system then there may be problems.For taxation purposes an Aus Citizen must reside in Aus for over 6 months of the year to be on the normal tax rates. If they spend more than 6 months overseas then they are taxed at 32.5 cents in the dollar for any income generated within Aus (investments for example). There may be ways around this and I'd love to hear them.I suspect that living in a country without an iternational social security agreement will be a problem for you to retain a full pension. I hope I am wrong and would like to know how it works out for you when you hear from Centerlink.Good luck.

If you receive the normal age pension (Aus resident over 65) the link(s) on this thread give fairly detailed info., such as the definition of 'Aust. working life residence'.The basic 'Pension Supplement' component of the pension is paid whether you leave Aus. temporarily or permanently. Some people who are affected by 'Aus. working life residence' and/or 'partial pension payments paid by another country' may possibly need to return to Aus. after 6 months to retain a full pension ?