The best advice on getting Indonesian visas in America or
Europe is, “Don’t do it.” Arrange your travel
so that you pass through Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore,
where it is the usual three-day, no-muss-no-fuss, in-and-out
(one day if you pay the ‘express fee’ in Bangkok
and Singapore). Not to say there can’t be complications
and frustrations at the visa mills of Southeast Asia, just
they are much less than at their counterparts in Western countries.
Most of the recent visa complaints I’ve heard have come
from people trying to get visas in America or Europe. The
Los Angeles Indonesian consulate took three weeks to supply
one applicant with the proper forms (the consulate’s
on-line forms are unusable). The San Francisco consulate returned
another application saying the applicant had incorrectly printed
the on-line forms on two one-sided pages instead of on one
two-sided page (no mention of this requirement is on the Web
site). A consulate in France delayed another visa, saying
it needed an officially stamped letter certifying that the
sponsor on a social visa lived in the village named on his
identity card (this isn’t listed as a requirement on
any list I’ve ever seen).
So, if you end up with no choice but to apply for a visa in
the West be prepared to allow plenty of time. Check the Web
sites of the Indonesian consulates available to you in your
home or other country. Talk with other Bali foreign residents
to see if they’ve ever done a visa in your home country
and ask what troubles they’ve had. Consulates in the
West can be stickier on the rules, asking for bank statements
and such, and some even make up a few rules of their own.
If planning to do a visa by mail, start early looking for
the correct forms to use for the embassy or consulate at which
you plan to apply. Some consulates supply on-line forms that
can be printed and used for on application; others do not;
some, like the Los Angeles consulate, supply on-line forms,
but the formatting is so poor they can’t be used. Use
the Web sites, too, to review the process and fees for each
consulate, which may differ slightly, and if you have any
questions, try e-mailing or calling the consulate you hope
to use. This will be mostly frustrating, but could save the
greater frustration of having an “incomplete”
application returned. If the consulate is unresponsive to
e-mails and phone calls, think about changing your visa plans.
Allow at least five business days if you are planning to do
a visa at an Indonesian embassy or consulate in a Western
country in person, and a minimum of two weeks (after you have
the proper forms) if you are planning on doing one by express
mail service or courier. Don’t forget that you will
need to include a pre-paid envelope for the return of your
passport and, hopefully, visa. Make sure you have the contact
information in Bali for your agent or sponsor in case the
embassy or consulate asks for any further documentation from
them.
I just renewed a visa by mail at the San Francisco Indonesian
consulate on a trip to the US and had a pleasant surprise.
Officials at the consulate actually answered the phone and
provided information. I was able to double-check the documentary
requirements for the visa, make sure the on-line forms were
usable and ask questions about how to fill them out, and call
to make sure my application had been received and was being
processed. Using UPS and including a pre-paid return mailer
with my application and passport, I received my visa in less
than 10 working days.
Indonesia’s Immigration Department has stopped giving
extensions on multiple-entry business visas. Holders of these
visas will get 60 days on entry, and then have to exit and
reenter to get 60 more days. The visas remain valid for one-year
periods.
