Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
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Karangasem, Bali
(Also an aid to the just mildly deluded)

Anyone that considers the option of the one day visa run is mainly interested in saving money and time – things that are better spent on Bali rather than, say, Singapore – in my not-so-humble opinion.

Take any airline from Bali as long as it gets you to Changi Airport in Singapore no later than 9:30 a.m. I found that the one that fits this requirement the best is the AirAsia flight leaving Bali at 7:00 a.m.

With no luggage (except your hand luggage – I took the trusty laptop to while away waiting time, more about that later) and you have filled out the stupid Singapore registration card (they ask: Where are you staying in Singapore? If you try and lie by telling them that you are just there for a one-day shopping trip they will actually fill out the answer: Orchard Road! I knew there was a good reason I didn’t like Singapore and it’s poreans) – you will be standing outside the airport at around 10 a.m. with the day in front of you and a pocket full of over-valued Singaporean dollars in you moist pocket (I think it’s even hotter there than Bali is…).

I know of 2 “Agents” Mr. Malik (0065 6458195) and Mr. Ismail (0065 63345520) but as I only used Mr. Malik I will restrict my coverage to his efforts on my behalf. I did initially contact Mr. Ismail and his English seemed better but M’s English was up to the job in hand and I didn’t want to chat anyway.

Having contacted M on the previous day to confirm his requirements from me:

• 1 - 4 x 6 color photo
• 1 - letter of invitation (with that funky 6000 Rupiah postage stamp that they so love as proof of identity – governments and banks of the world throw away your pin numbers and biometric data)
• 1 - copy of an illegible KTP card supposedly showing the identity details of your sponsor

He arranged to meet me in the lobby of the Hyatt in downtown Singapore, as he does with all his clients, before 11 a.m.

SINCE THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY CLOSES AT 12 NOON.

At least for accepting visa renewals.

Anyway, we were standing outside Changi Airport with the day in front of us weren’t we, so climb in a cab to the Hyatt. This will cost you 17 S$ for the drive and 3S$ for the hard luck story of the poor, starving Chinese driver with 25 children (that probably aren’t his – still here Bert?) to support, working 15 hours a day for peanut dust. You will arrive at around 10:30 a.m.

If you are feeling particularly adventurous or have taken an even earlier plane, and therefore have time to kill, you could always take the number 36 bus (S$1.90) going downtown and ask for the Marriots Corner (the Hyatt is 50M down the road). Bus trip back in the evening took about 45 minutes and I was told in the mornings going the other way about the same. You will miss the hard luck story.

Mr. Malik, ignoring any contact help given him (or perhaps did not understand what I meant by blue and white striped shirt with white cotton trousers), was found skulking around the horrible lobby of the Hyatt gazing lovingly at every passer by hoping for that spark of recognition. Since we had never met, a little optimistic, I thought.

Anyway, you can’t miss him – but he won’t find you.

The exchange is made very quickly and I refused payment (S$175) until I got my passport back that evening with visa – he took that like a man, too. So that was that – it’s now 11 a.m. on a hot and sweaty Singapore day and you are on Orchard Road (nearly) – have fun until 4 p.m. when you are scheduled to meet up with Mr. M to pay and receive.

No problems in view, you know what he looks like so what can go wrong?

Fast forward to 4 p.m. when you have scheduled to meet Mr. Malik to pick up your spanking new 211 Social visa. Don’t be late – I got the feeling that would be frowned upon and you might have to change your flight and overnight plans just a little – don’t be late!

I wasn’t and was scanning the crowd in the Hyatt lobby (does anybody really like that much marble and large “natural” stones?) searching for the familiar guilty looking Mr. Malik until almost 5 p.m. Maybe it’s me but I don’t think there is really anything quite like being alone in a large Asian city after giving your passport to someone you have never met before and know nothing about for kicking your imagination nerve into overdrive. Panicking in the lobby of the Hyatt when I noticed that there was this other person skulking around gazing lovingly at all passers by. Yep, Mr. Malik, I presume in an attempt to make the situation more exciting for the jaded European/Westerner, had sent a helper to make final delivery – of course, with only the most rudimentary contact details too.

Ta Da! Mission accomplished. We get to go back to Bali.

Plane left at 8:30 p.m. just time for a meal and some quality computer time. Unless you have a Singapore mobile phone number (in which case just log on anywhere in the airport and supply it during the registration procedure and they will sms you the login details which are good for 3 years anywhere in Singapore – hey, nobody is all bad) go to the info desk and ask for log on details (password, ID, server name) which are then good for 6 hours of surfing fun – me, I skyped the best woman in the world.

Just a short footnote to this: In thinking about it I would actually recommend that everyone wishing to get a Social Visa should go this route and forget doing it before your trip from home. At least from the UK out – the visa costs about £60 plus 2 way registered post coming in at around £76. S$175 at the present exchange rate is £78 so for that £2 you don’t have to hassle with employer letters, bank statements and the like. Up to you but if you have the time and are in Singapore anyway…

Yours Markit
 

spicyayam

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2009
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Nice story :) :) :)

Did you get any questions about what you were doing in Bali when you arrived back at immigration?
 

calitobali

Member
Jul 10, 2008
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I've never done it the way of meeting someone to hand over my passport. I've always gone straight to Ismael's office and handed it to him and picked it up at his office later in the afternoon. Some people say I'm stupid to pay so much money to have someone do my visa for me when they can't even find the time to pick it up themselves, but I enjoy the piece of mind knowing that it is all my responsibility to drop it off and pick it up on time to make my flight. I'll be doing the process again next week...really wanted to do it in Bangkok this time, but that all got flubbed up with my Singapore hospital visit...good thing I didn't book the Bangkok tickets already, although I did book some non-refundable round trip tickets to Singapore for February that i won't be able to use now...good thing I got a round trip special of only $100.
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
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Panji, Singaraja.
great story and very similar to my singapore adventure when I had to go out for a renewal of my Kitas(changed employer, and can't extend then), good written and very funny as usual :D .

@spice, when I got back, the imigrasi officer at the airport did ask me some questions as to why I left and came back the same day, I answered truthfully ofcourse, he frowned and he called over his supervisor...sv came looked at me and said to his collegue, stamp it it's ok...go figure?
 

Markit

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2007
9,317
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Karangasem, Bali
noodles said:
Markit, you forget count roundtrip airline tickets fm Bali to Singapore

When you're right you're right - I guess it's just because the price, even when bought only one month prior (didn't get around to it, too busy or in denial) was so negligible at 1.3 juta return that it didn't figure in my calculation really. If you book a couple of months in advance then it's even cheaper.

spicyayam said:
Did you get any questions about what you were doing in Bali when you arrived back at immigration?

I didn't hear a thing they were just great - as a matter of fact when I was leaving in the morning I told the guy at imagrasi what I was doing and he even suggested that I get a multi entry 1 year visa - which I was unfamiliar with - does anybody else know of that one?

calitobali said:
I've never done it the way of meeting someone to hand over my passport

I actually had the cheek to ask him if he'd come to the airport to pick it up - I didn't even want to go into the city :lol: unfortunately he declined, I'm sure it's only a matter of training for the future.

gilbert de jong said:
good written and very funny

I just knew all those essays at school and reports at work would come in handy for something :cry:
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
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Panji, Singaraja.
maybe she meant it like...."maaf ya", apa anda perlu visa?" :lol:
same like the guys'girls on the beach. "maaf ya", pak apa pak mau masage? atau sarong?juga ada delphin dari kayu pak.

yep very true mimpi, if she meant maffia as we know it.
 

eagerogre

New Member
Jan 24, 2010
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So this was all done the same day? What's the cheapest one could get a same-day round trip to Singapore like this? With what company?
 

matsaleh

Super Moderator
May 26, 2004
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Legian, Bali
Cheapest flights I've found are with Valuair via internet booking (search Google) but not possible to do same-day round trip unless you use a different airline each way.
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
3
36
Panji, Singaraja.
eagerogre said:
So this was all done the same day? What's the cheapest one could get a same-day round trip to Singapore like this? With what company?

Have you read the title?? An Idiot’s Guide to the One Day Visa Run (to Singapore),
or what markit wrote?
Markit said:
I found that the one that fits this requirement the best is the AirAsia flight leaving Bali at 7:00 a.m.
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
3
36
Panji, Singaraja.
no problemo eagerogre...oh and sometimes members (me included) can be a little harsh or rough, but trust me most if not all mean it in a nice way :) . hope you will hang around and enjoy the forum.
 

MiSO

Member
Jul 29, 2009
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gilbert de jong said:
maybe she meant it like...."maaf ya", apa anda perlu visa?" :lol:
same like the guys'girls on the beach. "maaf ya", pak apa pak mau masage? atau sarong?juga ada delphin dari kayu pak.


yep very true mimpi, if she meant maffia as we know it.

:D Exactly what I meant ...! (I had to grab a Bahasa Indonesian-speaker by the arm to translate this for me)

But nooo..

mimpimanis said:
Mafia? Some of the "Mafia" talk on the forums is getting ridiculous.

A group of people or even a gang is not enough to warrant calling it *mafia*

I was using the Italian spelling...or did I just miss an extra -f- for the English? :D :wink:
Anyway, I just spat it out, didn't mean anything serious by this. I am from an Amish-village, don't know anything about maaaaaaaf ya! :)
 

MadCat

New Member
Feb 28, 2010
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Good story MarkIt :) Just to add some more flavor to the pot, I've been using an agent called Wahab, same modus operandi basically, but this guy you meet at the McDonalds near the Atrium mall on Orchard Road. Basically be there at 10, and look for a fat Eddie Murphy looking character. You pass him your goodies, and meet him same day at 4pm at the same McD. The advantage of this one (I think) is that I can shack up at the Starbucks next door, get my caffeine buzz going and get me some free wireless to spend the rest of the day working and/or slacking off.

The only problem with Wahab is that if you are not in time, he's not going to wait around for you. 4pm means 4pm, show up at 4:15 and he'll be gone and you have to wait a day.