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Chat with Bali Zero on WhatsAppThe Banggai Immigration Office in Central Sulawesi has publicly affirmed that foreign nationals legally married to Indonesian citizens are entitled to
The Banggai Immigration Office in Central Sulawesi has publicly affirmed that foreign nationals legally married to Indonesian citizens are entitled to apply for the E31A visa — Indonesia's formally designated national visa index for spouses in mixed marriages (perkawinan campuran). The announcement reflects a national legal architecture that has been substantially revised across 2023, 2024, and 2025, and which remains poorly understood by a significant share of the mixed-marriage community.
Under Keputusan Menteri Imigrasi dan Pemasyarakatan (Kepmen Kemenimipas) Nomor M.IP-08.GR.01.01 Tahun 2025, the E31A is formally classified as the 'Spouse of an Indonesian Citizen' visa. The classification is notable because it grants the foreign spouse an explicit statutory right to perform work or operate a business — melakukan pekerjaan dan/atau usaha — to meet the living needs of themselves and their family. This embedded work right distinguishes the E31A from the vast majority of limited stay permit categories, which prohibit employment or self-employment without a separate work authorisation issued by the Ministry of Manpower.
The current framework also removes one of the most common structural barriers to long-term residency in Indonesia: the corporate or third-party sponsor requirement. Under Pasal 191(4) Huruf a of Permenkumham Nomor 22 Tahun 2023, as amended by Permenkumham Nomor 11 Tahun 2024, mixed-marriage foreign nationals are formally exempted from the standard penjamin (sponsor) requirement. In lieu of a corporate guarantor, the Indonesian spouse assumes the role of Penanggung Jawab — the formally designated Responsible Party who is legally accountable for the foreign national's presence and activities in Indonesia, as governed by Pasal 193 of the same regulation.
Application requires specific marriage documentation. Where the marriage was conducted in Indonesia, the primary instrument is the Buku Nikah issued by the relevant religious affairs office (KUA). Where the marriage was contracted abroad, a foreign marriage certificate (Akta Perkawinan) that has been officially translated and legalised is required. Pasal 43 of Permenkumham 22/2023 sets out the procedural requirements in full. The initial E31A Limited Stay Permit (ITAS) is issued for either one or two years, as stipulated by Pasal 105(8) Huruf a.
A procedurally significant change introduced by Undang-Undang Nomor 63 Tahun 2024 — an omnibus amendment to the foundational Immigration Law (UU Nomor 6 Tahun 2011) — is the automatic integration of Multiple Exit Re-entry Permit (MERP) rights into the electronic ITAS (e-ITAS). Previously, E31A holders were required to apply separately and pay a distinct PNBP fee for a MERP before each international departure. Under the revised framework, re-entry authorisation is embedded in the e-ITAS document at the point of issuance, eliminating both the procedural step and the additional cost. The sponsorship framework itself was updated by Permenimipas Nomor 5 Tahun 2025, which formally repeals the previous sponsorship regulation (Permenkumham Nomor 36 Tahun 2021) and codifies the updated administrative and legal responsibilities of the Indonesian spouse acting as Penanggung Jawab.
The Banggai announcement is, in substance, a regional immigration office publicising a legal entitlement that a significant share of the mixed-marriage community — including many couples in Bali — eit
her does not know about or has not acted on. The E31A is arguably the most complete residency pathway available in Indonesia for a foreign national: it confers the right to work or run a business, eli
minates the sponsor bottleneck that makes most other KITAS categories employer-dependent, and now automatically includes re-entry rights. No other standard temporary stay permit category currently bundles all three.
The documentation gap is where couples consistently lose time and money. If a mixed-marriage couple married outside Indonesia and their foreign marriage certificate was never registered with the Indonesian civil registry (Disdukcapil) and properly notarised, the path to an E31A becomes substantially longer and more expensive — often requiring retroactive legalisation steps that could have been handled at the time of marriage. Addressing this gap proactively, well before a visa run or permit renewal deadline, is the single highest-leverage action a mixed-marriage couple can take.
The shift from Permenkumham 36/2021 to Permenimipas 5/2025 also introduced meaningful changes to the Penanggung Jawab's formal legal exposure. Indonesian spouses accepting this role should understand its implications before signing the declaration.
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