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I will go to Indonesia to marry my fiancee. She tells me that when I arrive there, at her village called Cianjur, I have to report to the police. I don't understand these procedures well so I am asking:

  • Why should I report to the police?
  • What do I need to tell them?
  • Should I pay anything?
JoErNanO
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user203788
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    Related: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/68866/why-do-some-countries-want-to-track-the-location-of-tourists-after-arrival – JonathanReez Jun 20 '17 at 16:01
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    Congratulations :) – Luke Sawczak Jun 20 '17 at 21:27
  • Thus far none of the answers respond to the primary question, which is WHY this requirement exists. – Astor Florida Jun 20 '17 at 22:45
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    @axsvl77 - it exists because the police wants to track you, period. And this has been true in literally every country I've ever traveled to. – Davor Jun 21 '17 at 10:28
  • @Davor Yeah, I have heard that before. But is Indonesia really able to do anything with that information the collect? Realistically, do they track everyone going to Bali? It really seems like a job for the paper collectors. – Astor Florida Jun 21 '17 at 12:39
  • @Davor Yeah, I have heard that before. Realistically though, I highly doubt Indonesia is putting resources towards tracking all the foreigners. Just think of the sheer number going to Bali. And it isn't that hard to evade detection by not-registering. It isn't even security theater. I've always assumed that it was mainly to have an excuse just in case the need a reason to deport you. – Astor Florida Jun 21 '17 at 12:53
  • @axsvl77 - the same could be said for native citizens, but they still need to have a permanent address registered with the police. This is no different. You're staying in their country, they want to know where you're staying. – Davor Jun 21 '17 at 12:54
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    @Hanky That was always the first bullet point question, so yes it originally was ‘why’. – grg Jun 21 '17 at 22:46
  • FYI, it's very likely your fiancee heard of this news about an Italian woman coming to marry an Indonesian, then her presence in the village prompt the locals to contact the police. – Martheen Jun 22 '17 at 06:48
  • @Davor: While whoever drafted the respective regulation may speculate to get the possibility to track foreigners, realistically, I also suspect a slightly less nosy motivation: If the foreigner goes missing in some way, at least knowing the last place where they stayed saves the host country of the negative publicity towards the country of origin about having not even the slightest idea about the approximate last known location of the foreigner, as well as the expenses for determining at least an approximate search area. – O. R. Mapper Jun 22 '17 at 08:23
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    I would politely ask if there are any charges for this registration (even though I know that it is free) and then depending on the response give some money or give nothing. – Aru Jun 21 '17 at 04:03

3 Answers3

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Some countries require that foreigners register their stay with the local police. Normally, if you're staying in a hotel then this is taken care of for you. If you are staying at a private residence then you must do the registration.

For example, from Entry Requirements - Indonesia:

Registering

If you stay in private accommodation in Indonesia (not a hotel) you must register your presence with the local police or you could face a fine of Rp 5 million [~ 375 USD]. If you stay in a hotel you will be registered automatically.

Community
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Greg Hewgill
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    Just to add: This requirement might be different for different citizens. So in India, people from Pakistan have to register with the police, while Europeans usually don't. You need to check not just the rules, but the rules for your country, if applicable. – Shantnu Tiwari Jun 20 '17 at 08:42
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    Do i need to register only once, because i will move to several places, first to the village then to central jakarta, also do I get any receipt that I have registered with the police ? – user203788 Jun 20 '17 at 10:49
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    @user203788 You probably have to register for each place you stay. Basically, they want to know where they can find you on any given day. I had to register multiple times when staying in private residences in China, but I've never been to Indonesia so I don't know first hand. – Greg Hewgill Jun 20 '17 at 10:58
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    @user203788 You will have to register for each home you'll stay at for more than 24 hours. The good new is that if you come back to the very same place, you don't have to do it again – Madlozoz Jun 20 '17 at 12:44
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    5 million Indonesian Rupiah is currently 375 USD / 297 GBP to potentially save others from Googling. – Martin Smith Jun 20 '17 at 18:23
  • WHY do Indonesia and other countries require registration? – Astor Florida Jun 20 '17 at 22:46
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    In case you commit a crime, they would like to know your current location. (I think, anyway.) – CalculatorFeline Jun 21 '17 at 16:01
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In Indonésia, when you stay more than 24 or 48 hours at someone's place, you have to register to some authority (not exactly the police, but I forgot the official name).
This is not only foreigners. The police just want to keep track of people (or at least, pretend they do)

You don't need to tell them anything. Just give your ID and the address you'll stay at. They will ask you plenty of question that you may find nosy, but that's mostly Indonesian chit-chat.

You don't have to pay anything, but Indonesian official being what they are, you possibly will have to. You know... just being polite with the elders :-/ .
Let your local friend deal with this part. It's easy to accidentally insult people by giving/not giving money to the right/wrong person.

Madlozoz
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  • thanks for the comment, do you have an idea of how much they may ask me to pay if they do ? – user203788 Jun 20 '17 at 13:10
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    "Unofficial" payments are the sort of thing that can vary from village to village. Your fiancee will know, or can ask other locals who have hosted foreign guests. – Patricia Shanahan Jun 20 '17 at 16:17
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    @user203788 I this case, I would say it is probably free or "uang roko" (10- 20 thousand rupiah). But unofficial stuff follow no rule (well... no rule a foreigner could anticipate) – Madlozoz Jun 21 '17 at 09:38
  • I've only been to Bali in Indonesia and never had to do this because we stayed in a hotel. That said, whenever anyone asks for money that doesn't seem appropriate when we're traveling, I simply ask for a receipt for the money signed by them. Frequently, this makes the request go away. If it's a legitimate fee or whatever, they'll have no problems signing for it. If it's to line their pockets, they are far more hesitant. – delliottg Jun 23 '17 at 17:24
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Why should I report to the police?

They just want to record the data, so if something bad happen (earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc) they will know who is missing. This is also applied if police or authorities demand data for investigation (terrorism or illegal foreigner)

What do I need to tell them?

Who are you, what business you came there, how long you stay, etc. You can say you are doing legal stuff for your marriage for example.

Should I pay anything?

Depend. But offcially you dont need pay anything.

Septian Primadewa
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