While various regulations are being issued every day during the coronavirus pandemic, regulations regarding the entry of foreigners have also been issued many times. Currently, only foreigners with a valid temporary residence permit (Ijin Tinggal Terbatas, commonly known as ITAS) are allowed to enter the country. On the other hand, many people have returned to their home countries temporarily, and many of them have had their ITAS expired while they were there, and many others are still waiting without being able to obtain visas for new assignments. This time, I would like to share the operational status while looking at actual cases of people entering the country.

[Entry cases after ITAS expiration date]

First, there is the case of those whose ITAS validity period expired while they were temporarily returning to their country. As a relief measure, the Indonesian government has issued the ``Residence Permit in Unavoidable Cases'' (Ijin Tinggal Keadaan Terpaksa Masuk, commonly known as ITKT). This provision appears to allow entry into the country from Soekarno-Hatta Airport without any prior application processing. However, in reality, there are several documents that are checked when issuing the permit. The Ministry of Labor is currently accepting extensions for Notifikasi.There are cases where extension of Notifikasi has not been completed yet, but it has been granted after presenting the employment contract between the company and the foreign worker. There is no stipulation that this is required, but it seems that permission is granted if it is understood that the ITAS will be extended after entering the country.Also, the employer is required to present a written statement from the employer stating that they will process the necessary permits and approvals after entering the country. While it is true that there is no need to go through the pre-application process to obtain an ITKT Masuk, that doesn't mean you can go empty-handed.

Additionally, those who know Indonesia can easily imagine that changes in regulations are not sufficiently communicated in advance to the end of the process. This is especially true when the regulations of this coronavirus pandemic are changing frequently. It may be helpful to have a copy of this ITKT Masuk regulation ready and ready to present to the immigration official. It would be a good idea to be able to present an expired ITAS to show that you are eligible.

[New visa application]

Next is applying for a new visa, but it is true that applications have been suspended. On the other hand, the Investment Coordinating Agency (Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal, commonly known as BKPM) has started issuing letters of recommendation to relevant ministries in order to open the door even slightly. When I checked the recommendation letter that was issued, it stated that ``we request that a visa be issued to the foreigner in question,'' and I believe that special processing will be carried out accordingly. Although Indonesia does not have the infection status to start processing new visas, it seems that it genuinely wants to get the economy moving, and is trying to start processing new visas while showing its willingness to respond to special requests like this. The Investment Coordination Agency notification was issued on June 11th, so letters of recommendation have just begun to appear. There is still no evidence as to whether visas applied for using this will actually be issued, so we need to keep an eye on it.

Related laws and regulations: 2020 Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Immigration Bureau Circular No. 2493, 2020 Investment Coordination Agency Circular No. 8