Exit Permit Only (EPO) Expatriates in Indonesia
When expatriates resign from one company in Indonesia and start working for another company or move back to his/her home country, the immigration licenses need to be revoked. This revocation is performed by way of an exit process which results in the issuance of an Exit Permit Only (EPO). Once the expatriate obtains the EPO, he must leave Indonesia. And once left Indonesia all records of the expatriate are cleared / revoked. In this column we discuss the EPO procedure in specific for commissioners in the banking sector.
Exit Permit Only
Exit Permit Only (EPO) is the permission to leave Indonesia and not to return based on the Elucidation Article 16 (2) b Government Regulation Number 31 of 2013 regarding Regulation Implementation of Law Number 6 of 2011 regarding Immigration. Based on immigration legislation:
1. in the event the expatriate changes sponsor (moves to a new company) the EPO process must be completed before obtaining the new working permit; or
2. in the event the expatriate will not continue to work in Indonesia, the EPO process must be completed before the expatriate leaves Indonesia.
The immigration legislation in Indonesia does not regulate an obligation for an expatriate to immediately start the EPO process after resignation from his/her company before the expiry date of the work permit (KITAS). Whether or not the EPO is processed immediately, depends on the old company’s willingness to cooperate. In case the process is not started immediately upon resignation, the old company shall remain liable to perform all its obligations as a sponsor for the expatriate until the EPO process is completed. Therefore in most cases the company of which an expatriate is resigning wants to process the Exit Permit Only (EPO) as soon as possible after resignation date.
Once having received the EPO, the expatriate is required to leave Indonesia within 7 days. However some local immigration offices have their own policy regarding this leaving period and may require the expatriate to leave Indonesia within a shorter period.
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With reference to #2 above:
(2. in the event the expatriate will not continue to work in Indonesia, the EPO process must be completed before the expatriate leaves Indonesia.)
What if the expatriate (who is on KITAS and re-rentry permit) will not continue to work BUT leave the country without applying for EPO.
- what is the consequences to the company/employer who sponsored the expatriate
- what is the consequences to the expatriate (for example, will he get into any sort of trouble if he returns to Indonesia as a tourist?)
@Mike, not sure about impact on the company (perhaps a reprimand only) but I do know someone from Singapore who worked for an Indonesian company (thus having a KITAS) and then moved back to Singapore without completing the EPO process. Several years later he successfully moved back to work in Jakarta again (different company and he got another KITAS using the new company) and married an Indonesian girl. He now wants to become an Indonesian national (to have an Indonesian passport) but the authorities said he has to wait for six years before he can apply for Indonesian citizenship as a penalty for not completing the EPO several years ago. So I don't think you get in trouble if you return as a tourist, although you may get a question at customs about this issue.
I work in Indonesia and i am now changing my sponsor, so I will not continue working for the same company, and I contacted 2 agents, the first one told me that I have to just cancel the old KITAS and start processing the new one under the new sponsor and the second one asked me to make the EXIT PERMIT ONLY, but based on that, I have to leave Indonesia, and for me it's a bit strange because I heard many expats getting their KITAS without being forced to have that document to be issued first, so can anyone help me in this please