The prohibition of foreign nationals with passports valid for less than six months from entering Indonesia is detailed in the recently authorised Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights (Permenkumham) Number 9 of 2024.
The Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights Number 9 of 2024 comes into effect precisely 90 days after the date of stipulation, which was the 18th of March. The regulation is currently in its socialisation phase. According to the Head of the DKI Jakarta Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, R. Andika Dwi Prasetya, a certain penalty will be enforced on foreign nationals who dare to violate the recently established prohibition.
“In the new Permenkumham, foreign nationals with passports whose validity period is less than six months cannot enter Indonesia. But if there is a means of transportation [airline] that insists on carrying such passengers, then a fine awaits,” Prasetya told the press on Wednesday, the 14th of August.
In addition to the validity period of the passport, another element enforced in the new regulation concerns the circumstances surrounding foreign nationals who transit in Indonesia. According to the Head of the Immigration Checkpoint Division of the TPI Soekarno-Hatta Class I Immigration Office, Bismo Surono, such foreigners are now only allowed to transit in Indonesia within 1 x 24 hours.
Moreover, even though they are in Indonesia for transit purposes only, they must also possess passports with a validity period of more than six months.
“This means that the current socialisation [of the new regulation] is very important to ensure the readiness of all parties before the regulation is fully implemented,” Surono added.
Previously, on Wednesday, the 7th of August, the Class I Non-TPI Immigration Office of Central Jakarta arrested three perpetrators of document forgery. One of the perpetrators was a foreign national from China.
“We have secured three perpetrators; one of whom is a foreigner suspected of making an Indonesian passport at the Central Jakarta Immigration Office and assisted by two Indonesian citizens to make an Indonesian passport,” the Head of the Central Jakarta Immigration Office, Ronald Arman Abdullah, told the press on Saturday, the 10th of August.