The long-term work permit and stay permit (ITAS) is valid for a period of minimal 7 months and maximum 12 months. The permits are extendable for up to 4 times. During the extension procedure the foreign worker is not required to leave Indonesia. At the end of the assignment, the permits need to be cancelled by the company. This cancellation can be either performed in-country (when the foreigner is still in Indonesia), or out of country (in case the foreigner already left Indonesia). The processing time for a long-term permit is similar to that of the short-term work and stay permit.
The long-term work and stay permit is the perfect solution for foreign workers who have a permanent assignment in Indonesia which stretches over a couple of years.
Who should apply for the long-term work permit and stay permit
This type of work and stay permit is used usually used for the following types of assignments:
- Permanent assignment. Foreign workers who are assigned in Indonesia on a permanent basis work in Indonesia. The assignment or scope of work of these foreigners relates to the operations of the company, and not to a specific project.
- Long-term projects. Foreigners who work on a project during a period of more than 6 months, a long-term work and stay permit may be a more cost-effective solution.
- Frequent short work assignments. For foreigners who have often short work assignments in Indonesia the long-term permit option may also be a good solution. This however strongly depends on the type of work they perform in Indonesia.
What are the advantages of a long term work permit and stay permit
The main advantages of a long-term work and stay permit are:
- The permits allow long-term foreign workers to work in Indonesia for a full year.
- The permits can be extended for up to 4 times. The foreigner is not required to leave the country during the extension process and the foreign worker’s work activities will not be interrupted during the extension.
Application procedure
In order to obtain a long-term work permit and stay permit (ITAS), the company and foreign worker are required to apply for several licenses at various government bodies. The application procedure can be roughly spit up in 3 steps as set out below. A detailed description of the permits and reports in each step we have discussed in our general overview of work permit and stay permit.
Step 1. Work Permit from the Ministry of Manpower
The steps following permits need to be obtained at the Ministry of Manpower:
- RPTKA (Foreign Worker Placement Plan): A long term RPTKA is valid for a period of up 12 months. The Ministry of Manpower applies stringent requirements to a long term RPTKA as compared to the shorter term RPTKAs. Terms which apply specifically to long term RPTKAs include high level job titles, work experience, high education qualification, an Indonesian counterpart for each foreign worker hired and a minimum ratio of foreign workers to local workers.
- Notification (work permit). After the RPTKA is issued, the company can apply for the long-term Notification at the Ministry of Manpower.
Step 2. Stay Permit from Immigration
The stay permit is processed by several immigration bodies, which all fall under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. These bodies include, the Directorate General of Immigration (DGI), the immigration checkpoint at the airport upon entry into Indonesia and the local immigration office. The following visas and permits need to be obtained:
- eVisa (Electronic Visa). Upon issuance of the Notification, the DGI is automatically notified and instructed to process the eVisa. Foreigners require the eVisa to enter Indonesia. Without an eVisa, the Indonesian immigration will not issue a stay permit (ITAS).
- ITAS (Stay Permit) and MERP (Re-entry Permit). Once foreigners arrive in Indonesia, they will receive their ITAS (long term stay permit) and MERP (re-entry permit) at the airport. Once they enter Indonesia, they can immediately start working, without waiting the permits from local authorities (local registrations).
- e-ITAS (electronic stay permit). A few days after the foreigner arrived in Indonesia, the e-ITAS will be issued by the local immigration office near the place of residence of the foreigner.
Step 3: Permits issued by local authorities
With the exception of a few remote regions in Indonesia, the local registration can be performed in the background. This means that the foreigner is not required to attend during the application procedure. The local registrations consists out of the following reports:
- Police Report (STM) from the local police office.
- Certificate of Temporary Residence (SKTTS) from the civil registration office.
- Existence Report (L/K) from the local manpower office
The permits are mainly required by above-mentioned authorities so that they can monitor the foreign workers in their area.