Introducing the Transitional Residence Permit (Bridging Visa) to Streamline the Immigration Process for Foreign Nationals in Indonesia.
The Directorate General of Immigration, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, has implemented a Transitional Residence Permit policy, also known as a Bridging Visa. This residence permit serves as a ‘bridge’ between previous residence permits and obtaining new ones.
“With this, foreign nationals holding Visit Visas applied through evisa.imigrasi.go.id are allowed to obtain Limited Stay Permits without having to leave Indonesian territory. Likewise, holders of Limited Stay Permits and Permanent Stay Permits that can no longer be extended can obtain new Residence Permits without having to leave Indonesian territory,” explained Director General of Immigration, Silmy Karim.
The implementation of the Transitional Residence Permit is regulated in the Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation (Permenkumham) Number 11 of 2024 which was ratified on the 1st of April 2024. The validity period of the Transitional Residence Permit is 60 days and is only valid onshore, namely for foreigners who are already in Indonesian territory.
This residence permit is no longer valid if the foreigner leaves Indonesian territory. This residence permit can be used by foreigners who will apply for a change of status to a Limited Stay Permit. Foreign nationals holding a Transitional Residence Permit are not subject to overstay if their Transitional Residence Permit application is approved after the validity period of their previous residence permit has expired.
Foreign nationals who wish to use the Transitional Residence Permit must submit an application through the evisa.imigrasi.go.id website and make an immigration fee payment no later than three days before the validity period of their previous residence permit expires.
Karim said that with the Transitional Residence Permit, foreigners can save time, energy, and accommodation costs that would have been incurred if foreigners had to leave Indonesian territory to apply for and wait for approval of a new visa.
“The implementation of the Transitional Residence Permit is an effort by the Directorate General of Immigration to create legal certainty for foreign nationals in Indonesian territory and to facilitate services,” he concluded.