How to become a permanent resident in Indonesia?

ByAlexis

Permanent residency in Indonesia is a goal that many expats want to achieve. A permanent resident permit does come with a lot of benefits whether you want to live in Bali forever or spend significant time on the archipelago without the hassles of visit visas.

Here are the steps you need to follow if you want to become a permanent resident of Indonesia.

What is a permanent resident in Indonesia?

Before diving into the gritty details of how to become a permanent resident in Indonesia, it’s important to make a few reminders as many people get confused with residency concepts.

Reminder of the definition of a permanent residency in Indonesia

A permanent resident of Indonesia, and most other countries around the world, is simply a foreigner that is allowed to stay for more or less long term in the country, and is therefore granted some rights similar to the local citizens.

Despite the “permanent” stated in the name, a permanent residency usually has a limited validity, but it is assumed that its renewal would be easy and sometimes automatic. For instance, in the US the green card is valid for 10 years, same for the French Permanent Resident card while in Australia a PR permit is only valid 5 years. 

In Indonesia, a permanent resident is valid for a maximum of 5 years. So, once you can get a 5 year visa, called a KITAP, you’ve reached the maximum length of stay and you are considered a permanent resident of Indonesia.

The difference between residency and citizenship

People that aren’t well versed in visa matters are often confused between residency and citizenship.

To summarise it bluntly: your citizenship is simply the country of your passport. If you have a passport, it means you are a citizen of that country.

In contrast, a residency permit is “only” a long term visa, stamped on your passport of citizenship, that allows you to stay in a foreign country.

For example, if you are an Australian citizen, a permanent residency permit in Indonesia doesn’t make you a citizen of Indonesia. You will NOT receive an Indonesian passport and you won’t be able to vote for the next Indonesian presidential election. You will however be an Australian citizen officially allowed to live in Indonesia, which is already very good.

The influence on other residencies you might have on Indonesian permanent residency

There are sometimes questions coming from people already holding a residency permit in a country different from their passport of origin and the influence it might have on their future permanent residency in Indonesia.

Again, only your country of citizenship really matters for Indonesian immigration.

For example, if you have a green card in the US, you won’t be considered as a US citizen by Indonesian authorities anyways, but as a citizen from the country of your passport.

It is however important to check with your current country of residence if significant time spent abroad and / or getting a residency permit in Indonesia cancels out your current residency.

What does a permanent resident stay permit grant you in Indonesia?

A resident permit grants you several rights in Indonesia. Among the most important:

  • You can freely stay, go in and out of the country without losing your visa and having to reapply
  • You can open an Indonesian bank account
  • You can obtain all kind of driving licences for bikes and cars
  • You could be allowed to work (if you have the work permit), earn income and pay your taxes in Indonesia
  • You are officially living in the country, which can help the relationship with your country of citizenship
  • Most “normal” residency permits in Indonesia are valid for 1 year, which isn’t too much hassle to handle and renew compared to shorter term visas

The permanent residency in Indonesia grants you all the above, plus:

  • You have to renew your resident permit every 5 years instead of every year
  • You can ask an Indonesian ID called KTP
  • You might qualify easier for loans with banks

What is the first step to becoming a permanent resident in Indonesia?

You might have already guessed it, getting a permanent resident in Indonesia isn’t exactly a free for all process. It is however quite achievable with a good strategy.

It’s important to understand that there are several types of 5 year permanent resident visas (called KITAP) in Indonesia. However, very few types of KITAP can actually be given directly to a new resident in Indonesia.

For most KITAP to be given to you, you’ll need at least 5 years on a same 1 year limited stay permit called a KITAS (1 initial KITAS issued + 4 extentions of the same KITAS).

So, for most people, the first step to permanent residency in Indonesia would be to find a one year residency permit (KITAS) that they can qualify for and extend it 4 times. And after these 5 years apply for a KITAP to become a permanent resident.

Do not worry too much about the whole 4-5 years process though, a KITAS is already a resident stay permit. So it already grants you almost the same benefits of the more “permanent” residency of a KITAP.

During the first 5 years of your journey to Indonesian permanent residency, you honestly shouldn’t feel that much of a difference beside the yearly extensions.

Read our guide about KITAS to know which one you can qualify for or the one that would suit your lifestyle the most.

Here are the few options to get permanent residency in Indonesia faster for the ones who qualify.

How to get permanent residency in Indonesia faster than 5 years?

Most KITAP will require you to have spent 5 years on a short term residence permit called a KITAS before you can qualify for permanent residency in Indonesia.

There are however two notable exceptions that could be a great fast track to permanent residency if you qualify.

The 2nd home visa: the only Indonesian visa that grants you permanent residency instantly

The 2nd home visa is a sort of Golden visa designed to attract wealthy individuals with offshore income that want to officially relocate to Indonesia.

It is the only type of visa in Indonesia that gives you 5 years of permanent residency directly, without going through a KITAS first (or any kind of visa for that matter). You could literally have never stepped a foot in the archipelago yet and become an Indonesian permanent resident instantly!

The only requirement is however quite significant: you need to have 2 billion IDR, or 135,000 USD in an Indonesian bank account when you apply.

Bonus: not only you’ll be a permanent resident in Indonesia, you will also be absolutely tax-free on your offshore income.

If you are a digital nomad, an entrepreneur or anyone that doesn’t need to work in Indonesia but wants to relocate permanently, that visa is usually a no brainer.

The spouse KITAP: an Indonesian permanent residency in 2 years only

Foreigners married to Indonesian nationals are in luck: they also have a fast track to Indonesian permanent residency.

All they need to do is to have 2 years on a KITAS sponsored by their Indonesian spouse first, and then apply for a spouse KITAP.

All other KITAS: you will need at least 4 years of KITAS to transform it into a KITAP to be a permanent resident

For all other cases, you will unfortunately have to get a KITAS first and extend it to reach a total of 5 years before you can apply for permanent residency in Indonesia.

It is important to note that the sponsor of the KITAS must be the same throughout the years to be eligible for a KITAP. If you change your sponsor, you’ll have to start over.

These KITAP that require at least 5 years on the same KITAS include:

Conclusion

Becoming a permanent resident in Indonesia means having a visa called a KITAP, and is a relatively straightforward process if you have a good strategy.

In most cases, you’ll have to apply to a 1 year residency visa first, called a KITAS, and extend it 4 times, to qualify for a permanent residency in Indonesia or KITAP. So it shouldn’t take more than 5 years, and rarely less, to become a permanent resident in Indonesia if you start on the right track.

There are only two exceptions to this rule:

Confused? Get an Indonesian residency consultant to help you out

Navigating through all the different visas in Indonesia is confusing, especially if you are new to the country and not familiar with the regulations.

If you are in doubt about which visa would suit your situation best to get permanent residency in Indonesia in an efficient and legal manner, feel free to Whatsapp us now.

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