What Foreigners Need to Know about Working in Remote Regions in Indonesia

Doing work in Indonesia for foreigners is relatively easy when the job is in Indonesian big cities, such as Jakarta and Semarang, due to the ease of acquiring work and stay permits.

On the contrary, for foreigners working in remote regions, they will have to encounter additional requirements and scrutiny from the local authorities.

Therefore, a foreign employee’s sponsor company and the foreigner must know the extra requirements and differences to deal with the situation. You will find out more in this article.

Stay and Work in Indonesia: Permits Required for Foreigners

Foreigners need to apply for work and stay permit to be able to work in remote regions in Indonesia.

There are three basic steps when it comes to work and stay permit application:

1. Applying for a Work Permit

• The sponsor company of the foreigner will have to get two permits from the Manpower Ministry in Indonesia: RPTKA and the work permit.
• RPTKA is a corporate license that serves as the pre-license to apply for a foreigner’s work permit.
• After the receipt of the RPTKA, a company can then apply for the work permit for its foreign staff.

2. Applying for a Stay Permit

• Once a foreigner has obtained the work permit, the sponsor company can then apply for the telex visa from the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration. The company needs to pay the telex visa fee before the process of the visa application.
• Then, the foreign employee can get a Limited Stay Visa (VTT) from the Indonesian Embassy after their telex visa has been approved. VTT is a sticker that will be pasted in the foreign employee’s passport.
• When arriving at the immigration in Indonesia with the VTT, the airport’s immigration officer will issue a re-entry permit MERP and stay permit ITAS to the foreigner.

3. Applying for a Local Permit

• A foreigner can start working right away upon arrival in Indonesia.
• However, a foreigner will still have to obtain some reports and permits subsequently. These reports and permits are the STM police report from the local police, the SKTT temporary residence certificate from the local civil registration department, and the LK existence report from the local manpower office.

Differences Between Working in Big Cities and Remote Regions

There are extra requirements when foreigners work in remote regions as compared to working in big cities.

The remote areas’ work in Indonesia for foreigners require you to acquire permits or making reports as shown below before arriving in such regions:

• Report to the local police
• Report to the local immigration
• Obtain the travel permit SKJ from the national police
• Report to the local manpower authority

If an organisation fails to acquire the SKJ permit for their foreign employees or report their foreign employees to the said local authorities, deportation is very likely for foreigners. Also, the organisation may have to face penalties and legal implications for this non-compliance.

In the event when an expat or a foreign worker resides in the remote region in Indonesia, and the company has a business address in this area, the abovementioned reporting and permits are not required for foreigners to work and stay in this remote region.

How Cekindo can Assist

Cekindo offers the ultimate business solutions for foreign investors setting up a business in Indonesia, in both urban and remote regions. Our extensive range of business services includes business registration, license renewal, work and stay permit application, nominee arrangement, business activities outsourcing, and many others.

You will find that our consultants are not only fully committed to providing the best quality services to you, but also very experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly.

When you approach us for consultation, you will be confident to know that you can get the assistance you need in a very professional manner. Learn more by submitting your information below.

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