Indonesia to halt immigration services during Eid-Nyepi holiday period

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections has announced plans to suspend all administrative immigration services nationwide during the Nyepi Day and Eid al-Fitr holiday season from March 27 to April 7.

In a statement released on Monday, Saffar Muhammad Godam, the ministry's acting director general of immigration, explained that these services include those related to the administration of passports, visas, residence permits, and other immigration documents.

However, Godam assured the public that during the holiday period, the ministry would continue immigration inspections for inbound and outbound travelers, with services related to electronic visas on arrival remaining accessible.

He noted that those keen on extending their residence permits to avoid overstaying in Indonesia can access evisa.imigrasi.co.id. Proposals will be processed after the holiday.

Regarding visas, the official emphasized that proposals received during the holiday period would be processed starting April 8.

Godam then specifically addressed Indonesians with urgent passport needs, urging them to use the same-day service before Thursday (March 27).

He added that people must pay Rp1,950,000 (approximately USD118) to utilize the fast-track facility.

This service, which does not cover replacements for damaged or lost passports, is available at all immigration offices and immigration lounges.

An immigration lounge is a facility offering immigration document services outside of immigration offices. These lounges are located on the third floor of Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta, Senayan City Mall in Central Jakarta, and Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta.

Other lounges can be found at the Grand Metropolitan Mall in Bekasi, West Java; Pesona Square Mall in Depok, West Java; Ciputra World Mall in Surabaya, East Java; and Icon Mall in Gresik, East Java.

Godam also mentioned that the ministry's immigration offices would have hotlines available during the holiday period to facilitate immigration services for emergencies, such as medical treatments abroad.

"This service is also available for those whose close family members are sick or have passed away abroad. We will require supportive documents to proceed with such emergency requests," he elaborated.