New Member Introduction

[paulihk]

Hello esteemed Balipod members
My name is Paul. I currently live in Hong Kong and have been married to an Indonesian woman (from Jawa Timur) for a number of years. We are planning to move down to Bali early next year and follow a similar process that's been outlined in a number of discussions I've read on the forum - these involve establishing my wife's residency for Bali, NPWP and my KITAS.
We have a number of friends & relatives living in Bali but I also like the helpfulness and camaraderie in this forum and would welcome any advice you might have on avoiding the most obvious pitfalls & ripoffs for newbies moving to Bali....Cheers.

 

[spicyayam]

Welcome to the forum! I think Bali is a great place for mixed marriage couples.

Did you register your marriage in Indonesia? I think that would be a first step and getting a KTP in Bali, if possible for your wife. I think it makes life easier. Probably you would be best to come on a social visa and convert that to a KITAS as soon as you arrive.

 

[paulihk]

Many thanks for the reply spicyayam. Yes - we married in Australia 14 years ago and finally registered it through the Indonesian Consulate in Melbourne about 3 years ago. I'll need to re-check the docs but I believe the marriage cert was officially translated and it was registered correctly.

 

[davita]

Hi Paul and an equal welcome to the forum as others have offered.
As an ex-Honky myself (1974-1990) I can say that living in Bali will be different.
The quickest way to gain your resident visa is for your wife to establish her own KTP in Bali.... but that will require an address. If she has any relatives in Bali it may be best to get her KTP based on their address.
As Spicy suggests you will likely need to arrive on a Sosbud (get that from the RI Embassy in HKG...avoid the old bitch there) and convert, using your wife as your sponsor, to get a Kitas. Once you have that it will be easy to continue to get a Kitap (5 years).

 

[paulihk]

Thanks Davita.
We've spent a lot of time in Bali over the years, but obviously nothing that would really compare to living there. Although she's not Balinese my wife does have a number of friends and relatives in Bali. We'd like to make the move with renting for the first year and then subsequently buying our own place.
Also many thanks for the heads-up about the RI Consulate in HK ...as you know, they're not renowned for their friendly efficiency.
What advantages does the Kitap have over the Kitas?

 

[davita]

A KITAS/MERP has to be renewed annually and requires numerous visits to Immigration and hold-onto your passport for a few weeks.
A KITAP lasts 5 years and the MERP 2 years and a MERP renewal is fairly straight forward.

Your criteria is to get your wife's e-KTP (ID) ASAP...even before you arrive here if you can. If she uses a friend or relatives address in some south Bali area it will suffice to sponsor your Kitas and you move into your own property, whereupon she can change her address.

 

[paulihk]

Many thanks for the advice Davita, I may be back with a few more questions later.