KITAS Work Visa – How to Avoid Slippage
How much does a work KITAS process cost is one of the hottest debated topics in Indonesia; with prices ranging from 5 – 18 Million Rupiah. In this article we give our advice on how not to get ripped off and provide insider knowledge you should probably know before applying for your next KITAS.
Firstly, a quick recap for who the KITAS is for – The work KITAS (also known as the Working Visa) is the correct visa for those that are working and getting paid in Indonesia. The process usually takes around 2 months, although can be quicker by selecting an express service option. To complete the process, you must pay the Indonesian Government a mandatory fee of $100 USD per month for the length of your visa.
General costs involved therefore are:
DPKK Fund $100 USD per month depending on visa length
PNBP Payment (new applications only US$150)
All of the above is fairly standard, but the Service Fee for doing all the paper work is the part where confusion arises.
New Update!
KITAS WORK VISA – HOW TO AVOID THE SLIP, Until October 2020, all visas in Indonesia have been processed and what was known as TELEX has been sent to an Indonesian embassy abroad. Due to the Covid pandemic, the Indonesian government has introduced electronic visas to mitigate the risks of spreading the virus. Visa costs are now paid to the government which was previously paid to the Embassy at the application stage in Indonesia (KITAS working 150 USD).
To learn more about the e-Visa, click here.
Using inside knowledge and market research, these are our tips and tricks to help you avoid being robbed when treating KITAS.
Tip 1 – Don’t use a International Relocation Agency
By selecting an International Relocation Agency you may believe that you are guaranteed a certain level of service, reliability and price; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
They do not process this service in house and it is outsourced to local agencies. They will tend to mark up the original service price by 100% meaning you will pay twice as much as the service is worth! Prices for a KITAS at these agencies can usually be in the region of 15 – 18 Million Rupiah.
Tip 2 – Why don’t agencies advertise the Visa costs?
Visa agencies avoid advertising their costs simply because they charge different people different prices. This could be based on your nationality, the consultant’s sales targets & mood, whether you apply as an individual or as a company or how famous your company is – for example: if you work for an international company, the chances are they will charge you a significantly higher fee as your company is “perceived to be rich”.
As an experiment we called the top 4 Google ranked Visa Agencies in Jakarta to see what price they would offer. To ensure fairness, we used the same information each time – British Male, first KITAS with a 12-month validity, sponsored by a local company – The results were as expected
Firstly, to get the price from some was quite challenging, lots of toing and froing and uncertainty, however after collecting the prices the best one offered was 12 Million, the most expensive being 20 Million.
Although there appears to be some room for negotiation these prices were still high.
What we found the most frustrating is that you could literally call 2 different consultants and get 2 different prices from the same agency, which means you could easily get ripped off, even within the same agency!
In addition, an important note to add was that some of these agencies would ask you to pay all the service fee up front and sign a disclaimer that – if they could not process your visa, you would not be entitled to your money back!
Some do not qualify all your documents before taking your money, which means that if a necessary document has expired (for example), they can either hold you to ransom and charge you additional fees or you can walk away without your money.
Tip 3 – The too good to be true KITAS price
Some agencies will advertise the visa process for as little as 5 Million Rupiah; however, as the old expression goes, buy cheap, buy twice!
These agencies will also request you pay the service fee upfront with no guarantee they will process your visa. They may add on fees throughout the process and generally will give advice that gets you to keep spending with them rather than giving you the advice you need.
We can’t paint all of these agencies with the same paintbrush, but the ones we have had experience with generally followed the same behavior.
Tip 4 – Watch out for new agencies!
Because of the Covid pandemic, many agencies cropped up all over Indonesia. Some claiming they have been around for years. A quick check on an agencies social media outlets will quickly determine how long the agency has existed and whether they are truthful or not.
By picking a new agency, you run the risk as to whether they are a real agency or just chancers trying to exploit the situation.
Additionally, ensure the agent/agency has an office landline. If they only have WhatsApp, they are not a registered business and that could result in them running off with your money!
Tip 5 – How to find a reliable agency
This can be quite tricky as although there are some reliable agencies, in the beginning this can be trial and error finding a good one. Normally, people find one via referrals from friends or by Google. Please note that if you find an agent from Google, the top-ranking ones tend to be more expensive than the companies which you will find further down the list. The disadvantage of not using the top promoted ones is that the English level tends to be much lower, so you may need help from a local.
About pt.Almaha for public services and what makes us different
pt.Almaha for public services is the only agency in Indonesia that publicly advertises our visa prices both online and offline.
We don’t charge different people different prices, everyone gets the same quotation! As our favourite expression goes – We are not afraid to advertise our Visa prices, why would you trust an agency that is?
We qualify your documents before starting the KITAS process ensuring that you are not in for any surprises down the line. We do not demand any money up front until we ensure that we can successfully process your visa.
We offer honest and ethical advice. We won’t sell you a product if it is not the correct product for you.
We are the only walk in Visa Agency in Jakarta Have a question? Want to pop into see us? Need more information or want to check we are a legitimate agency? Come on in!
We are Indonesia’s Most Trusted Visa & Business Agency – We are commonly referenced as this from popular expatriate magazines due to our ethical and market leading approach to business.
Do you want to know more about the KITAS process?
If you would like to talk to us about getting your new KITAS visa or any other type of visa to live or visit Indonesia, call us at
T: +177-6540-6221
+6282-110-914-010
+6282-110-914-050
+967-734-627-472
E: pt.almahaindo@gmail.com
or visit us at our offices in Jakarta
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