REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian government will soon ease the procedures for visa and stay permit applications by foreign experts and investors, Head of Immigration Office Ronny F. Sompie declared in a joint statement with the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

He made the statement on the sidelines of the 4th Host Country Committee Meeting on Immigration and Consular Affairs being held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, here, Tuesday.

The Immigration Office has planned to accelerate the visa application process for foreigners, mainly investors and experts; however, it has yet to decide on the special permit procedures, Sompie remarked.

To improve the services, the Immigration Office will launch an online platform for the visa and stay permit applications, Sompie mentioned.

"We are in the process of designing the paperless system for the forthcoming services. Hence, instead of sending mails to the Immigration Office, the applicants can submit their documents online to apply for new or extension of visa and stay permits," Sompie remarked.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Immigration Office held the meeting with representatives of some 124 countries and several agencies based in Indonesia to inform them about the updates on the visa and stay permit policies.

"Besides informing them about the policies and measures, the meeting also aimed to discuss several cases, such as law violations committed by the foreigners living in the country. Several issues, including terrorism, human-trafficking, fraud, and cybercrime still pose a challenge not only to the embassy and the consular affairs, but also to the foreign affairs ministry, the immigration office, the national police, the counter-terrorism agency (BNPT), as well as the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK)," Sompie pointed out.

Accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Protocol and Consular Affairs Director General Andri Hadi, Sompie added that the Immigration Office would continue to coordinate with other stakeholders to resolve these issues.

Apart from Hadi, the press conference was also attended by Foreign Affairs Ministry's Consular Director Didik Eko Pujianto, the Immigration Office Secretary Friement F.S Aruan, and the office's Cooperation Director Alif Suadi.

Meanwhile, some 74 countries, including Chile, Finland, Oman, Ukraine, New Zealand, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, Belgium, Lebanon, Morocco, Panama, Portugal, Timor Leste, Cuba, the Philippines, and Denmark, among others, participated in the one-day closed meeting. 

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