In order for a foreigner to study in Indonesia for more than a few weeks, a
special study visa known as a VITAS is required. These visas are not automatically
issued on request and involve a time-consuming application process. Without
ACICIS, it can take 12 months to obtain a VITAS visa. Once a foreign student
arrives in Indonesia, their visa must be converted to a
temporary resident’s permit (KITAS) via another laborious process. The
ACICIS Secretariat handles the processing of VITAS for students enrolled in
the Study Indonesia Program prior to their departure, and the ACICIS Resident
Director aids students at orientation in the visa conversion process once in
Indonesia.
All students enter Indonesia on a VITAS (Visa Izin Tinggal Sementara –
Temporary Stay Visa), which is applied for on their behalf by ACICIS. ACICIS
has established arrangements to make the process of application much easier
and faster than has been the case in the past. At no time can a tourist visa
be converted to a study visa in Indonesia (VITAS or SosBud). Students entering
Indonesia on a regular tourist visa will be required to leave the country and
re-enter on the correct visa. Similarly, a VITAS visa does not allow a student to work.
In
order to obtain a VITAS, it is important that students supply
EVERY item required on the application checklist. Failure to do
so, considering time constraints, is likely to mean ACICIS will
not be able to finalise students' visas in time. If you foresee any difficulties in
ACICIS obtaining a VITAS on your behalf, please contact the Secretariat
acicis@murdoch.edu.au, as soon as possible. The vast majority of ACICIS semester program participants have there VITAS study visas processed by ACICIS through the Indonesian consulate in Perth. Students are required to courier their passports to the ACICIS Secretariat in Perth approximately 6-8 weeks prior to their departure for Indonesia (NOT with their application). Once ACICIS receives the necessary visa authorisation letters from Indonesia immigration, participants’ passports are processed in bulk through the Perth consulate. Passports (with visa) are then couriered back in time for students' departure for Indonesia. N.B. This means that students are without their passport for 6-8 weeks prior to departure for Indonesia.
ACICIS strongly recommends that all semester program students (even international participants) have their VITAS visa processed in Perth by the ACICIS Secretariat. Processing participants’ passports en masse in Perth has proven to be the most reliable method of ensuring that students arrive in Indonesia in time for orientation with the correct visa in their passports. Under exceptional circumstances, ACICIS will allow a participant to have their VITAS visa issued at an Indonesian consular mission outside of Perth, and to arrange for the collection of the own visa. Participants electing to collect their VITAS visa at an Indonesian consular mission outside of Perth should be aware that this option is inherently riskier than having ACICIS process the visa on their behalf. ACICIS has a well-established relationship with the Indonesian consulate in Perth that affords an extra degree of security to a process that can be fraught with bureaucratic error and mishap. In past semesters the practice of allowing participants to collect their own VITAS visas outside of Perth has led, in many instances, to students failing to secure their VITAS in time for departure.
ACICIS is able to assist in obtaining VITAS
visas only for family members who intend to accompany applicants to Indonesia.
Applications for accompanying family members must be made at the same time as
the study application. Please contact the ACICIS Secretariat acicis@murdoch.edu.au for further details about this.
The VITAS Visa