A Guide To Staying In Indonesia With A KITAS

For foreigners to stay legally within Indonesia, especially Jakarta, for work or personal reasons, they must obtain a permit from the Indonesian authorities. This permit is commonly referred to as a KITAS.

This article explains the different types of stay permits or KITAS in Jakarta and Indonesia. The document benefits allow a foreigner to work, set up a business, and stay in Indonesia.

If you have a basic understanding and are looking for in-depth advice, click here to set up your 1:1 ITAS consultation.

What is Kitas Indonesia, and Who Should Apply for One?

ITAS stands for Izin Tinggal Terbatas. It is a limited-stay permit in Indonesia that must be sponsored by an Indonesian citizen or a company.

Previously, the Indonesian government issued a physical card for an ITAS (known as a KITAS), but now they are published digitally. Depending on the type of KITAS and the basis of your application, the license can be valid for six months to two years.

The 4 most common purposes for foreigners residing in Indonesia are work, investment, marriage, and retirement. Each purpose has a specific KITAS/ITAS and differs in processes and documents for submission to the Indonesian authorities.

KITAS for Working in Indonesia

Although the common term used is KITAS, the official term for an Indonesian Temporary Expatriate Work Permit is called an RPTKA (Rencana Penggunaan Tenaga Kerja Asing).

A KITAS Jakarta or Indonesia only works as a stay permit. However, a foreigner working in Indonesia must understand that an RPTKA and a KITAS are 2 different permits to apply for.

To apply for a Work KITAS in Jakarta or other cities in Indonesia, sponsorship from your employer is required. The employer must be a company registered in Indonesia through Local PT, PT PMA, or a representative office.

A work KITAS also allows a foreigner to re-enter Indonesia multiple times with one permit. It is commonly referred to as a MERP (Multiple Exit and Re-entry Permit).

Do you want to know more? Continue reading Work Permit in Indonesia from A to Z.

KITAS Marriage Visa

A foreigner legally married to an Indonesian citizen can be sponsored by his or her spouse to qualify for a KITAS/ITAS family visa. Be aware this is not an Indonesia working visa. You will only be allowed to stay in Indonesia but not work there.

An official marriage certificate endorsed by the Indonesian government is mandatory for the application. In addition, if you happen to get married abroad, an Indonesian-legalised CNI (Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage) in Indonesian is required.

You can then apply for a permanent residence visa (KITAP) in Indonesia after a 2-year marriage. KITAP has 5 years of validity with MERP (multiple exits and re-entry permit).

Learn more about spouse visas in Indonesia.

KITAS Retirement Visa

This visa is irrelevant to a business owner or entrepreneur. However, you are 55 years of age or older and wish to spend your retirement in Indonesia. In that case, you may enter Indonesia first on a tourist visa and then apply for retirement KITAS in Jakarta or other cities in Indonesia after a month.

With a retirement KITAS/ITAS, you can live in Indonesia for consecutive years and enter or exit the country as often as you would like. You can also get a local bank account and hire a driver or domestic helper. However, you should have yet to plan on working at all in Indonesia.

Retirement KITAS/ITAS is popular among ex-pats living in Bali. Read more about its requirements.

KITAS Indonesia: Process and Requirements

A visa application in Indonesia might take a lot of work. We all know that. The process may take up to 10 weeks. Therefore, complete your early consultation with InCorp Indonesia (formerly Cekindo) to avoid unnecessary disappointment. 

Furthermore, a KITAS for Jakarta or Indonesia renewal is preferably done 2 months before the expiry date.

Now, let’s discuss how to get a visa/permit.

Process for KITAS Work Visa

RPTKA Approval

1. Your sponsor company receives approval from the RPTKA for its proposal from the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower.
2. Your sponsor company needs to go through the Pre-RPTKA Approval/Pre-work Permit process and be notified of the duration you can stay and work in Indonesia.
3. DKP-TKA (Development Funds in Exchange of Hiring a Foreign Worker) payment of USD100/month must be paid in advance.
4. With the approval of RPTKA, you can now work legally in Indonesia.
5. With your work permit, the immigration office in Indonesia will issue your VITAS.
6. Your VITAS will automatically convert into KITAS/ITAS upon arriving in Indonesia and will be sent to the registered email.

Civil Registration and Reporting

Take the following mandatory steps within 14 days after ITAS issuance.

1. Prepare the required documents for living in Indonesia.
2. Present at civil administration department.
3. You will get the necessary civil certificates.

Process for KITAS Marriage Visa in Indonesia

VITAS Approval

1. Prepare documents: valid passport and a copy of passport, marriage certificate, copy of ID and family card of your Indonesian spouse with “married” status, copy of Indonesian spouse’s latest bank statement, and sponsor letter.
2. Repeat steps in “VITAS Approval” of “Process of ITAS Work Visa.”

Convert VITAS into ITAS

Similarly, the VITAS will be automatically converted into KITAS/ITAS upon the foreign worker’s arrival in Indonesia.

Civil Registration and Reporting

1. Prepare required documents
2. Present at the civil administration department
3. You will get SKSKPS (Certificate of Family Formation of Temporary Residents) and STM (Police Report Certificate).

Consider converting your KITAS/ITAS to KITAP after two years of marriage with your Indonesian spouse.

Final Notes on KITAS in Indonesia

Procedures for obtaining residence status in Indonesia could be pretty complicated and time-consuming, with the tendency of regulations to change from time to time.

It is common to avoid headaches and hire an agent yourself or your employer to help with the process more efficiently, especially the paperwork.

InCorp Indonesia’s Indonesia Work Permit (RPTKA) and Indonesia Working Visa (KITAS/ITAS) processes give you professional advice to maximize the chances of a successful application.

Contact us now if you are ready to start your life in Indonesia or discuss other options.