Immigration issues emergency stay permits and waives overstay fines as Middle East conflict disrupts Indonesia-bound flights.
The Directorate General of Immigration (DGI) has stepped up its alert level at all Airport Immigration Checkpoints (Tempat Pemeriksaan Imigrasi or TPI) after the military conflict in the Middle East intensified. Several countries, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Iran, have closed their airspace. As a result, international flights to and from Indonesia have been disrupted.
As of Saturday, the 28th of February, at 9 PM Western Indonesia Time, monitoring data showed that eight international flights at three main airports, which are Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and Kualanamu International Airport, had been cancelled or delayed. Due to this condition, in total, 2,228 passengers were affected, including 1,644 foreign nationals and 584 Indonesian citizens.
The Acting Director General of Immigration, Yuldi Yusman, stated that his team responded promptly by cancelling departure clearances for affected passengers and airline crew, both manually and through the system.
“The Directorate General of Immigration ensures that immigration services at airports remain optimal and conducive. Our focus is on maintaining the smoothness of services, the orderliness of inspections, and the certainty of procedures for passengers affected by flight cancellations or diversions,” Yusman affirmed in a statement received by the press.
The DGI has then instructed immigration officers at airports to respond to the current flight situation with the following measures:
- Adjusting staff deployment in international arrival and departure areas based on changes in flight schedules;
- Keeping close coordination with airport authorities, airlines and related agencies to handle schedule changes, rerouting and flight cancellations;
- Continuously monitoring flight updates through official channels and reliable flight data sources.
The DGI has also released Circular Letter Number IMI-GR.01.01-133, dated the 1st of March, 2026. Through this circular, immigration offices at airports are instructed to issue an Emergency Stay Permit (Izin Tinggal Keadaan Terpaksa or ITKT) valid for up to 30 days, with the possibility of extension in line with existing regulations and to waive the overstay fine for foreign nationals affected by this situation, as long as they provide a statement or official letter from the Civil Aviation Authority.
“We urge international travellers, especially those transiting through the Middle East, to regularly check their flight status via official airline applications and to contact airline staff or airport officers immediately if they need immigration assistance,” Yusman added as well.