KITAS in Indonesia: Types, Sponsors and How Long It Lasts
A KITAS in Indonesia is the card for a limited stay permit. The types, how sponsors work, how long each lasts, and the move to a KITAP.
References (5)
- UU No. 6 Tahun 2011 on Immigration. Article 48 (every foreigner needs a stay permit; the five kinds), Article 52 (who receives a limited stay permit), Article 53 (how it ends), Article 54(3) (a permanent stay permit holder is a resident), Article 59 (permanent stay for 5 years, then unlimited, with a free report every 5 years) and Article 60 (the qualifying periods).
- UU No. 6 Tahun 2023 (Job Creation), Article 106, amending UU 6/2011: Article 39(1) (who receives a limited-stay visa), Article 54(1) (who may hold a permanent stay permit; 'second home' replaces the 2011 'elderly') and Article 63 (the sponsor, its duties and the exemptions).
- Permenkumham No. 22 Tahun 2023 on visas and stay permits, in force 24 August 2023, as amended by Permenkumham No. 11 Tahun 2024, in force 3 May 2024. Articles 1 (definitions), 33 (purposes; one application for the visa, stay permit and re-entry permit), 34 (the employer as sponsor; the manpower authority’s statement), 105 (first-grant terms, as replaced in 2024), 106 (the entry stamp and the virtual and printed card), 112 and 113 (extensions and their caps), 116 (a late decision on a timely application), 121 and 128 (permanent stay terms), 129 and 176 (requirements at renewal and conversion), 173 and 174 (conversion to permanent stay), 191 and 192 (the sponsor) and 201 (a change of sponsor continues the permit).
- UU No. 13 Tahun 2003 on Manpower, as amended by UU No. 6 Tahun 2023, Article 81: Article 42 (every employer of a foreign worker holds an approved plan, with named exemptions) and Article 47 (the compensation payment).
- PP No. 34 Tahun 2021 on the use of foreign workers, in force 1 April 2021. Article 6(1) (the approved plan), Article 14(6) (the approval is the recommendation for the work visa and stay permit), Articles 23(1) and 25(1) (the compensation fund and its exemptions).
A KITAS in Indonesia is the card that shows a foreigner holds an ITAS (Izin Tinggal Terbatas), the limited stay permit to live in the country for a limited period. Every foreigner in Indonesia needs a stay permit that matches their visa, and the ITAS is one of five kinds (the Immigration Law, Undang-Undang or UU 6/2011, Article 48).
The regulation speaks of the kartu Izin Tinggal Terbatas, the limited stay permit card. KITAS is simply its everyday name (Permenkumham 22/2023, Peraturan Menteri Hukum dan HAM, the 2023 ministerial regulation on visas and stay permits, Article 106(5)). The visa codes behind each permit are explained in our guide to Indonesia visa categories. A foreigner who enters on a limited-stay visa reaches the card in three steps (Permenkumham 22/2023, Articles 33(6) and 106).
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Apply for the visa
The same application also counts as the ITAS application.
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Enter Indonesia
The entry stamp on that visa counts as the ITAS.
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Receive the KITAS
A virtual card is sent electronically, and a printed card is issued too.
The types of KITAS in Indonesia
The Immigration Law gives a limited-stay visa to clergy, experts, workers, researchers, students, investors, second-home holders and their families, and to foreigners married to Indonesians (UU 6/2011, Article 39(1), as amended by UU 6/2023). Each type follows the purpose of the stay. The main types of KITAS Indonesia offers are below.
Work KITAS
For a foreign employee or expert hired by an employer in Indonesia. The employer’s approved plan for employing foreign workers (RPTKA, Rencana Penggunaan Tenaga Kerja Asing) is the recommendation for the work visa and stay permit (government regulation, PP 34/2021, Article 14(6)).
Investor KITAS
For a foreigner whose activity in Indonesia is foreign investment (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 33(2)(e)). It is a separate route from the work KITAS.
Married to an Indonesian
For a foreigner lawfully married to an Indonesian citizen, and for their children (UU 6/2011, Article 52(e) and (f)).
Expatriate dependants
For the husband, wife or child under 18 of a foreigner who holds a KITAS or a KITAP (the permanent stay card, explained below), joining them under family reunification (Permenkumham 22/2023, Articles 33(2)(h) and 105(8)(e)).
Second home
For a foreigner making Indonesia a second home. The category includes retirees aged 55 or over, people with special expertise, world figures and remote workers (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 33(2)(j), as amended in 2024).
Student
For a foreigner coming to Indonesia for education (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 33(2)(g)). Students are one of the groups the Immigration Law names for a limited-stay visa.
Clergy
For a foreigner coming to Indonesia as a member of the clergy (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 33(2)(d)). Clergy are among the groups who can later move to a KITAP (UU 6/2011, Article 54(1)(a)).
The sponsor behind a KITAS
A sponsor (Penjamin) is the person or company responsible for a foreigner’s presence and activities in Indonesia (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 1 point 18). The Immigration Law asks three things of a sponsor (UU 6/2011, Article 63(2) and (3), as amended by UU 6/2023):
- answering for the foreigner’s presence and activities during the stay;
- reporting any change in their civil status, immigration status or address;
- paying for the journey home if the permit has expired.
For a work KITAS, the employer is the sponsor (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 34(1)(b)). A sponsor who is an individual must be an Indonesian citizen (Article 191(3)).
Three groups need no sponsor at all: someone married to an Indonesian, a foreign investor, and nationals of a country that grants Indonesians the same exemption (UU 6/2011, Article 63(4)). An investor lodges an immigration guarantee (Jaminan Keimigrasian) instead (Article 63(6)). The regulation allows the exemption for second-home and repatriation permits as well (Article 191(5)).
A sponsor can also be changed. The sponsorship passes to another person or company, or is replaced by an immigration guarantee, and the permit carries on (Articles 192(3) and 201(1)). Our guide to ending a KITAS covers a change of sponsor step by step.
How long a KITAS lasts
A KITAS is granted for a limited first term, set by type. The chart shows the longest first grant for the main types of KITAS Indonesia offers; where shorter terms also exist, they are noted on the bar.
- Clergy 1
- Work 2
- Married to an Indonesian 2
- Student 4
- Second home 10
- Investor 10
A dependant’s KITAS, for an expatriate’s husband, wife or child, can run for up to 10 years but never beyond the principal’s own permit (Article 105(8)(b) and (e)).
Immigration can extend a KITAS (Article 112(1)). These limits apply (Article 113):
- each extension is no longer than the first grant;
- the total is 6 years where the first grant was under 5 years, and 10 years where it was 5 years or more (Article 113(1) and (2)); a worker’s 180-day permit is extended 180 days at a time, to 3 years in total (Article 113(3)(c));
- for a worker, no extension runs past the manpower document the permit rests on (Article 113(4)).
The limits in Article 113(1) and (2), meaning each extension and the six- or ten-year total, do not apply to a holder who has changed to a different type of activity; the limits for the latest activity apply instead (Article 113(5) and (6)). A change of employer, as sponsor, carries the same permit on rather than issuing a new one (Article 201(1)).
Plan for the KITAP from the first permit
A worker, investor, clergy member or second-home holder can move to a KITAP after 3 consecutive years on a KITAS.
From KITAS to KITAP
A KITAP (Kartu Izin Tinggal Tetap) is the card for the permanent stay permit (ITAP, Izin Tinggal Tetap), and its holder is an Indonesian resident (UU 6/2011, Article 54(3)). The Immigration Law, as amended by the Job Creation Law, opens it to clergy, workers, investors and second-home holders on a KITAS (Article 54(1)(a), as amended by UU 6/2023).
They qualify after 3 consecutive years of residence and on signing an Integration Statement (Pernyataan Integrasi) to the Government of Indonesia (Article 60(1)). Retirees aged 55 or over qualify through the second-home group (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 173(f)); our guide to the retirement visa covers their route. Someone married to an Indonesian qualifies once the marriage has lasted 2 years (UU 6/2011, Article 60(2)); our guide to the spouse visa and permanent stay covers that route.
The application is made before the KITAS expires (Permenkumham 22/2023, Article 174(2)). A KITAP is granted for 5 years and can then be extended for an unlimited period, so long as it is not cancelled. Once it is unlimited, the holder reports to the immigration office every 5 years, free of charge (UU 6/2011, Article 59; Permenkumham 22/2023, Articles 121(1) and 128(1)). MAM handles the change from KITAS to KITAP, including when to file.
| KITAS | KITAP | |
|---|---|---|
| First grant | Up to 10 years, set by type | 5 years |
| Extensions | Each no longer than the first grant | After the first 5 years, for an unlimited period |
| Total limit | 6 years if the first grant is under 5 years; 10 years if 5 years or more (3 years for a worker’s 180-day permit) | Unlimited, unless cancelled |
| Reporting | Changes in status and address, by the sponsor where there is one | Every 5 years once extended, free of charge |
| Employer duties | For a worker: an approved RPTKA and the compensation fund, unless exempt | The same |
What stays the same for a worker
For a worker, moving to a KITAP does not end the employer’s duties. The employer still needs an approved RPTKA and pays the compensation fund for the worker, unless one of the named exemptions applies (UU 13/2003, Articles 42 and 47, as amended by UU 6/2023; PP 34/2021, Articles 6, 23 and 25). Immigration also asks for the employer’s sponsorship at conversion and at each renewal (Permenkumham 22/2023, Articles 34, 129 and 176, as amended in 2024). Our guide to employing a foreign worker explains those duties.
A new manpower law is in force
This page states the law as it stood on 2 November 2026. Since 28 October 2026, a new manpower law, UU 27/2026, has replaced the Manpower Law, UU 13/2003. The regulations made under the old law stay in force where they do not conflict with the new one (its Article 310). We are revising this page; our guide to the new manpower law sets out what it asks of employers. If a decision depends on it, ask us first.
What this means for you
Choose the type of KITAS Indonesia offers for the reason you are coming. If you are a worker, investor, clergy member or second-home holder, plan for the KITAP from the first permit, not as an afterthought.
How a KITAS ends
A KITAS ends when it expires, is cancelled or becomes a KITAP, among the other grounds in UU 6/2011, Article 53. How cancellation works, and the exit permit that closes it, are in our guide to ending a KITAS. If an application is refused, our guide to KITAS rejection explains why applications are refused and what to do next.