Job Discussion Forums

[leowoman]

I have signed a contract with a school in Jakarta that ends in June, and I was wondering if you guys could give me a definite answer on a couple of visa-related questions ... and yes, I've done a search and know there is a lot of visa information on this forum, but I couldn't find the exact answers I was looking for

First, i will be coming in and working on a tourist visa because the school needs me ASAP. They will arrange for a more permanent visa (or at least a more legal one, I guess) after I have been there for a few weeks/a month. Anyone have experience with this? Is this pretty common?

Second, I have heard that the best thing to do would be to buy a round-trip ticket to Singapore, then buy a cheap ticket to Indonesia with a return date in less than 30 days. That way I would not have to mess with visa issues as much, and I guess I'd just eat the cost of the return, which shouldn't be too bad. I don't know if I believe this would work, because wouldn't the officials in Singapore wonder what I would be doing there for a few months once I returned from Indonesia? Has anyone done this?

My future employer seemed to think it would be OK to purchase a roundtrip ticket to/from Jakarta, but since I would be coming in on a 30 day visa and my return date would be 5 months out, I'm afraid that wouldn't fly with immigration.

I appreciate any thoughts/advice you guys have.

[ls650]

When I bought my ticket to Indo, I bought a ticket that was round-trip with the return leg one year after departure. If I'd had to change the date to fly home early, there would have been a $100 charge.
I had no problems with Indo immigration.

[TEAM_PAPUA]

No problems - if you have an onward ticket you will be fine. I once left Indo on a KITAS and came back on a tourist visa on the same day (with onward ticket of course).

I also know people who have arrived on tourist visas and been flown over to Singapore to pick up their KITAS - BUT if your contract is short you may find they'll fly you over to Singapore and expect you to come back on another tourist visa. But like I said, immigration don't seem to care on condition your tickets are in order.

Have fun

[leowoman]

Sorry, I still don't understand - does this mean that I just need to buy a roundtrip ticket to Indonesia, even though the return date wouldn't be until several months after the 30 day visa would expire, and everything will be fine?

I'd prefer not to have to deal with flying through Singapore, if possible.

Thank you for the help!!

[ls650]

[uilleannpiper]

When I went in '98 I went in on a tourist visa (60 day) with return ticket from Australia to Indo. Was flown to Singapore 62 days later (the boss forgot to send me prior to the expiration of my then 60 day tourist visa). After a little rendesvous with a Mr Pak - who the boss had arranged for me to meet by the Ronald McDonald statue at Jakarta Airport upon which I presented him with a little yellow envelope - my passport and papers had something done to them in a little office which I was not allowed to enter. After receiving my passport and exit documents from Mr Pak I was on my way through another little side door to the waiting room and off to Singapore. The boss had connections, you see.....which is also why she knew very quickly when teachers were seen escaping via Jakarta airport, as happened to my house-mates.

Anyway, that's all beside the point...

After receiving my KITAS I applied for a refund of the the return trip of my original ticket for which the agency in Australia sent me a check for about 30% of the original price so I lost out a bit there but that was my best option at the time.Cheers,

UP

[wannaBguru]

ISO650 must have come in with his kitas already in hand. you never would have gotten in with a return ticket dated a year later. immigration will not let u in on a tourist visa unless u have an on-going ticket in hand. u will also have to pay the 25 us dollar tourist visa fee upon arrival. if u dont have a ticket out of the country within the 30 days, u will be allowed to buy one at a for about 250 dollars and allowed to cash it in for 200. otherwise they will return u to the city u came from.

u might find that the easiest thing to do is fly into singapore, then take the subway to the ferry station. buy a round trip ferry ticket for 25 singapore dollars, then go to batam.. from the ferry u can go to the batam airport for 50,000 rupiah. about 400,000 rupiah should get u a plane to jkt.

also, i dont understand why a school would get u a work visa for 5 months. they will still have to pay all the fees, including the 100 per month bule tax for all 12 months, whether u work one day or the whole year. of course they can always try and bribe someone, but things are getting more difficult. good luck but they sound a bit dodgy to me

[gugelhupf]

[happy_me]

Schools will be happy to have you use a tourist visa as the only one who gets in trouble will be you! What they don�t tell you is to be legal you need a B457 visa, and they need to pay for it not you its only 180S it�s good for 2 months but they need to pay labor too 100us a month and you need the paper work to go

The other option is a B431 only180 S and no payment to the labor Dep. but it�s for looking for work not working

Again the school should pay all your expenses unless you are a volunteer

[ls650]

[wannaBguru]

ops, guess u arent bruce from bsd. u must have been lucky. me and some of my friends have not been allowed in because of that reason