"Already Had Stay Permit Active" — an unwelcome new regulation from the immigration office for visa processing in Indonesia

Starting April 2024, the immigration office has implemented a new system for tracking visas and extensions. Additionally, it has ruled that the process of obtaining a new visa for foreigners is not possible until the visa holder has left Indonesia — until then, the system will display an error: "Already Had Stay Permit Active." Therefore, the application process can only begin after you have left the island, meaning visa runs will now last a minimum of several working days.

What's wrong with this system?

Debugging Process

As the transition to the new system has just begun, not all passports encounter the error when attempting to apply. The majority of applicants can still start the visa application process while in Indonesia. The transition is expected to be completed by May.

System Errors

Some applicants find that even after leaving Indonesia, the system still shows the "Already Had Stay Permit Active" error. This is a system error. In such cases, you need to contact the immigration service via email, explain the situation, send photos of the stamps and previous visas, and request a manual correction. Response times can vary from a few days to several weeks.

Currently, there is an option to lift the "Stay Permit Active" restriction for applicants who wish to start the new visa process without leaving Indonesia and spend only 1-2 days on a visa run. This option also applies to citizens who have encountered a system error and are already outside Indonesia.

Contact us, and we will help you start the visa process without needing to leave the island for a long time. Even if you are not our client, we are happy to assist you in initiating the process more quickly and comfortably.