Hello,
Last December, I'll share my experience of struggling with the Immigration Office investigator over an address-related issue.
It's best not to end up in a situation like mine, but I'm writing a few words for those who might face such a situation. 😊
The Beginning of the Case: Immigration Office's Text "Summons"
In early November, a text message flew in from the Immigration Office. "Come in for investigation."
After coordinating the date, I went to the 5th floor of the South Jakarta Immigration Office. Here, I had to put all my belongings in a cabinet and go in empty-handed, and the tension rose a bit.
The Beginning of the Problem: Failure to Report Company Address Change
Here's the problem. The company's address change and visa extension happened at the same time, so I extended the kitas first, but the company's address change report - the address change on NIB took 2 months to process, and I hadn't yet processed the address change with the Immigration Office.
Meanwhile, when the Immigration Office investigation team went to check the old company address (the address on file) as a random inspection, they learned about the office move and started raising questions about the fact that the address change hadn't been reported.
They pulled out the rulebook called the "Magic Book," threatening "We can go as far as deportation!" and drew up a statement, then seized and returned my passport. The thick rulebook didn't specify whether the address meant a residence address or also included an office address. Ah, I realized it was like putting an earring in a nose hole or a nose ring in an ear hole. To be honest, I was quite scared on the inside, but I decided to wait for now.
Round 1: Not Shaken by Threats
When I told people around me about having my passport seized, I got various advice like I'd have a headache if I didn't solve it quickly, and why did I give the passport first, but there was no place that gave me customized consulting that was perfect for me. I consulted with a high-ranking official who was a parent at my child's school, but honestly, they told me that going through them would just double the costs. They said the answer was just to negotiate well!
Two weeks later, the Immigration Office contacted me again."What are you going to do? Proceed with deportation?"
Our company director asked, "Foreign resident management is under the Immigration Office's purview, but isn't company address management under the Investment Agency? Why is deportation even being mentioned?"
And he added one more thing."I'm curious too if the deportation process is really possible, so go ahead and try~" The key was to stand up coolly without being flustered.
Round 2: Starting Negotiations
Even though my passport was seized, I didn't mind and never contacted them first.
A week later, they contacted me again. "So what are you going to do? Whether we proceed with deportation or not, come visit next week and resolve it."
In frustration, I consulted with a local consulting firm, and they said, "Typically in cases like this, if you give about 30 million rupiah per person under the table, it gets resolved. Since there are two registered directors, it will probably cost about 60 million rupiah." Expecting to spend 50 million rupiah, I went to negotiate directly. I didn't bring separate cash with me.
The investigators tried to scare me by pushing the deportation process documents in my face, but I kept my composure.
"I only have 20 million rupiah in my account right now. If you need more, wait until next month."
I made the deal so firmly.
Round 3: Control is in My Hands
Throughout the investigation process, I consistently maintained the attitude that it wasn't me who was frustrated. I wanted to ask "How's it going?" more than 10 times, but I held back and waited.
In the end, after the investigators consulted with their superiors, they said "20 million rupiah is enough" and returned my passport and all related documents.
Conclusion: Negotiation is Power.
What I learned from this incident is that negotiation and patience are key in places like the Immigration Office.
Don't be swayed by intimidation, calmly take control and negotiate. You can resolve it without spending more money than absolutely necessary.
By the way, this negotiation was conducted in a state where I could barely communicate in Indonesian, but it actually helped. My co-director who speaks Indonesian well got emotional during the conversation. On the last day, when I alone resolved it with hand gestures, the negotiation actually went more smoothly.
Just like residential address changes, you must report office address changes (mutasi alamat) to the Immigration Office. If you put it off because the time until the next extension is unclear, you might end up paying a lot of money like I did to resolve what could have been solved with less money, so please take care of it in advance.
