Foreigners in Indonesia who are still dealing with visa issues now have an extra month to sort things out and stay in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian immigration announced today.
In a circular, Director General of Immigration Jhoni Ginting said the new deadline is applicable for foreign nationals whose stay permits have expired and are not eligible for extensions — such as those who entered the country with visa-free access — as well as holders of visitor permits (ITK) such as social visas or multiple entry visitor visas.
“Up to this point, there are still obstacles causing difficulty for foreign nationals to apply for visa approval or immigration stay permits,” Jhoni said in the circular, which has been confirmed by Putu Suhendra, who heads the information department at the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office.
Jhoni said the deadline, which was previously set for Aug. 20, has now been extended to Sept. 20.
Indonesia’s “new normal” immigration update, which was first announced on July 12, was met with backlash and confusion from many foreigners in the country, as holders of various stay permits were basically told to leave the country by mid-August.
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It was followed by another update announced on July 22, which said that foreigners whose visas are expiring but wish to remain in Indonesia should apply for a telex visa in order to apply for other stay permits that will allow them to remain in the country.
The term “telex visa” is used to refer to a recommendation letter pre-approved by Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration for prospective visa applicants, which must then be delivered to and processed at Indonesian embassies abroad in order to obtain the actual visa.
However, given that these are unprecedented times, foreigners granted the telex visa can simply apply for either ITAS or visitor permits (ITK) and make the necessary payment without leaving Indonesia.
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