First (And Only) Experience With Jakarta Visas

I enjoy living in Jakarta so far and overall it is very similar to the Philippines. It is nice to be somewhere new for a change and I would kind of like to stick around for awhile and see if things are better here then Phils.

They are very similar with a few key differences. So far I have actually been able to find hotter girls on average on dating sites like Indonesian Cupid, DIA and on Tinder and there aren’t many foreigners around which is great. It’s much harder to pick up girls in the malls here, but with the online options that is fine.

Big tits Jakarta girl

But my first experience doing a month extension in Jakarta is enough for me to be quite sure that I will never live here long term. First off even finding what visa office to go to was a major pain in the ass.

I had been talking to a guy who lived in Jakarta through pm’s and he had helped me out with a lot of stuff. When I asked him which visa office to go to he said the one near my sponsors home.

Previously he helped me get a letter from a sponsor to get a 6 month visa (which still would require the monthly visits, but is better than 2 months then a forced visa run) and I thought his reply was due to that. I told him I wasn’t doing the 6 month visa I just needed the office close to me and again he said it needed to be near my sponsor’s home. I had no idea you needed a sponsor for a normal 1 month extension but apparently you do.

So now I have to find out where her home is, where the nearest visa office is, and get the extra stuff that is needed with a sponsor. This is much harder then it sounds, when you Google stuff here it is all in Bahasa language, and when you put addresses into Google Maps they don’t always link up.

I hopped on an Indonesia forum and had people explaining the visa to me but never telling me the office I needed to go to. When one guy finally did I was told it was on Jalawawawa road where Jalawawawa turns into Jalawapapapa or something like that, but no address. How da fuq am I gonna find that?

I send all my sponsor’s info from her ID to the guy through the pm’s and he tells me to go to the North Jakarta immigration office, but when I talk to a visa fixer she says to go to a different one. The visa costs 250k rupiah ($18) and the visa fixers will handle everything for 1.35 million ($100).

I have never used a visa service before, when living in the Philippines people can do your visa for you really cheap but it is so easy to do it yourself there’s no point. Now I was getting very tempted to just pay the $75ish to have someone handle this for me.

Living in Jakarta my whole goal is to avoid going out in traffic. I really hate traffic and the only way to go anywhere is on a deathtrap motorbike. Since you have to take THREE trips to immigration to do this on 3 separate days I decide to use a visa service.

Voted world’s worst traffic

Until they tell me that I have to go up to immigration once to get fingerprinted and a picture taken. So basically I would be paying $75 to get out of 2 visits and for them to fill out 2 pieces of easy paperwork. I can’t bring myself to pay $75 so I am going. I tried to negotiate the price but they wouldn’t do it, but at least they told me the right office.

The dude through pm’s was just trying his best, if I had listened to him I woulda traveled 45 minutes on a motorbike in heavy traffic and been told I needed to go elsewhere.

Finally Get to Jakarta Immigration

After like 4 days of trying to figure out where the F I am supposed to go I finally think I know the right place. I still am not 100% sure, but I think so. I go get a motorbike and take the 25 minute ride (to travel less then 5 miles) in the brutal bumper to bumper traffic at 1:30 pm. I don’t understand why anyone would ever buy or take a car anywhere here.

If it takes that long to go on a bike that drives on the side of the road a car would have taken an hour and a half minimum. By the time my first ride to Jakarta Immigration is finished I am already pissed off and have fully decided I am never extending here again.

In Jakarta there are tons of potholes in the streets, random electrical wires, holes for construction. Not only is it not fun it is seriously risking life and limb, and you have to make the trek across the city 6 times.

So now I am semi pissed off over the whole thing and head in to get the paperwork and turn it in. It is a little before 2pm and while there are 20ish people sitting in chairs there is no one in line at any window.

150 kV underground cable sticking out

A guy tells me to go to counter 4 and I go up. I tell them I need to extend my visa on arrival and they ask where I live. I tell them and three of them start talking it over. One guy is reading through my entire passport, another guy is eyeing me up.

They don’t really know where I live (and neither do I to be honest) so I tell them the nearest mall and one guy nods and says I am at the right place. They hand me the paper work and say come back tomorrow.

I am like oh no its ok I can fill it out real quick and drop it off now. Sorry we are closed. After living in Asia this long I already know that there is no way that they are going to take this paperwork today but I have to try.

As badly as I want to scream WHAT THE F DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE CLOSED I politely say can you please take it now I can fill it out in 5 minutes. The guy then goes on to tell me that I need to bring it back tomorrow, come back the next day to pay, and come back the next day to pick it up.

Now my BS of a hassle of a 3 day trip has become a 4 day trip because they can’t reach out and grab a paper while they sit at their work desks saying they are closed. Even if they aren’t processing any more paperwork today (which its 2pm so why the F wouldn’t they be?) at the least they should take it and process it tomorrow saving me the trip.

Nope, ain’t gonna happen. This is similar to ‘requirements‘ in the Philippines. They have their dumb ass rules and once a decision is made that is the end of it.

I could seriously rant about this all day. How and why does this process take 3 (now 4) days? What is the point of forcing people to come back a second day to pay? I can somewhat be talked into they need a day to process things and release your passport. Other countries don’t need it, but if they want to argue it then OK.

But a third day? I can easily hand them the 250k payment when I give them my passport and paperwork. Or can give them the payment when they release my passport. I might just be in some conspiracy mode where they are out to get me but the only thing I can come up with is they are messing with me.

I really don’t understand how or why anyone puts up with this. Jakarta is cool, I enjoyed it there, but it definitely isn’t cool enough to put up with that.

41 Responses

  1. southernallstars says:

    strange, I must have been lucky to find exactly the right imigrasi…it’s definitely retarded to make you visit three times, today I only had my picture and fingerprints taken and paid….it was 15 minutes! Tomorrow would be pick up only. I was also told you don’t need a letter from sponsor for VOA, I had mine done by the hotel but they didn’t require it! I guess it also depends on who’s processing your visa waiver?

    • kick2dante says:

      the letter isnt for visa on arrival that is for the 6 month social visa

      the only other people ive ever heard of who say they got it done in 2 visits said it took them dropping it off at 8am on one of the days and doing the fingerprints after lunch

      you got picture and prints done on day 1? or day 2?

  2. jspill says:

    Dante lives in a different universe where everything goes wrong somehow.

  3. Henry says:

    I had my visa extended in Bali once which was also quite annoying. Even though i used an expensive agency they still made me sit and wait for 45 minutes in a non-aircon room next to 3 fat german girl that were bitching about the heat… i wonder why they make it such a hassle.

    • kick2dante says:

      ya the problem with paying an agency is if you havent been printed you still have to go and do that and it is the visit that takes the longest, so kinda pointless to pay unless you have already been printed in that city

  4. G says:

    How’s the woman in Jakarta, are they as easy at Philippines. I signed up to Indonesian Cupid. At didn’t have the same response as Filipino Cupid. I was upset. Trying Badoo now. But still not as great as Filipino Cupid. Also is almost guaranteed I will get laid on a date like when in the Philippines or not? I am going Jakarta in March. So starting my pipelining now. Cheers G

    • jspill says:

      Give it some time, in my experience Indo women are really thirsty on dating sites, even when my location isn’t set to Indo I still get random messages from them. On DIA and Skout that happened a lot

      It’s pretty much just as easy. Just gotta find the ones that wanna ‘try a Bule’

    • kick2dante says:

      imo in indo there are a smaller percent of easy girls but those easy girls are a lot easier…. if that makes any sense

      • G says:

        I couldn’t imagine them being any easier than the Philippines hahaha. I am only there for a short time. But I can’t bring myself to pay for it. Hope I get lucky and find one of those easy ones.

        • kick2dante says:

          it shouldnt be too hard, contact a lot, invite them all over to your place, most will say no but it wont take long until one says yes

        • thibault says:

          or pay for it at last and the supply and demand balance willbe tilted toward you. trust me, the gitls can feel it. if they know you have option s, they ll surrender more easily. thats why they outlaw prostitution, kot on morale grounds….

  5. thibault says:

    they dont like immigrants and they dont want you in their countries fuck8ng their women. period.
    its something that we forgot in the west but feels obvious for 90℅ of the planet. and it can only be more and more like that. leftism wont last long.
    for now, visa exemption is the way to go, baby! we need to go around the problem, not face it frontally. a visa exemption of obe month i each country and just nomad it each time, unless you happen to be n the rare country that allows long term stay ( cambodia, phils)
    of course i say this from the poi t of view of a guy that lives in thd west qnd just comes to asia for l9ng vacation of 1-3 months between contracts. if you happen towant tolive there year round it would be tiring. the mere psychological fact that you thinl of this having a end makes it bearable, if you envision your whole life like that its suicide inducing.
    otoh, livi g permane tly abroad and the whole digital nomad thing is bound to have an end. its an exception in time but the world will feel vast qgain sooner than we think. the combination of cheap ailine fares, easy visa situation for westerners and leverage given by the difference in cost of living, is a very fragile situation. dont think you can do it because the power of the internet and golbal communixation bullshit. the material world will strike back with a vengeance. tbe 3 precited c9nditions will deteriorate soon enough for causes like fossil fuel rarefaction, political inversion of the globalisation, and minetary adjustment to the new reality. not zven talking about the increasing competition and automatisatio of digital work. think how wordpress has rendrered basic level of html programming obsolete.
    keep up the good life while you can, but think of an escape plan. some day or other. like, not totally messing up your relationship with your relatives, its on their coucj that you will live one day after all. you do t want to end up like a pattaya beggar that just bums it therd cause its possible to sleep i thz street without freezing, contraryto here.

    • jspill says:

      I don’t see it having any end. It may just become a bit more expensive visa wise. For example the Thailand Elite program, it’s a 5 year stay for $8/day, not that expensive (but paid up front) Indonesia has something similar, with business visas and payments to fixers. Vietnam is now actually insisting Americans get a 1 year visa not the 30 day exemption. Everywhere has some kind of Student visa too, or just open some small business, pay taxes (quite low, e.g. 10% in Thailand) and you can stay. Or marry a hooker in each country for a visa ^^

      What you’re describing would only affect pure sexpats spending hardly anything and living on the cheapest visa types. They can just step up their game slightly. Always going to be ways around it, and other visa types. Visa agreements are reciprocal, tons of the locals in these countries emigrate to western countries to work, study, etc. so they can’t get rid of the more legit immigration options.

      The rich elites may not like us in their country banging their chicks / potentially changing the culture, but the tourist industry and small businesses do like and rely on us, and apply pressure to have more of our money here. There’s always going to be differences in how rich or poor countries are, isn’t that opposite of leftism / communism, that we aren’t all the same.

      • kick2dante says:

        jajaja at still bringing up thai elite card

        • thibault says:

          ” pure sexpats spending hardly anything and living on the cheapest visa types’
          hum…
          and do you think about someone i particular when you write that? on this site maybe?
          who can that apply to,i really wonder if someone here would fit that description…
          btw leftism is an avatar of economical liberalusm. in both you have the end of rules.
          why do you think soros pays for leftist militants? because he really believes in their cause?

      • Henry says:

        U should contribute to ReturnOfKings.com 😉 Well said…

        I also find it a bit tiring sometimes and not sure how long i ll be doing this nomad thing but flying back and forth to Europe can be tiring too.

        • jspill says:

          Thanks. Yeah that 11 hour flight sucks

        • NormalNomad says:

          ReturnOfKings is garbage….

          Used to read it but then Roosh dialed up the profits and dialed down the quality….fuck that shit.

          He sold out a couple years back. All of his blogs suck now.

          • Squish says:

            Return of Kings is some ultra right wing Nazi garbage ironically written by a towel head! Fuck that trash. I’m looking for pussy not a new holocaust

    • Jobo says:

      ∆ I’ll have whatever he’s on.

  6. Cam says:

    Nothing is worse than filling our forms in the developing world. I heard that the senseless paperwork is done on purpose as a jobs program. Though after reading Thibaults tirade I’m starting to think that the real purpose is to protect their women haha

  7. Jobo says:

    I like to get drunk before renewing my visa…. That makes life smoother…. Asia and my goofy girlfriend make complete sense when I’m hammered 🙂 hic

    • thibault says:

      when life feels more logical when on drugs, reality has aproblem.
      serioysly thats why most people do drugs. because reducing your level of intelligence makes things more bearable. ignorance is bliss.

  8. RumandCokeMan says:

    Dante and JSpill
    Have you guys wrote much about fitness and SEA? Is swimming popular fitness for expats in SEA? What about weight lifting? Are you guys into fitness or not interested in working out?

    • jspill says:

      I’m big into the gym, here’s me at Gramercy gym https://www.instagram.com/p/BIW0ohGgL06/.

      Swimming’s popular, most expats would have a pool in their condo. Or there are sports centres. Lots of digi nomad guys in BKK go the Racquet Club, has an olympic swimming pool, badminton, squash, climbing wall. Or The Muscle Factory powerlifting gym. Those are the 2 best ones.

      Dante gets LISS cardio in walking around malls all day handing out his number.

      • RumandCokeMan says:

        Interesting about the gyms in BKK. Swimming is one of my favorite forms of cardio. I played a lot of racquetball as teenager then I got into boxing and was in the best shape of my life doing that. I’ve lifted on and off for years and the hardest physical thing I’ve ever tried (even beyond boxing) is Submission fighting training (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, catch wrestling, etc.).

        Do you see opportunities for submission fighting training in the major cities as an expat?

    • kick2dante says:

      i used to work out a ton, then stopped after moving to asia cuz didnt wanna pay $50 a month to find a gym with aircon to go get sweaty with a group of people in a mall, recently been staying in apartments where they have gyms on site and have started up again

      • RumandCokeMan says:

        When you day game malls or other spots would it be easier/better conversion rates if you just chatted them up a bit, and if they seemed interested- get their number?

        • kick2dante says:

          i think the difference is marginal, with some girls it would absolutely be better, with others they might be too shy to talk to a foreigner in public

          you would get more numbers that way then i get textbacks, not sure that necessarily leads to more bangs

  9. moom says:

    US consulate in Jerusalem was similar – spent hour plus in line in the morning at the post-office to make some payment. Then several hours in line at the consulate – mostly in the street while security wanders around checking suspicious cars or whatever. When I finally get to see someone to renew my H1B visa (must be done outside US) they say – oh you’re Australian it’s an extra $100. So, I had just a little bit less than that in my wallet in cash – “do you take a credit card”? Oh the guy who does credit payments has gone home (it was about 3pm). Another trip to Jerusalem from where I was staying the next day, standing in line etc. – in the end they let me in a bit faster…

  10. SouthernAdventurer says:

    Yeah its much easier in the Pines. I got my first extension in less then half an hour with no trouble at all. The 2nd was a little more complicated because I had to get an ACR card but still easy less then 45 mins but that was because it was busier that day. I almost paid a service to do it as it was so cheap (1000 pesos if memory serves me correctly) but is seriously super easy.

    • kick2dante says:

      ya in phils there isnt much reason to pay particularly since they are located in malls these days, manila is the only annoying one ive done… well that and the exit clearance

  11. john says:

    Government sucks everywhere. Its all BS and a waste of time and money. Why do these people have the right to claim they own this imaginary area of the earth. We are all human beings and free human beings have the right to travel unmolested.

    • NormalNomad says:

      Let me know how you feel about that when the Muslim hordes take over your country, rape your women and kill your friends.

  12. Chris says:

    Interesting article. And that Indo girl with the big boobs is spectacular! Where’d you meet her?

  13. Farang Kwai says:

    Are you new to Asia or what? You never go to any official offices unless you want to be laughed at and abused. That’s Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, China, India. Only Singapore, Japan, korea is like the west. You use fixers for everything. They do it all for a few bucks si you’re free to fuck whores or wank off instead of wasting your time with bureaucrats.

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