Week 1 is the police report, week 2 the civil registry — get the STM and SKTT done early and the rest of Indonesian bureaucracy opens up.
Overview
Unlike countries where the residence permit is the first post-arrival errand, Indonesia issues your Limited Stay Permit (ITAS) and re-entry permit electronically at the border the moment you are admitted — so your first month is about the civil side. Week one: verify the ITAS in your eVisa account, get an Indonesian SIM card, and report to the local police station for the STM (Surat Tanda Melapor). Week two: take the STM to the Population and Civil Registry Office (Dukcapil) for your SKTT residence certificate, which assigns the NIK identity number. Weeks three and four: tax registration (NPWP) if you are working or becoming tax-resident, employer-side BPJS enrolment, a bank account, and a driving licence if you will drive. Throughout, two compliance rules from Law No. 6 of 2011 apply: carry your documents, and report changes of address, employer, guarantor or civil status to the immigration office. Workers should confirm the employer completed RPTKA/DKPTKA obligations; everyone should diarise their ITAS expiry, because extensions are filed online before — not after — it lapses. Verified against imigrasi.go.id, evisa.imigrasi.go.id and regional Dukcapil guidance as of June 2026.
Week-by-Week Plan
| Week | Priority | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Verify ITAS + re-entry permit | Both issue electronically on admission — check your evisa.imigrasi.go.id account and save digital/printed copies; note the exact expiry date |
| Week 1 | STM at the local police station | Report your residence at the Polsek/Polres covering your address with passport + ITAS copies; landlord/sponsor input may be needed |
| Week 1 | Phone + money basics | Register a local SIM (passport required), set up e-wallets; carry some cash outside major cities |
| Week 2 | SKTT + NIK at Dukcapil | Sponsor letter, form, copies of passport/visa/ITAS/STM, photos — the SKTT records you in the population database and assigns your NIK |
| Week 3 | NPWP tax number | Register with the Directorate General of Taxes if employed or tax-resident; NIK-based matching makes the Dukcapil step a prerequisite |
| Week 3 | BPJS + payroll checks (workers) | Confirm employer BPJS Kesehatan/Ketenagakerjaan registration (mandatory for 6+ month workers) and that DKPTKA/RPTKA paperwork matches your role |
| Week 4 | Bank account + driving | Resident account (passport, ITAS, often SKTT/NPWP); apply for an Indonesian SIM licence at a Polri Satpas if driving |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the very first thing to do after landing in Indonesia?
Check your eVisa account. For limited-stay visa holders the ITAS and re-entry permit are issued electronically at the immigration checkpoint — confirm both appear correctly, save copies, and note the expiry date of the stay permit (which differs from the 90-day visa validity). Then handle the police report: the STM from the Polsek/Polres covering your address is the document that the civil registry will ask for next, and some banks and offices want to see it too. A local SIM card, registered against your passport, makes every later step easier.
In what order do the registrations have to happen?
The chain is strict because each document feeds the next: ITAS (issued at the border) → STM from the local police → SKTT from Dukcapil, which assigns your NIK → then NPWP (tax), BPJS (via your employer), bank account and driving licence, all of which work better — or only work — once you hold the NIK. Trying to open a bank account or register for tax before Dukcapil registration is the classic wasted trip. Budget week 1 for police, week 2 for Dukcapil, weeks 3–4 for tax, BPJS and banking.
Do I have to report to immigration during my first month?
Not routinely — the old post-arrival conversion visit is gone, since the ITAS issues at the border. Your immigration-facing duties are conditional: report to the kantor imigrasi if your address, employer, guarantor or civil status changes (Article 71, Law 6/2011), keep your documents available for supervision checks, and file extensions through the eVisa system before expiry. The recurring in-person obligations in your first month are with the police (STM) and the civil registry (SKTT) — different agencies, both mandatory.
When does the 183-day tax rule start to matter?
Immediately, in planning terms. Presence of more than 183 days in any 12-month period — or residing in Indonesia with intent to stay, which a long-term ITAS plus a home can evidence much earlier — makes you a tax resident, taxable on worldwide income at progressive rates, with an NPWP registration obligation via the Directorate General of Taxes. Employees are onboarded through payroll withholding; remote workers and investors should get advice in their first month, because treaty relief and the timing of residency can change the answer materially. The NIK-NPWP matching also means tax registration depends on your Dukcapil record.
What health steps actually matter in the first month?
Insurance before infrastructure: ensure continuous private cover with evacuation from day one, because BPJS only reliably covers enrolled workers (mandatory after six months' employment) and public capability varies enormously across the archipelago. Locate your nearest credible private hospital or clinic and pharmacy chain, and check whether your area carries dengue or malaria risk and act accordingly (repellent, prophylaxis where advised). If you take prescription medication, verify availability and legality early — some substances controlled in Indonesia require documentation. No catch-up immigration medical exists, so health setup is entirely self-driven.
Can I drive on my foreign licence while I settle in?
Only briefly and only with an international driving permit alongside your national licence — visitors use an IDP, but residents are expected to hold an Indonesian SIM, issued by the police (Polri) at a Satpas licensing office to ITAS/ITAP holders. Bring your passport, ITAS and SKTT, and expect health and competency checks; requirements and supporting documents vary by licensing office. Many new arrivals in Bali and Jakarta rely on ride-hailing (which is excellent and cheap) for the first month and sort the SIM once the civil paperwork chain is complete.