For many expats, dealing with Immigration Office in Indonesia feels like walking through a maze.
You ask one office for help, and they send you to another. You wait for hours, and when you finally meet someone, the answer is different from what you heard before.
The big question, when you are not heard at the local Immigration Office or when you are lost in the clouds trying to do it (the visa application!) all by yourself, that may always come up: “Can I contact the Director General of Immigration directly to fix my visa problem?“
Until recently, the answer has been simple: No. The Director General (the ‘Immigration Boss’) is like the top manager of a huge company. He sets policies and strategy, but he does not handle one person’s visa extension.
But things are changing. Slowly, but clearly.
Mido – The Social Media Face of Immigration
The Director General of Immigration now has an official presence on Instagram under the name Mido. This isn’t a place to solve your visa extension, but it shows that Immigration is becoming more open.
Recent posts show exactly this:
- A clear, official announcement: com/p/DLjpoZehKQ3
- A reel that directly communicates updates: com/reel/C9USVReAX4V
This is not window-dressing. It’s a public signal that Immigration is listening and ready to share more directly with the people they serve.
What We Heard at the AmCham HR Committee Meeting with the DIRJEN IMIGRASI
On the 11th of September, 2025, Globy joined the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) HR Committee Meeting on the new visa classifications policy. AmCham invited Mr. Bagus Bramantyo, the Head of the Sub-Directorate for Residence Permits, and Mr. Ade Widhia Sathria, the Immigration Analyst from the Directorate General of Immigration’s (DGI) Directorate of Immigration Residence Permits.
No less than 30 HR managers and immigration consultants (like your Globy) shared with them the frustrations that expats face:
- Different Immigration Offices do not always follow the same rules (SOPs);
- At the Director General’s office in Jakarta, expats sometimes wait long hours and have to come back before anyone can actually help them.
The answers from the Directorate General of Immigration were clear:
- They are working to improve services and to make sure local offices follow the same rules.
- They encouraged companies and expats to come directly to their Jakarta office if there are serious issues.
- Bagus Bramantyo, Head of the Sub-Directorate for Residence Permits, said that he can always be reached for serious problems that need his, or even the Director General’s, attention.
That was not a rumour. That was said openly, in front of the business community.
Where to Go – Floors 8 and 10, but only when well-documented
If you need to escalate an issue:
- Always try the local Immigration Office first, and keep good records (dates, names, emails, and documents);
- If there is no solution, go to the Directorate General of Immigration at Jl. Rasuna Said, Jakarta.
- At the reception desk, try to explain that you want to discuss an issue. Be prepared when they send you to the visa department on the first floor instead.
- Just go, wait for your turn, and try again to explain your point and that you want to go to the 8th or 10th floor.
- If you are patient and polite, you may reach the 8th floor (ITAS/KITAP department). Mr. Bagus may, most likely, not be able to be reached, but you never know — and other officers are always ready to hear you out.
- You may very well be directed to the 10th floor, where the Sub-Directorate for Residence Permits and the Public Relations (HUMAS) department are located. This would not be a punishment. Globy has experienced this himself, and the case that he brought up was handled professionally. Furthermore, the answers that Globy received from them were satisfactory.
Bring your papers, explain your case clearly, and be ready to show what you have already tried at the local Immigration Office.
HUMAS – The Gateway HUMAS is the official public relations department. Their job is to receive and direct your case to the right part of Immigration. They do not solve the problem themselves, but they make sure it goes to the right desk.
Why This Matters
- The top of Immigration will know if there are problems in the system.
- They are asking for direct feedback from companies and expats.
- For the first time, senior Immigration officials are openly saying, “Come to us if the problem is serious.“
Globy’s Own Experience
Globy himself has twice, this year alone, faced the complicated road to be heard within Immigration.
In one case, two expats tried to apply for a Bridging Visa. In another, students wanted to obtain the E30A Student Visa. Both times, they asked Globy to escort them to the Directorate General of Immigration.
Their solo attempts had failed. They never made it further than the security desk and the visa counter on the first floor. Nobody really understood what they were asking for.
With Globy’s assistance, they did get through—but it was not quick. It took two more days and four hours of waiting before they finally reached HUMAS on the 10th floor, where Globy could properly explain the case.
It must be said, though: once the case was understood, the response was excellent. With a letter from the Directorate General of Immigration in hand, the trip back to the local Immigration Office was smooth, and the issues were resolved.
Globy With Midi and Mido
Globy’s Opinion
Of course, Mr. Bagus’ promise and visiting the 8th or 10th floor of the Directorate General of Immigration, even including the phenomenon Mido, do not mean that every visa or stay permit issue will suddenly be heard and solved fast and easy. Nonetheless, this does mean that there is now a clear way to escalate real problems. The door to the top is not fully open, but it is no longer locked.
Through the social media presence and the open invitation to visit the Directorate General of Immigration, we now see that the upper echelons of Immigration are signalling a willingness to listen.
So, if you face a challenging visa or residence-permit issue, now you know where to knock, who to ask for, and which floor to go to. Even now, the Directorate General of Immigration is watching the public side of things online.
Conclusion
The ‘Immigration Boss’ is no longer far away. Immigration is showing more openness. It is not perfect, but it is progress. Share this with other expats and HR managers. The more people know the real way to reach Immigration, the faster things can improve.
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