If there is a subject that is much discussed among elderly staying in Indonesia or who want to, it is the retirement visa (Lansia).
Many urban legends are going around and actually many expats have no clue what is required and how to obtain a retirement visa, despite all information already to be found on the internet.
Even travel- and formalities agencies sometimes fail to inform visitors clear and transparent. In this article the aim is to shed a light on this phenomenon, that might become more and more popular among the ever becoming older humans all over the world.
There are a few criteria (steps) to abide by, before you can indulge the (old) life of your dreams:
- Be sure to assess to meet all the requirements, before you start the process
- Obtain a Limited stay visa D-319, when you are eligible
- Convert the visa to a KITAS (temporary stay permit), valid for one year (Kitas no I)
- Extend the KITAS for two complete years (Kitas no. II and III)
- Apply for the fourth KITAS (Kitas no IV)
- Convert the fourth Kitas to a KITAP (permanent stay permit), immediately after obtaining it. So in just 3 years you can relax and really get old with the peace of mind of having no permit issues anymore.
- Extend the KITAP after 5 years and do so till you reach the age of ….. ? (only God knows)
What are the criteria, the requirements or the steps needed? The Indonesian government, following this era of free and open information, devoted a part of a website page to be clear about visas. This is a clear start to understand the path to your own retirement.
The KITAS requirements:
Unfortunately, the website forces you to dive deeper into each single requirement. Below an overview of what you actually need, to be sure that your application will run smooth and you understand what is needed:
- The applicant must be 55 years of age or older.
- A valid passport with at least18 months validity and consisting of 4 empty pages.
- An updated Curriculum vitae, signed and dated by applicant.
- A letter of domicile of the address where the applicant lives.
- A statement regarding that living accommodation. Minimum value of USD 35,000 if it is a purchased house/apartment, or a minimum rental cost of USD 500 per month. In the tourist areas local regulations may prevail.
- A statement from a pension fund or a bank of available funds. A minimum monthly income of USD 1,500.
- A statement from a bank regarding a current minimum balance on a bank account of IDR 55,000,000
- A statement from the applicant that he employs an Indonesian national. When submitting the application the ID Card of the Indonesian must be attached.
- A sponsor letter from the appointed agency/sponsor (see below).
- A statement regarding the intention not to engage in business activities (work) or enter into an employment agreement.
- Proof of medical/health Insurance, life insurance, and/or third-party personal liability insurance in country of origin or Indonesia.
- Obtain the limited stay visa D-319 (see above) first.
- There is no travel limitation as the applicant will receive a MERP (Multiple Exit and Re-entry Permit) automatically nowadays when the KITAS is obtained.
- Be a citizen of one of the countries of origin that are allowed to obtain a retirement visa.
An appointed travel agent as sponsor.
There appear to be only 15 travel agency companies – appointed by the Tourism Department – to sponsor and process the Retirement Visa for the whole of Indonesia. This is a main bottleneck price wise. Some of these agencies charge huge sums, just for the simple fact they are appointed. Therefore, if your travel- or formality agency is not one of these 15 agencies, it can only act as an intermediate and not as the sponsor. Only if you trust the intermediate, it is useful to use one. Else the intermediate may become an unnecessary cost raising factor.
The intermediate
The Permit House – just like other not appointed agencies – can only act as an intermediate and assist, and must also use an appointed travel agency to be the sponsor and process the formal application. So you check with your agent if he is one of those 15 appointed travel agencies! Our main role is to negotiate a fair price with the agency and be sure that the formal work done is to your satisfactory.
(Note: The Permit House is in the process of obtaining an appointment from the Tourism Department, but not being a travel agency as is a huge hurdle to overcome. While we are recognised and licensed by the Ministry of Immigration and Manpower for processing visas, stay- and work permits, we have good hopes in achieving it ate the end.)
Countries of origin
As mentioned above under point 14, the law has limited the eligibility to retire in wonderful Indonesia and you must be a citizen of one of the following countries:
The costs
The appointed travel agencies should be able to present a cheaper price than The Permit House can offer, since we are only intermediate. Our price for a retirement Kitas, including the appointed travel agency costs is IDR.17,500,000, as we just made a new arrangement with one of the appointed travel agencies. This actually means that if you are in direct contact with such an agency you should be able to discuss a lower price.
Shipping your goods to Indonesia
Some final words about shipping your goods to Indonesia while you are in the process of a retirement Kitas. Only when you already posses the (retirement) Kitas, then there will be no problem in sending personal items or household goods to Indonesia. Problems can occur when the retiree does not present the KITAS card at the customs or sooner when he has already shipped this household goods. The moving company must present a Kitas and must proof that it is a retirement Kitas as well, so there won’t be any working permit requirement asked for at the shipment clearance.