The government of Indonesia issued Presidential Regulation No. 20/2018 on the Use of Foreign Workers in Indonesia. This new regulation aims at simplifying the permit application process for foreign workers, hence making the process more efficient and faster. Among the key changes is that the previously mandatory Expatriate Placement Plan (in Indonesian: Rencana Penempatan Tenaga Kerja Asing, or RPTKA) has been removed in specific cases.

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Former Chelsea football stars Michael Essien and Carlton Cole, who both played their first match in Indonesia's League One over the weekend, are facing some difficulty with Indonesian immigration. Essien and Cole, who are in the last phase of their careers, signed for Persib Bandung, one of the top football teams in Indonesia. However, based on media reports, Persib Bandung has not concluded the immigration process in time. As a result both players played their first match without having a work permit.

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Since February 1, 2016, the Directorate General of Immigration implemented a new requirement for applications of new work permits by expatriates in the certain Immigration Offices in Indonesia and for the extension of Indonesian visiting visas for foreigners, i.e. ITAS and ITK ONLINE Report. In the column of this week we explain the new online reporting requirements set by the Directorate General of Immigration.

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This column is the third and final column regarding the work permit requirements for foreign workers (expatriates) in Indonesia. In the first column we discussed the requirements set by the Ministry of Manpower, which include (i) Foreign Manpower Utilization Plan (RPTKA), (ii) Approval Recommendation Visa (TA-01), and (iii) Work Permit (IMTA). In our second column we discussed the requirements set by immigration, which include Limited Stay Visa (VITAS) and Limited Stay Permit Card (KITAS). This week we discuss the remaining requirements set by the Police office, the departments of Labor and Demography and Civil Registration.

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In last week’s column we explained which licenses are required by the Ministry of Manpower for expatriates (foreign workers) who wish to obtain a work permit in Indonesia. We explained that the foreign workers (expatriate) who want to work in Indonesia must obtain the following permits which are issued by the Ministry of Manpower: (i) Foreign Manpower Utilization Plan (RPTKA), (ii) Approval Recommendation Visa (TA-01), and (iii) Work Permit (IMTA). Besides these permits, several other permits must be arranged at immigration, which we discuss in this week’s column.

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Expatriates working in Indonesia are referred to as foreign workers in Indonesian Law number 13 of 2003 regarding Manpower (Labor Law). A foreign worker is defined as a visa holder with foreign citizenship, who has the intention to perform work in Indonesia. Both expatriates working in Indonesia and the companies employing such expatriates are subject to permitting requirements and restrictions set by the Indonesian Government. In this column we provide an overview of the general licenses needed to employ foreign workers.

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