Indonesian passport

Indonesian passport
An Indonesian passport is a travel document issued by the Government of Indonesia to Indonesian citizens residing in Indonesia or overseas. The main governing body with regards to the issuance of such passport(s), possession(s), withdrawal and related matters is the Directorate General of Immigration under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. Indonesia does not recognize multiple citizenship for its citizens and such citizens will automatically lose their Indonesian citizenship if another citizenship is acquired voluntarily. Special exceptions allow newly born citizens to hold dual nationalities (including Indonesian) until his/her eighteenth birthday after which a choice of either nationalities should be decided. The latest Indonesian passport has different national birds and sceneries on each page.
The latest version of the Indonesian passport was first announced on 30 October 2014. Visible revisions include:
Cover colour: Prior to 30 October 2014, ordinary Indonesian passports were issued with a dark green cover while the latest one is turquoise green.
Coat of arms: The coat of arms is now centered and significantly larger than older editions
Translation (cover only): Only 'passport' appears bilingually (Indonesian above and English below) while the phrase 'Republik Indonesia' is not translated to 'Republic of Indonesia'.
The Directorate General of Immigrattion announced that passports with 10 year validity are available for Indonesian citizens aged 17 or above starting 12 October 2022.
Types
Ordinary passports
According to Government Regulation No. 31/2013, ordinary passports consists of electronic and non-electronic versions.
Electronic passport
Effective from 26 January 2011, the Directorate General of Immigration introduced ordinary electronic passports (e-passport) for Indonesian citizens. The initial launch quota was set at 10,000 copies for the year 2011. Biometric passports were initially available only in three immigration offices: West Jakarta, Soekarno–Hatta, and Central Jakarta.
In 2011, approximately 12,000 Indonesian citizens obtained biometric passports and starting from the January 25, 2012, the Indonesian Immigration Authority launched computerized immigration gates at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, reducing queue time for biometric passport holders as they no longer need to check in manually at the immigration counter. The service is available for both arriving and departing passengers. The government plans to install computerized gates in airports throughout the country.
As of 2022, Indonesian e-passports can now be obtained in 52 Immigration offices all across Indonesia.
Indonesian e-passport holders can enjoy visa-free travel to Japan for up to 15 days per stay (albeit still requiring a visa waiver endorsement certificate to be issued at a Japanese embassy / consulate or online prior to travel). Non-electronic passport holders do not enjoy this privilege and must apply for a visa whenever they want to travel to Japan.
Visa-free privileges of other countries for Indonesian passport holders are currently valid for both passport types.
According to Government Regulation No.28/2019, all Indonesian passports (both normal and biometric) now come with 48 pages. All types of Passports that only had 24 pages have been discontinued.
As of May 2023, there are two types of ordinary electronic passports; the first is an e-passport that has a laminate biodata sheet and has biometric chips embedded within the back cover of the passports. The second is an e-passport that comes with a chip embedded in the biometric data sheet made of polycarbonate. The polycarbonate e-passports are currently only issued in 3 immigration offices in Jakarta and costs the same as a laminate ordinary e-passport.
Diplomatic passports
Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Indonesian subject(s) who is serving as diplomat and/or government person in order to travel for diplomatic purpose(s). Such passport also covers the immediate family that would travel along with the main passport holder. Holding an Indonesian diplomatic passport does not guarantee a 'diplomatic immunity' to its bearer although those who gain 'diplomatic immunity' might be holding such passport. Holding such passport does not also entitle the bearer to travel with the passport for non-diplomatic mission. Appropriate 'non-diplomatic' visa or entry clearance should be obtained prior to travel to the destined country. The latest version of the Indonesian diplomatic passport is issued in a black colored-cover.
On 19 August 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a new version of the diplomatic e-passport, which complies with the Document 9303 ICAO standard.
Service passports
Issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Indonesian subject(s) who is serving as civil servant on official travel. This type of passport is also issued to the immediate family member of the main passport bearer. The latest version of the service passport is issued in a blue colored-cover.
On 19 August 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a new version of the service e-passport, which complies with the Document 9303 ICAO standard.
Hajj passports (obsolete)
The Ministry of Religious Affairs formerly issued hajj passports for the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca under Article 29(1)(d) and Article 33 of the Immigration Act of 1992. However, new government regulations in 2009 deleted the relevant portions of the legislation. As of Hajj 2009, all hajj pilgrims from Indonesia use ordinary passports. The use of ordinary passports is a requirement of the Saudi Arabian government.
Passport Note
The passports contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note is found on the first page of the passport, which is on the other side of the identity page.
The note inside the latest version of Indonesian passports states:
In Indonesian:
In English: The Government of the Republic of Indonesia requests to all whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and afford him/her such assistance and protection. This passport is valid for all countries and areas unless otherwise endorsed The English translation only makes sense if the phrase 'as may be necessary' follows 'protection' at the end of the sentence.
In case of diplomatic and service passports, those are not formally valid for visits to Israel and Taiwan, since there are no formal diplomatic ties with those countries, requiring diplomats and servicemens to use ordinary passports and to obtain appropriate visa or entry clearance from the immigration authority of the destined countries.
There is slight difference as appears on page number three, which is immediately next to the identity page, between the ordinary non-electronic passport and the electronic version. The ordinary non-electronic passport depicts signatures of both the bearer of the passport and the issuing authority, both are manually done at the immigration office during the interview by the immigration officer. Official later stamp of the corresponding issuing authority logo on the same page with the signatures.
The ordinary electronic passport no longer bears the signature or of the issuing authority as such information has been embedded in the digital information system. However, the signature of the bearer is still manually done during the interview by the immigration officer although digital signature of the holder is also included in the digital information embedded on the electronic chip along with the ten-fingerprints and digital face photograph. Above the signature, reminder of the inclusion of the chip on the passport can be found requesting appropriate treatment of the passport to avoid chip disturbance as such passport should not be bent and/or exposed to extreme radioactivity devices.
Third page of the latest (2014) version of Indonesian ordinary passport (both electronic and non-electronic versions) contains 'warning' that would typically be printed on the interior side of the back cover of its predecessor version.
Issues with Absence of Signature Column
In 2019 (shortly before the COVID-19 Pandemic), the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration removed the bearer’s signature column in both ordinary and electronic Indonesian passports for efficiency reasons. On 11 August 2022, the German Embassy in Jakarta announced that Indonesian passports without a signature column cannot be processed for visa applications; citing inconsistency with International norms.
On 13 August 2022, the Directorate General of Immigration issued a statement saying that Indonesian passport holders who are affected by the problem can apply for an endorsement signature in immigration offices and that they are communicating with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the issue with the German Embassy in Jakarta. However, the German Embassy in Jakarta has stated that it does not recognize an endorsement as a valid replacement of the signature column and is therefore unable to accept passports with such endorsements for the processing of a visa application.
On 17 August 2022, the German Embassy in Jakarta announced that passports with the addition of an endorsement column by Indonesian immigration authorities can be processed for visa applications. The German Embassy has also appealed to Indonesian passport holders who do not have a signature field and are currently undergoing the visa process to immediately validate the signatures on the endorsement page to the immigration authorities. The German Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs has also coordinated with the German Police at border checks so that Indonesian citizens with passports without a signature column can still travel if they already have a visa.
Starting from October 2022, all newly issued Indonesian passports include columns for the bearer’s signature. Indonesians that receive a new passport should check the document to make sure the signature column is present and that Passport holders who do not have a signature column can process its validation by walking into their local immigration office or Indonesian embassies and consulates overseas.
On 10 October 2022, the embassy of the Netherlands in Jakarta also announced that the Netherlands (along with Belgium and Luxembourg) will only recognize Indonesian passports for visa applications if they contain a signature endorsement or a signature column.
Identity information page
Information listed:
Photograph
Type (Country code (
Passport number
Sex
Nationality
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of issue
Date of expiry
Issuing office
Registration number
Machine readable zone
Visa requirements map
Passport power ranking
As of July 2023, Indonesian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 73 countries and territories, ranking the Indonesian passport 70th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Passport fees
Referring to Government Regulation No. 28/2019, Indonesian passport fees (inclusive of service charges) are:
Payment can be made through banks (internet / mobile banking), ATMs (Bank Mandiri, BNI, BRI, and BCA), mini market (Indomaret), Post Office, and online marketplace (Tokopedia and Bukalapak).
See also
Paspor Orang Asing
Surat Perjalanan Laksana Paspor
List of passports
Visa requirements for Indonesian citizens
Visa policy of Indonesia
References
External links
Directorate General of Immigration of the Republic of Indonesia (English)
Indonesian Paspor Online Service
Passports by country
Law of Indonesia
Foreign relations of Indonesia