How to APPLY for the Social Budaya Visa Yourself

An option to stay for a certain amount of time legally in Indonesia is using the Izin Kunjungan aka the famous (Social) Sosyal Budaya.

I say famous because most bules or foreigners that "live" in Indo, especially Bali, use this kind of visa. 

And it is POSSIBLE to do it on your own without having to pay unnecessary agent fees. 

Sos Bud Facts:

1) This visa is applied from outside Indonesia / Bali, ex. in your country of residence or the more popular go-to places near Indonesia that have Consulates that cater to such visa applications like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila.

2) This visa is primarily for tour / visit/ cultural experience reasons. You are NOT ALLOWED to work on this visa. If immigration finds out your employment on this visa, one is subject to fines and deportation.

3) This visa is applied at Consulates and renewed at the Immigration offices only.

4) One needs a SPONSOR to obtain this visa. 

    -- The sponsor can either be:

               a) a local citizen who is your friend or spouse or relative.

               b) if a bule/foreigner friend or spouse or relative, the bule MUST be a KITAP (permanent resident) or KITAS (business /work visa) holder.

5) One can apply for this himself or use an agent to apply for him.

     -- A lot of people opt for this due to the hassles involved in renewing this visa.

6) If one is intending to stay in Indo for more than 2 months, it is preferable to get this visa beforehand to avoid expenses flying out to renew their visa.

7) This visa allows an extension of 4 times only. After which, one needs to do the Sos Bud process from the beginning, again.

8) The initial allowed days from entry is 60 (~2 months), then one needs to renew monthly.

9) So basically, it's 60 days (2 months) + 30 days (1 month) + 1 month + 1 month + 1 month = 180 days (`~6 months) in total

10) Extending this visa is an arduous task.

Above-Left: Sample of the SOCIAL BUDAYA
VISA STICKER from the Consulate

Applying for a Sosyal Budaya

I applies for my Sos Bud in Manila as I was visiting family and friends there. I had  KITAS (work visa) for years and was supposed to transfer onto a SPOUSAL KITAS through my husband's KITAS but our visa schedules (his renewal and my KITAS' end date) didn't match up. He was scheduled to renew while my KITAS was still active. Which means, I'll have to be on some other visa in th meantime until he renews his KITAS again and I will be included in it.

*In Indo, one has to abide very strictly with their visa's start and end dates. Otherwise, penalties are involved.

Since I was planning a trip home to the Philippines anyway, I decided to sort out the Sos Bud there.

Where to apply for the Sos Bud and other visas?

Philippines:

Indonesia Embassy
185 Salcedo St. Legaspi Village, Makati City, Philippines
Tel No.: (+632) 892-5061/68

For visa application schedules and more information visit their WEBSITE

Malaysia:  Kuala Lumpur Indonesia Embassy KBRIKL

Singapore: KBRIS

*Regarding sorting out the Sos Bud inpendently in Singapore, there's an agent named Ismael that is apparently affiliated with the consulate and handles this visa legally and who most expats use. There are loads of information online on him and the Sos Bud application to-dos in Sg.

I can only speak for my experience applying the Sos Bud in the Philippines, although, I can safely say the requirements are pretty standard and similar.

What are the REQUIREMENTS for the Sos Bud application?

One will need:

1) The Sponsor's letter in the proper Sponsor's Letter FORMAT. May be in English, but BAHASA is preferable.  

One may or may not include an explanation for the reason in wanting a Sos Bud visa in the letter body.

This website has samples:  expat.or.id

photo c/o   tripadvisor.com

*METERAI stamp -- a stamp one can purchase from a Notary Public or Kantor Pos (Post Office). Costs:  Rp 6,000 per stamp. Makes any Indo document LEGAL. Not sure why... 

2) Photocopy of the Sponsor's Passport -- Front + Visa + Re-entry Stamp

3) Photocopy of the Sponsor's KITAS: Front & Back

for privacy reasons, I can only supply a photo of the Visa,
Re-entry stamp, and back of KITAS
with personal details blacked out.

4) Photocopy or print-out of the Sponsor's Bank Statement.  

    This is to establish that the sponsor has funds to sustain their guest (applicant).

5) Applicant's Passport

6) Plane Ticket out of Indonesia. 

    May be dated anytime before the 6 months / 180 days limit. 

DILEMMA:  The consul may not allow a 61+ day post-dated ticket when the Sos Bud is technically initially good for 60 days only. Try and explain that you intend to extend the Sos Bud visa its allotted allowable extension time.

Some people just buy open dated tickets or ones they can re-book. 


COST??

7) Philippines:  Php 2,500.00 (~$50)
    Singapore:  SgD $ 160 


What if I want to use an AGENT?

But... if you insist to use and AGENT because you can't be bothered by this process or are already in Indonesia. 

Here's the breakdown:

Rp 760,000 (~$75) for the Sponsor Letter c/o the Agent Company

US $100-200 for your Sg ticket

SgD $100-200 Hotel stay -- Processing in Sg takes 2-3 days. Unless you use an agent in Sg that handles processing there. Some guy named Ismael (loads of info on him online). His fee ranges from SgD $200-250. You can get the visa processed in 1 day.

SgD $160 -- Processing fee at the Embassy

Renewal:
Rp  760,000 (~$75) per month

It's actually not that cheap really.

Summary of Process:

There is no need for an appointment. Just go to the embassy at the allotted visa application schedule (mornings), submit requirements, pay the fee at the bank, return and give the consul clerk the bank receipt, then you will be given a schedule for Pport + Visa pick-up (afternoon).

I found that applying for this visa in Manila was an easy and non-time consuming process unlike how Bali/Indonesia, in general, deals with legal stuff. The Philippines, like Singapore is very modern and systematic which makes filing any documentation hassle-free for most. Also, if one's requirements are complete, one is guaranteed a smooth and quick process.

It is wise to prepare everything beforehand to avoid being sent back due to incomplete documents.

Next:  RENEWING the Sosyal Budaya Visa: Cost and Process