kiteman wroteThe Embassy will NOT give you a 2 month visa if your Flight Itinerary (which you NOW have to provide) shows you are away for 5 or 6 months. So, presumably you would have to book a flight within 2 months and then change it.
Ah yeah, I forgot about this. I would never do this, but you could Photoshop your exit itinerary, that's pretty dodgy though. Also, a flight isn't the only way out of Indonesia. I used to provide a self-written itinerary that got around the need to buy a plane ticket out of Indonesia. Here's an old example:
1. Depart Melbourne, Australia on Pacific Blue Flight DJ4153 on 26th April 2010. Arrive Denpasar, Bali on 26th April 2010.
2. Depart Medan, Sumatra by bus and ferry on 23th June 2010. Arrive Penang, Malaysia on 23th June 2010.
If you just so happen to change your travel plans, well, there's no law against that.
davita wroteIf a sponsor is available for extensions, or use an agent as a sponsor, why not apply for a Sosbud in the first place. Why apply for a 60 day Tourist visa then go around the back door and apply for extensions, and hope they will comply.
I feel like this should be self evident to any expat in Indonesia. If you're reading this and thinking, "What's the big deal, what could wrong?", you probably haven't lived here long enough. The reason you would go for the 2 month Tourist Visa is that you can control the process yourself, and you're not dependent on anyone else whose reliability in getting thing done is suspect. Also, you simply might not know anyone who can be your sponsor.
kiteman wroteI can't help feeling that the Indons make it complex for us because we make it complex for them. Not to mention the Oz government trying to tell the Indon government how to run their drug enforcement policy etc.
Really? The process for the Sosial Budaya visa is the same for all nationalities, isn't it? Just recently they've let a number of countries get a 30 day Tourist visa for free, but that doesn't really help you if you want to stay for a few months more.
