If you have a valid visa but have to get a new passport, ask the immigration officer for your old passport

Aug 25, 2023

For Indonesian citizens who have to be abroad for a long time, for example for work or continue their studies, replacing a passport can be confusing. This is because some people have to replace their passports while their visas are still valid, because they submitted the visa based on their old passport. "If an Indonesian citizen has to replace their passport while having a valid visa in their old passport, they can inform the immigration officer at the passport interview stage, so their old passport will be returned. At the time of collection, the applicant fills out a statement form [regarding the collection of the old passport] and signs on a stamp duty," said Achmad. Therefore, the person does not need to worry about any problems arising when passing through the immigration checkpoint. They can show their old passport and new passport during the immigration check. "On the other hand, for Indonesian citizens planning to go abroad, we urge them to ensure that the validity period of their passport is longer than the validity period of the visa they are about to submit to the destination country. Generally, the validity period of the passport must be six months longer than the validity period of the visa," he said. The provisions on the validity period of passports for foreign nationals to enter a country's territory have become a common policy globally. It has been agreed upon through “The Assembly 41st Session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): Establishing a Common Policy for Passport Validity". The forum was held in October 2022 in Montreal, Canada. Author: Ajeng Rahma Safitri Editor: Achmad Nur Saleh

Last updated 03 December 2024