Stage 1: Pick the right KITAS category
Every KITAS begins with matching the purpose of your stay to the correct visa index. This is the most important decision in the process because it determines the sponsor, the documents, the validity period and the renewal path. Working professionals land on E23, investors on E28, retirees on E33F or E33E, remote workers on E33G, spouses on E31, and students on E30A or C316. Our KITAS types hub explains all seven categories and helps you pick in under five minutes.
Stage 2: Prepare your documents
Once the category is clear, the document pack is assembled. Every KITAS application shares a common base (passport, photographs, health insurance, financial evidence) and adds category-specific items such as an employment contract, a company's RPTKA, a PT PMA shareholding certificate or an acceptance letter from an Indonesian university. Our required documents guide lists everything in detail. Kitas VIP checks your documents against the real 2026 requirements and flags gaps on day one.
The regulation photo requirement deserves a special mention. Indonesian immigration requires a 413 by 531 pixel passport style photo with a solid red background. Our app captures this automatically from a phone selfie using MediaPipe Selfie Segmentation, replacing the background with the correct shade of red and cropping to the exact pixel ratio, so you never need to visit a photo studio.
Stage 3: Lodge the VITAS application
With documents in hand, Kitas VIP lodges the VITAS application through the official eVisa portal at evisa.imigrasi.go.id. VITAS (Visa Tinggal Terbatas) is the formal Limited Stay Visa that precedes the physical KITAS card. The submission includes applicant details, sponsor details, uploaded supporting documents and the correct visa index code. Once lodged, the case is assigned to an immigration officer for review.
Typical VITAS processing is 5 to 10 working days, though simple cases with complete documents can be approved faster. The online system has daily intake limits that reset at 8 AM Western Indonesian Time each morning, so we time submissions to give your case the earliest possible slot.
Stage 4: Receive your eVisa by email
When the Directorate General of Immigration approves your application, they issue an approval telex and send the eVisa by email. The eVisa is the travel authorisation: you present it at check-in when flying to Indonesia and at immigration on arrival. In 2026 the eVisa is fully digital and replaces the older sticker visa system that required embassy visits.
Kitas VIP monitors your case daily through the official portal and forwards the eVisa to you the moment it is issued. We also send a plain-language summary of what the eVisa says, how long you have to enter Indonesia, and what to do next.
Stage 5: Travel to Indonesia and convert VITAS to KITAS
You travel to Indonesia with the eVisa attached to your passport. On arrival, the immigration stamp in your passport marks the start of the 30 day conversion window: within 30 days of entry, you must convert your VITAS into the physical KITAS card at your local immigration office. This is a non-negotiable deadline.
The conversion appointment takes roughly 30 to 60 minutes and involves biometric enrollment: fingerprints, a photograph taken by immigration staff, and verification of your passport and eVisa against their records. You also sign the official forms that formally create your KITAS record. Kitas VIP accompanies clients to this appointment in Bali, Jakarta and most other main cities where our network is active.
Stage 6: Collect your KITAS card and supporting documents
A few working days after your biometrics appointment, you collect your KITAS card plus the supporting documents that make the permit fully usable.
- KITAS card. The physical Limited Stay Permit card that you carry day to day.
- MERP (Multiple Exit Re-entry Permit). Allows unlimited travel in and out of Indonesia for the validity of the KITAS.
- STM (Surat Tanda Melapor). Police notification confirming that you have registered your presence with the local police.
- SKTT (Surat Keterangan Tempat Tinggal). Civil registry confirmation of your address in Indonesia.
With these in hand, you can now open a local bank account, sign long term rental contracts, apply for an Indonesian driving licence and generally live as a full resident. Kitas VIP holds digital copies in your secure client area in case you ever need to reissue them.
Where Kitas VIP saves your time
A self-applied KITAS typically takes 20 to 40 hours of applicant time spread over several weeks, with a high risk of rework if documents are rejected. Most of that time goes into understanding requirements, producing compliant documents, navigating Bahasa Indonesia forms and travelling to the right offices at the right moments. Kitas VIP absorbs all of that into a single concierge flow.
You spend about five minutes starting the application, ten minutes uploading documents, and an hour at the in-country biometrics appointment. Everything else is on us, from drafting sponsor letters to daily case tracking, from coordinating with immigration officers to collecting your KITAS card.