Spousal KITAS to KITAP Conversion: A DIY guide

If you have been legally married for 2 years to an Indonesian, you can convert your temporary stay permit (ITAS – Izin Tinggal Terbatas) to a permanent stay permit (ITAP – Izin Tinggal Tetap). Here is a step-by-step Spousal KITAS to KITAP conversion that can guide you through the process.

Our thanks to our member “Jamu” who has written the details of his recent experience in our forums.

The process is straightforward. Therefore we advise you to do it yourself. For one, it could you save a lot of money. More importantly, it keeps you in control of the process.

Who is eligible for a Spousal KITAS to KITAP conversion?

A KITAP (Kartu Izin Tinggal Tetap) or sometimes just ITAP, is available to legal spouses of Indonesian citizens whose marriage is over 2 years old.

Important note: Immigration counts the years from when the marriage has been registered in Indonesia! If you married abroad and only later registered your marriage in Indonesia, the 2 year count starts from when you registered the marriage in Indonesia.

To convert a Spousal KITAS to KITAP, you also need to hold a Spousal KITAS first. This is because conversion to KITAP can only come from a KITAS. This is written in Article 56 of the Immigration Law (UU no 6, 2011).

Advantages of a KITAP over a KITAS

So why bother converting a spousal KITAS to KITAP?

One advantage of having a KITAP is that the validity is for 5 years. Compare this to only 1 year of a KITAS. Unfortunately, the maximum length of a most multiple reentry permit (MERP) is only 2 years ¹. Still, this means you only need to make a trip to immigration once every 2 years. Furthermore, a MERP extension is a much easier than a KITAS extension.

A second advantage is that after the first 5 years, the KITAP will be extended to an unlimited ² validity KITAP. At this point you only have to worry about the MERP every 2 years.

And maybe the most important advantage: if the marriage has been over 10 years, the KITAP does not cancel in the event of divorce. In this case, you will need to find another WNI to sponsor you.

Finally, if you ever decide to become an Indonesian citizen, a KITAP is mandatory to start the process.

Spousal KITAS to KITAP Conversion: Step-by-step

Here is what our user Jamu wrote about the process:

Like my ITAS application, I found it very straightforward to process the ITAS to ITAP conversion on a DIY basis. The imigrasi staff in Denpasar were at all times friendly, helpful and professional. Based on my positive experience, I would highly encourage anyone applying for a spouse sponsored Itas or Itas to Itap conversion to consider just doing it yourself and avoid using a costly agent.

With that uplifting quote, lets step right in!

First Visit to Immigration

On your first visit to immigration you need to collect the following items:

1. Pernyataan dan Jaminan Suami/Istri (Sponsor statement of responsibility)
2. Surat Permohonan Konversi (Request of conversion letter)
3. Perdim 24, 25, and 27 (immigration forms number 24, 25 and 27)
4. Surat Pernyataan Integrasi (Integration Statement)
5. Curriculum Vitae (in which you write a short summary of your education, work history, hobbies and current visa status)
6. Pink immigration folder to put everything in

All these are free of charge from immigration.

Second Visit to Immigration

Beside filling out all the above forms, you also need to produce some supporting documents. For these, bring the originals and at least 3 photocopies. The documents are:

1. KTP of Indonesian Spouse. The marital status needs to be Kawin (married). Additionally, in Bali at least, they require the KTP to show a Bali address.
2. KK (Kartu Keluarga – family card) of your spouse. Again, marital status needs to be Kawin (married).
3. Your SKTT (Surat Keterangan Tempat Tinggal). Check out our article on how to get it.
4. Passport, with photocopies of data page, VITAS page and page with e-ITAS entry stamp.
5. The electronic ITAS letter that was emailed to you. Refer to our ITAS article here or here for a reminder on items 4 and 5.
6. Letter of Domicile (Surat Domisili) for you. Should match spouse’s information. Read more on obtaining this letter.
7. Letter of Domicile (Surat Domisili) for your spouse. Only needed if their current address does not match their KTP.
8. Marriage certificate or marriage book.
9. Letter from your embassy in Indonesia recognizing your marriage.
10. Three 3 x 4 cm passport photographs on red background.

When they accept your application, they will issue you a receipt for the documents. The only original they keep is your passport. They will also give you info on how to pay. You can do so at any national bank. Now you can go home and wait for the home interview. It could be some time before they come around. Normally, they like to wait until there are enough applications to send a team out.

Home Interview

As with a KITAS, a spousal KITAS to KITAP conversion requires a home interview. The immigration officials do not give a lot of notice before the home visit. This is probably intentional. Sometimes they let you know a day before, sometimes 10 minutes before they show up. When they arrive, they will first confirm some basic facts. For example, where you were married, what you are doing in Indonesia and so on. Then, they may also have a standard form with questions. Here are some samples found in our forum. Finally, they will have you and your spouse sign the forms, and advise you when to come by for the next step.

Third Visit to Immigration

This visit is pretty simple: they take your photo, fingerprint and signature. They will also schedule the next visit.

Fourth Visit to Immigration

Your application, including the report on the home interview, will be given to you for you to photocopy. You can peek at the interview report if you want. After you return with the photocopies, the official will assemble a file for you. Now, in Bali they will ask you to take this file to the provincial level office (KanWil – Kantor Wilayah). In south Bali this is a 700 m trip, so not a big deal. However, things could be different in your area.

At the KanWil, the officer will double check your file. They will then mail it to Jakarta. This is the part of the process that is usually the longest, as the internal mail could take a while. The option to send the file directly by courier is no longer offered in Denpasar, but may still be available elsewhere. The turnaround time here is usually about 1 month.

Thankfully, you can now check the status of your application online, on the immigration website. Kudos to Immigration for this feature.

When you see ‘Pemindaian Dokumen Selesai’ you know you are done, and approval has been sent by Jakarta. When you do, call up the local immigration office to confirm. You will be given a time to pick up your passport and KITAP.

Congratulations! You have completed your Spousal KITAS to KITAP conversion. Now that you are a KITAP holder, you should obtain a KTP-OA and get your name on the Kartu Keluarga.

Fee for Spousal KITAS to KITAP conversion

The official fees are as follows:

1. Regular KITAP Rp 3,500,000
2. 2-Year MERP Rp 1,750,000
3. Photo and Biometric Fee Rp 55,000

That gives a total of Rp 5,305,000. Plus a few thousands for photocopies and meterai. Much cheaper than what an agent would charge (we’ve seen quotes upwards of Rp 40 million!).

Reasons that a KITAP may be cancelled or ended

The law gives several situations that will cancel your KITAP. They are:

• Leaving Indonesia for over 1 year, or leaving without intent of returning
• Not extending KITAP after 5 years
• Obtaining Indonesian citizenship
• KITAP may be cancelled by the Minister or representative
• Deportation
• Death
• Conviction of a crime
• Endangering national safety
• Violating the Integration Statement
• Employing a foreign worker without permission
• Giving false information during the KITAP application
• Divorce from Indonesian spouse, unless the marriage is over 10 years old

Questions/Corrections/Discussion?

Visit our forum and let us know! Our community forum is the best place to get the most up-to-date information. It is also a vibrant and active community. Why not check it out? Membership is anonymous and free.

Footnotes

Footnote 1: There is a 5-year MERP available in very specific situations. If you live in a special economic zone (Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus), are on a spousal KITAP, and work in an eligible sector, then congratulations! You may be eligible.

Footnote 2: Even though the unlimited KITAP has no expiration date, you still need to report to Immigration every 5 years. There are also a number of reasons why a KITAP may become void.