Indonesia’s Directorate Normal of Immigration now requires all international nationals to look in particular person at an immigration workplace to resume their keep, no matter visa kind.
The brand new coverage, efficient Might 29, 2025, ends the beforehand accessible totally on-line renewal system and applies to all visa sorts, together with Visa on Arrival (VoA), e-VoA, and Non permanent Residence Permits (KITAS).
The change was introduced by Indonesia’s Directorate Normal of Immigration through Round Letter Quantity IMI-417.GR.01.01 Yr 2025.
Officers say the transfer is meant to strengthen oversight and cut back abuse of the nation’s visa system.
“Between January and April 2025 alone, we recorded 2,201 immigration violations, a 36.7% enhance in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months,” mentioned Yuldi Yusman, Performing Director Normal of Immigration, in a press briefing. “We uncovered over 500 instances of misuse and revoked the licenses of 215 firms concerned in fraudulent sponsorship practices.”
Beforehand, international guests and residents may full visa extensions solely on-line. Underneath the revised guidelines, candidates should:
This hybrid mannequin applies to each short-term vacationers and long-term residents, together with retirees, college students, buyers, and international employees.
Acknowledging potential challenges, Indonesian immigration places of work will supply on-site, appointment-free companies for weak people. This contains aged candidates, individuals with disabilities, pregnant girls, nursing moms, and foreigners in emergency conditions. Immigration officers will help these {groups} all through the method.
The up to date coverage additionally locations new obligations on visa sponsors. Sponsors at the moment are required to report any adjustments in a international nationwide’s civil standing, deal with, or immigration standing. Authorities have warned that failure to conform may result in authorized penalties for each the sponsor and the visa holder.
“We’re asking for full honesty from all events concerned,” Yusman mentioned. “That is about making a safer and clear system that protects the integrity of Indonesia’s immigration legal guidelines.”
The coverage shift can have widespread implications for the thousands and thousands of foreigners who go to or reside in Indonesia annually. Vacationers are urged to plan their visa renewals nicely upfront and put together for the extra administrative steps required below the brand new guidelines.
Immigration stories counsel consulting with licensed brokers or native sponsors to navigate the revised procedures, particularly for these unfamiliar with Indonesia’s bureaucratic processes.
Indonesia’s determination displays a broader international development of tightening immigration oversight amid rising issues over unlawful employment, overstays, and sponsor abuse. Whereas the in-person requirement might pose new hurdles for vacationers, authorities argue it’s a essential step towards modernizing and safeguarding the nation’s borders.
