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OBTAINING a VISA/KITAS

There are a number of instructions in obtaining important papers.

  1. Make sure a passport is valid throughout the duration of the stay
  2. Please have a passport ready before applying for the visa

A. Visa / Stay Permit Arrangement

  1. Students are expected to apply a Socio Cultural Visit Visa to the Indonesian Embassy from the country of origin, which is valid for about 30-60 days
  2. The Visa extension and Stay Permit can be proceeded through the Immigration Office in Semarang (Jl. Siliwangi No. 50 Semarang)
  3. Upon the arrival in Semarang, students have to to the nearest police station to get a reporting card (Surat Tanda Melapor)) within 7 days of arrival
  4. Afterwards, students are expected to apply for the the changing status of their documents (changing Visa into Stay Permit/KITAS) in an Immigration Office.

B. Stay Permit Documents (KITAS – Kartu Ijin Tinggal Sementara, POA/Blue Book) KITAS is obtained from the Immigration Office Klas I Semarang (Jl. Siliwangi No. 50 Semarang) The documents needed to obtain a KITAS are :

  1. A letter to Ka. Kantor Imigrasi Klas I Semarang – acknowledged by Soegijapranata Catholic University (Rector/Vice Rector-s)
  2. A letter of guarantee (Surat Sponsor) signed on a “meterai” stamp – acknowledged by Soegijapranata Catholic University (Rector/Vice Rector-s) You can request a letter of guarantee and a copy of the ID card of the sponsor from the International Office of Soegijapranata Catholic Unviersity
  3. Original and copy of passport, and related documents
  4. A filled out form of Perdim 24, 26 and 27 (a form from the immigration office – free)
  5. Photo on a red background sized 3×4 (4 sheets) and 2×3 (2 sheets) KITAS procedure will take appoximately 3 months Fee: 1 (one) year KITAS : IDR 700.000* 2 (two) year KITAS : IDR 1.200.000* If under certain circumstances the KITAS is not yet ready, a VISA EXTENSION will need to be processed (check your visa expiration date)

* prices are subject to change each year or per arrangement

C. Visa Extension

VISA EXTENSION is processed in the Immigration Office Klas I Semarang (Jl. Siliwangi No. 50 Semarang). For a visa extention, the documents needed are:

  1. A letter to to Ka. Kantor Imigrasi Klas I Semarang – acknowledged by Soegijapranata Catholic University (Rector/Vice Rector-s)
  2. A letter of guarantee (Surat Sponsor) signed on a “meterai” – acknowledged by Soegijapranata Catholic University (Rector/Vice Rector-s)
  3. A copy of the sponsor’s ID Card
  4. Original and copy of passport
  5. A filled out form of Perdim 23 and 27 (the form is obtained fromthe immigration office – free)
  6. Photo sized 3×4 with a red background (4 sheets)
    VISA EXTENSION will take appoximately 1-2 weeks to process
    Visa can be extended into 4 times (valid @ 30 days)
    VISA EXTENSION should be applied at least 14 days before the expiry date of the visa
    IMPORTANT: an overstay will be charged at IDR 250.000*/day.

* prices are subject to change each year or per arrangement

D. Self Report Letter – Surat Keterangan Lapor Diri (SKLD)

All KITAS holder should register their existence in Indonesia to POLDA. After this, students should proceed with a Reporting card (Surat Keterangan Lapor Diri). The documents needed to process it are:

  1. A letter to Kapolda Jawa Tengah (Up. Kadit Intelpam Polda Jateng, Kabag POA – Jl. Pahlawan No. 01 Semarang)
  2. Copy of pasport
  3. Copy of KITAS
  4. Copy of Blue Book/BPOA (Buku Pengawasan Orang Asing)
  5. Finger print card (obtained from the nearest Police Station/ Polres where the university resides)
  6. Photo on a red background, sized 3×4 (3 sheets)
    SKLD procedure will take approximately 3 months to process
    SKLD should be extended every year

E. Exit Permit Only (EPO)

KITAS holder is encouraged to have an Exit Permit Only (EPO) to leave Indonesia for good. The documents needed to process for an EPO are :

  1. A letter to to Ka. Kantor Imigrasi Klas I Semarang – acknowledged by Soegijapranata Catholic University (Rector/Vice Rector-s)
  2. A letter of guarantee (Surat Sponsor) signed on a “meterai” – acknowledged by Soegijapranata Catholic University (Rector/Vice Rector-s)
  3. Copy of sponsor’s ID Card
  4. Original and copy of passport
  5. Original and copy of KITAS
  6. Original and copy of KITAS
  7. Copy of airline tickets
    EPO procedure will take approximately 1 week to process
    EPO should be applied at least 14 days before the departure

OBTAINING a DRIVER’S LICENSE

If you have a KITAS or KITAP, although restricted in number, you can apply for a driver’s license (SIM/Surat Ijin Mengemudi) in Indonesia. A driver’s licence to drive a car has a symbol A on the top right, whereas a C driver’s licence is used to drive a motorcycle. The law requires that you are 17 years old or older in order to be able to apply. The steps usually involve a written test and a driving test.

To obtain the licence, you need to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Semarang and perofrm a written test and actual driving test with a car or motorcycle that may be borrowed from a friend. Some departments may have vehicles ready for you to borrow.

To obtain a licence, you need to bring your:

  1. Original passport
  2. Original valid KITAS (Temporary StayPermit) card
  3. Valid driver’s license, foreign or international driver’s license (as applicable)
  4. Photocopies of your identity, entry stamp, and valid visa pages in your passport
  5. Photocopy of your KITAS card
  6. Photocopy of your current driver’s license (from your home country)
  7. Doctor’s note of good health
  8. An eye examination and finger prints sample will be performed before you are given your licence.

CONTACTING YOUR FAMILY

Communication with your loved ones in your home country is important. Various means of communication is available for you to connect with your family back home. The most common means of communication in Indonesia is through landline phones and cellular phones.

Almost all students prefer buying a cellular phone since installing a landline phone can involve a very complicated and long process. Cellular phone providers (Telkomsel, Indosat, XL, Axis, and Smartfren) compete to give better and affordable services through their prepaid, post-paid, and data plans. The costs vary depending on the use and the features. Many public places such as hotels or coffee shops provide hotspot areas. Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and other similar applications are common. If you want to use such applications, we recommend that you buy data plans or use hotspots. Although internet access is common, most people still prefer text messages for more direct communication.

Unlike the United States of America who often provide certain cell phones for certain providers, in Indonesia almost any kind of cellular phone can take a chip from any kind of provider. Buying a pre-paid voucher for the cell phones are easy. You can buy them at cell phone stalls, supermarkets, through ATM, or even from a friend who have access to the selling of it. Depending on the provider, the price range of vouchers go by Rp 5.000, Rp 10.000, Rp 20.000, Rp 25.000, Rp 50.000, Rp 100.000. There are two ways for you to buy pre-paid vochers, i..e. either through buying a voucher card or by having someone transfer the amount you selected through a cell phone facility.

If prefering to use a post-paid voucher or phone plan, then a voucher/ plan number can be obtained through the service provider of your choice. A billing statement will usually be sent to your address each month. In addition to phone plans, you can use long distance call through land line telephones or through telephone booths avalable in Telephone Departments. Depending on the place of destination, different cost per minutes is being assigned. The code numbers for long distance calls can be found in a telephone book.

Another alternative is to use an internet facilty through the website http://countrycode.org/ An example of Toll Free calling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil using the website is as follows:

  1. Look up the IDD for Indonesia
  2. Look up the Country Code for Thailand
  3. Look up the Area Code for Rio – click the “Thailand” link
  4. Dial the phone number you are calling

Dialing sequence 62 + 66 + 21 + XXX-XXXX

An International dialing sequence is essentially the same when dialing from anywhere, to anywhere. The following procedures may be used:

  1. Dial the IDD (International Direct Dialing Number). For example, the IDD to call from Indonesia is 062. Other countries have different numbers, or may have more than one IDD, depending on the carrier or type of service. Make sure you use the correct IDD.
  2. Dial the country code of the country you are trying to call. Every country has a country code, which you dial after the IDD. In some cases, the country code is shared among countries. For example, the United States, Canada, and much of the Caribbean and Guam use country code 1.
  3. Dial the city/area code (if any) for the number you are dialing. Smaller countries may not use city codes or area codes, while larger countries have hundreds of them. Because of the tremendous growth of global telecommunications, city codes and area codes change or are added frequently.

OBTAINING a MONEY

In Indonesia, we use Rupiah as our currency. The exchange rates fluctuate daily, so you need to check them before you leave for Indonesia. You can visit XE or X-RATES to check the most updated currency rates. The rupiah coins go by the range of Rp 100, Rp 200, Rp 500 and Rp 1.000. Whereas, the rupiah paper money go by the range of Rp 1.000, Rp 2.000, Rp 5.000, Rp 10.000, Rp 20.000, Rp 50.000, and Rp 100.000 Money changers are available in big cities and major airports. They are usually open from 8 am to 5 pm or even later in some major airports.

If you plan to stay longer in Indonesia, you need to open a bank account. Any transaction related to tuition and fees in Soegijapranata Catholic University’s is handled through Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), which is located on the

1st floor of Yustinus Building. All registered students are required to open a bank account in BII. To obtain a BII booklet You need to submit:

  1. a copy of your passport
  2. a copy of KITAS
  3. a valid student ID

When you open a bank account, the bank will issue a debit card that you can use to pay for tuition, fees, or any charges related to living expenses. Although major shopping centers, retailers, and merchants accept any kind of credit cards, most accept debit cards such as the one from BII. Banks open from 8 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday. ATMs are available in many parts of the city, especially in shopping centers, malls, airports, bus stations, railway stations, and many other public places.