KITAS Cancellation and the Exit Permit in Indonesia
KITAS cancellation, explained: when a foreign employee's job ends, the employer ends the stay permit with an exit permit. The steps, the timing, and staying on.
References (4)
- Permenkumham No. 22 Tahun 2023 on visas and stay permits, as amended by Permenkumham No. 11 Tahun 2024. Article 34(1)(b) makes the employer the sponsor of a work permit. Articles 138 to 142 cover cancellation by the immigration office, including Article 140(2)(c) and Article 142(2) and (3). Article 143 lists how a stay permit ends. Article 144 sets out the exit permit. Article 145 covers a holder already outside Indonesia. Articles 191, 192 and 199 cover the sponsor and its reports. Article 201 covers a change of sponsor.
- UU No. 6 Tahun 2011 on immigration, as amended by UU No. 6 Tahun 2023 and UU No. 63 Tahun 2024. Article 53 lists how a limited stay permit ends. Article 63(2) makes the sponsor answer for the foreigner it sponsors. Article 71(1)(a) requires a foreigner to report a change of job or sponsor.
- PP No. 34 Tahun 2021 on the use of foreign workers. Articles 6(1) and 22(1) require the employer's own RPTKA. Article 7(1)(c) and (3) set the duty to arrange the return home. Article 32(3) requires a report when a contract ends.
- Permenaker No. 8 Tahun 2021, Article 44(3) and (4), sets the report on a foreign worker's contract ending and its format.
KITAS cancellation is what most people search for when a foreign employee’s job ends. A KITAS (Kartu Izin Tinggal Terbatas) is the limited stay permit, and the employer, as the sponsor, ends it by applying for an exit permit.
Immigration issues the exit permit within three working days of the fee being received, and the employee then has seven days to leave Indonesia (the regulation on visas and stay permits, Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 144(4) and (6)). In our practice, someone staying on with a new employer moves to a new permit.
This article covers the immigration side of a departure. Arranging the exit permit is part of our work permit service.
Why KITAS cancellation is really an exit permit
In the regulation, cancellation (pembatalan) is something the immigration office does, on grounds the regulation sets out (Permenkumham 22/2023, Articles 138 to 142). What an employer does when a job ends is different. It asks for a permit that is still valid to be ended, by applying for an exit permit (Article 144(1)).
The regulation’s name for it is izin meninggalkan Wilayah Indonesia dan tidak untuk kembali (exit permit only): permission to leave Indonesia and not return. “EPO”, for exit permit only, is an everyday name for the same thing; it does not appear in the regulation.
The task falls to the employer because, for a work KITAS, the employer is the sponsor (Article 34(1)(b)). The sponsor answers for the foreigner’s presence and activities while they are in Indonesia (the Immigration Law, UU 6/2011, Article 63(2), as amended by UU 6/2023).
A job ending does not end the permit
The end of a job is not one of the ways a stay permit ends (UU 6/2011, Article 53; Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 143(1), as amended by Permenkumham 11/2024). A permit left running can be cancelled by the immigration office, because it no longer meets the reason it was granted for (Article 140(2)(c)). The passport then receives a “return” stamp (pemulangan), which is not a deportation, and the person has seven days to leave (Article 142(2)–(3), as amended). The exit permit does the same thing on the company’s own timetable.
Which route applies
The route depends on where the employee goes next.
| Leaving Indonesia | Staying with a new employer | Already left Indonesia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied for | An exit permit | A new permit, after the old one is ended | A letter ending the stay permit |
| Who applies | The employer as sponsor, or the employee if it cannot | The new employer, as the new sponsor | The employee or the sponsor |
| Timing | Three working days from the fee | Once the new employer’s own approval is in place | Three working days from the fee |
| What follows | The employee leaves within seven days | Work continues under the new permit | Nothing further |
The third column is for an employee who has already flown home while the permit is still valid. The same route applies, and what is issued is a letter ending the stay permit (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 145(1)–(6)). If the permit has already ended and the person is outside Indonesia, no application is needed at all (Article 145(7)).
How the exit permit works
-
Apply online
To the issuing office, with the passport and permit.
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Pay the fee
Immigration verifies the payment.
-
Permit issued
Sent electronically.
-
Leave Indonesia
Counted from the date of issue.
The application goes online to the immigration office that issued the KITAS, before the permit expires, with the valid passport and the permit itself (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 144(2)).
Once the immigration fee is verified, the exit permit is approved and sent electronically (Article 144(3)), within three working days of the fee being received (Article 144(4)). The employee then leaves within seven days of the date it is issued (Article 144(6)).
We coordinate the timing with you around the last working day, and we end family members’ permits at the same time.
Staying in Indonesia with a new employer
An employee moving to another company in Indonesia does not need to leave. The new employer needs its own approval to employ a foreign worker, the RPTKA (Rencana Penggunaan Tenaga Kerja Asing), under Government Regulation No. 34 of 2021 on the use of foreign workers (PP 34/2021, Articles 6(1) and 22(1)).
In our practice, the old permit is ended and the new employer applies for a new one, so the work permit KITAS sequence starts again under the new sponsor. The regulation also provides for the sponsor to change on the existing permit (Permenkumham 22/2023, Articles 192(3)–(5) and 201(1)).
If the employee is moving from an employer of record to your own company, the steps are set out in moving a team from EOR to your own PT.
The Manpower report and the trip home
Two duties sit with the employer on the manpower side. It reports to the Ministry of Manpower that the foreign worker’s contract has ended, or was ended early (PP 34/2021, Article 32(3); Minister of Manpower Regulation No. 8 of 2021, Article 44(3)–(4)). Neither regulation sets a deadline for that report.
The employer also arranges the worker’s return to their home country when the contract ends (PP 34/2021, Article 7(1)(c)). Unlike some other commitments, this one applies to directors as well (Article 7(3)). Both belong to the wider set of duties a company takes on when it hires from abroad.
Leaving for good also has a tax side, set out under “Arriving and leaving” in the annual personal tax return article.
Questions people ask
What if the employer cannot apply for the exit permit?
The employee renewed their passport. Does the KITAS still stand?
Does the employee report a new job to immigration?
Can an exit permit be refused?
What this means for you
A job ending does not end the permit on its own; the exit permit does, within days. In practice, KITAS cancellation is an application made before the permit expires, a decision within three working days of the fee, and seven days for the employee to leave. We take care of the exit permit, and of family permits alongside.