According to Tempo.co, Foreign citizens holding permanent residence permits (ITAP) and limited stay permits (ITAS) can now crossthe immigration auto gates at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta and I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali. Previously, only foreigners with e-visas or visa-free visits could cross the auto gate or automatic immigration gate.
“The integration of the visa and residence permit system with auto gate strengthens immigration services. Previously, foreigners holding ITAP or ITAS had to pass an inspection at a special counter supervised by officers. But now, they can use auto gate, which makes the process much more concise, convenient, and efficient,” said Acting Director General of Immigration, Saffar M. Godam
Data shows that between January and September 2024, autogates have been used by 3,518,963 foreigners to enter and exit Indonesia, with an average of around 390,000 people per month. In about 15-25 seconds, any passerby can complete the check at the autogate, making it an effective option for speeding up traffic at international crossings.
Currently, there are 78 units of autogates at Soekarno-Hatta Airport and 90 units at Ngurah Rai Airport, which continue to support the smooth flow of traffic.
In addition, there are 134,037 limited stay permits and 3,648 permanent residence permits issued by the Director General of Immigration until September 2024. Saffar believes that the optimization of this autogate will make it easier for ITAP or ITAS holders who are also frequent travelers.
Digital immigration services are making it easier for foreigners. Visa applications can now be done online through evisa.imigrasi.go.id website, including self-capture of biometric data.
This reduces the need to be physically present at the immigration office, even during the extension of the residence permit. All of these processes can now be completed digitally, providing additional convenience and efficiency for ITAP and ITAS holders.
Safety remains a top priority in this auto gate system. The facial recognition technology implemented ensures that anyone crossing the border is not included in the international ban list or red notice.
Saffar said Immigration would make various efforts to attract quality foreigners to come to Indonesia, so that the country would get a positive impact, especially in terms of the economy. “We implement the visa and residence permit policy as a filter but at the same time make it easier at the same time,” he said.
Meanwhile Antara News reports, the Class I Immigration Office for the Ngurah Rai Immigration Checkpoint in Badung Regency, Bali, still maintains a manual counter even though it is equipped with electronic immigration inspection facilities or autogates, to support smooth operations.
“The manual counter remains open, there are five units that we maintain,” said Head of TPI I Gusti Ngurah Rai Nanang Saiful Isra Rusli International Airport in Jimbaran, Badung Regency, Bali, Friday.
According to him, even though it has been equipped with electronic-based services, for certain conditions, manual immigration check counters are still needed. There are also certain conditions, namely if international passers-by have problems with misspellings in their names to passers-by who use wheelchairs.
Then, passers-by who bring children under six years old also go through the manual counter. Not only that, passers-by who are detected on the Interpol ban or wanted list when accessing the auto gate will also be handled by officers at the manual counter for follow-up.
In addition, even though it is equipped with a total of 90 autogates, he continued, the number of immigration personnel has also not been reduced, which is still 314 people.
Source : Tempo.co, Antara News
Image: via Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office
