To mixed marriage families separated by time zones, vast oceans, and thousands of kilometres, a family reunion in Indonesia is now possible thanks to the Limited Stay Visa for Family Unification application, or visa index 317.
As previously reported by Indonesia Expat, the Head of Public Relations and General Affairs of the Directorate General of Immigration, Arvin Gumilang, said that prior to the announcement of the family unification visa, foreigners of mixed marriages were actually allowed to enter Indonesia, as long as they had an active limited stay permit. However, most of them don’t have a limited stay permit due to the coincidence of the issuance of Ministerial Regulation No. 11 of 2020, which restricted foreigners from entering Indonesia.
As an organisation catering to the concerns and interests of mixed marriage couples living in Indonesia and abroad, PerCa Indonesia held a webinar on 7th October to discuss the procedures for filing this limited stay visa for mixed marriage families. In the two hour webinar, Head Section at the Immigration Traffic Sub-Directorate of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Tri Hernanda Reza, elaborated the following procedure that’s currently available online, via the immigration website or mobile application.
“Usually, foreign spouses would use their visa on arrival to enter Indonesia but this is unfortunately unapplicable during the pandemic,” said Analia Trisna as the Vice Chairman of PerCa Indonesia and moderator of the webinar.
In response, Reza underlined that only married couples registered in Indonesia can apply for Visa Index 317. “This KITAS is easy to apply for; it can be done once and is valid for one year,” he said. He urged mixed marriage couples to apply for this visa in case any of the foreign spouse’s visa status is soon expiring or has expired.
However, applicants must ensure that their marriage certificate and status are reported and recorded under the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs as well. This is applicable even if it’s already registering in the respective country where the marriage was held and the Indonesian Embassy of that country. This visa is only valid if a mixed marriage couple is registered in Indonesia.
How to Apply for the Limited Stay Visa for Family Unification
The online visa approval application is currently based on a guarantor or sponsor, which means that every foreigner who will enter and stay in the territory of Indonesia must have a guarantor or sponsor that has been verified by immigration.
Prepare the sponsor ID to register as a guarantor. Anyone classifying themselves as the guarantor can be living abroad, as long as the documents are complete. There are three types of guarantors: individuals, business entities, and ministries or institutions.
- Individuals are people with Indonesian citizenship identity (KTP), family card, and birth certificate.
- A business entity is a group of people and/or assets that are organised either as a legal entity or not a legal entity. Therefore, a deed of establishment or amendment, tax identification number (NPWP), trading business license (SIUP), domicile statement, letter of approval from General Law Administration from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kumham AHU), and identification – KTP or passport – of the company leader.
- Ministries or institutions should prepare a letter requesting registrants to get a guarantor ID that contains a username and password.
Once the guarantor registration is complete, they must fulfil the requirements according to the choice of guarantor of the eVisa Indonesia, through the web or the mobile application. Download the application and guarantee letters and then upload the content. Next, download the application form, fill it in, and upload. Make sure to fill in the electronic form completely and correctly. Upload the form, agree to the terms and conditions, and finally send it.
The forms and letters are stored online, then it’s time to pay. Keep in mind that the Rp200,000 (via m-banking) and US$150 (via bank) payment can be processed once the marriage certificate and other documents are received.
Next, the paperwork is verified by immigration officers. Verification of the guarantor will be carried out where the officer checks the completeness of the form according to the type of guarantor and check that the guarantor is registered with the master guarantor in the visa approval application.
The immigration officers will then decide whether the submission is complete and according to the standard procedures. Finally, the applicant will be given the user and password to the guarantor’s ID. All in all, this process takes at least a week. “Applicants are not required to show the guarantor’s bank statement. Delays in the visa payment will make your visa processing longer,” Reza added.
Some questions surfaced from PerCa Indonesia members. One of them was regarding a guarantor who has as address on their KTP yet currently domiciling in a different address. Reza clarified by stating that upon registering, a suggestion of the nearest immigration office according to the domicile will be provided.
Another question is a case of a foreign spouse who already has their approved visa index 317 and wished to visit Indonesia for at least one to two weeks, just to simply fetch their Indonesian spouse to go abroad. This visa requires applicants to report and process their stay permit into a KITAS, which can be quite time-consuming. Reza asserted that it’s better to still report the KITAS to immigration so that the system can record it and to avoid possible obstacles in the future. “Process the KITAS and it will be sent to your email since it’s in electronic form after all,” he explained.
Meanwhile, those who wish to reset their guarantor ID can do so by sending an email to [email protected]. “Note to use a different email to avoid mix ups. Also, it’s preferable to use a Gmail email address as opposed to Yahoo – we receive many spams from the latter so our official emails automatically disregard them,” Reza pointed out.
Until 8th October 2020, the Directorate General of Immigration in Indonesia has not announced the acceptance of foreigners entering Indonesian territories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This limited stay visa is the best next alternative for family reunions for the time being.