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ILSC participants enter Indonesia on a pre-purchased, 45- or 60-day Social-Cultural Visa. This is a single entry sponsored visa that is valid if presented within three months from the date of issue.

Soon after acceptance onto the program, participants will be contacted by the ACICIS Secretariat to confirm the Indonesian embassy or consulate from which they wish to collect their visa.

N.B. Students arriving on a Visa on Arrival/tourist visa exemption will not be permitted to commence the program.

The Social-Cultural visa that participants enter Indonesia on is not a working visa. Participants are strictly prohibited from undertaking any form of paid work during their time in Indonesia on an ACICIS-facilitated Social-Cultural visa. ACICIS takes this matter very seriously and will take disciplinary measures against any student found undertaking paid work of any kind in Indonesia while on an ACICIS program.

Obtaining a Visa via the ACICIS Secretariat

ACICIS participants can elect to obtain their visa in Perth with the assistance of the ACICIS Secretariat.

Students who elect to use this service are required to send their passports and other necessary supporting documents to the ACICIS Secretariat around six weeks prior to program commencement. Passports and visas will be returned approximately four-to-five weeks after the deadline for submission (please see acceptance correspondence for more precise time frames). While visas are being processed, participants will be without their passports and unable to travel internationally.

Obtaining a Visa Elsewhere

Participants are also able to have their Social Cultural visa issued at the Indonesian embassy or consulate closest to their place of residence, or in Singapore (N.B. Previous ACICIS students have often faced difficulty applying for their visa at other Indonesian consular missions in Southeast Asia). Please note that individual requirements and processing times vary from mission to mission. Some Indonesian consular missions outline their requirements on their websites, while others will require a phone call or in-person visit to establish requirements and processing times. Typical requirements include:

  • A complete application form filled out using a black pen only (sometimes with additional photocopies);
  • Passport-sized photographs (typically two, though some missions require fewer/more);
  • A passport valid for at least six months beyond the intended date of departure from Indonesia;
  • A copy of the airline ticket/itinerary, showing both flights into and out of Indonesia;
  • Visa fee (AUD$70 in Australia). Accepted forms of payment vary between missions.

You will also need to submit a sponsor letter from Satya Wacana University, which the Secretariat will provide to you no earlier than six weeks prior to the program commencement. Please take this into account when planning any pre-program travel.

Other advice, based on the past experience of ACICIS students, includes:

  • Dress appropriately. Indonesian embassies may refuse service to people wearing thongs, shorts, short skirts, skimpy tops, torn or dirty clothing, or singlets. Long pants/skirts, shoes, and collared shirts/blouses are required. Presentation is often the difference between a fast turn-around and a week-long wait;
  • Always carry a form of currently valid photo ID in addition to your passport (expired driving licenses may not be accepted). This may be required to be left with the security desk in exchange for a visitor’s pass;
  • Arrive in the morning before 10.30am. Visa applications are usually only accepted in morning hours. Arriving prior to 10.30am should ensure service even if queues are long. 9am is the recommended time. Pick up times are generally scheduled for the afternoon between 2-4pm;
  • Be wary of public holidays (both in the consular mission’s host country and Indonesia) as Indonesian embassies and consulates will nearly always be closed and standard processing times lengthened for applications submitted prior to this date;
  • Over-prepare. Take along copies of documents that you may not even require. Copies of travel insurance coverage, additional passport photos, and additional photocopies of your passport and your sponsor letter. Keep all copies in good condition. Torn, folded, or dirty copies may not be accepted;
  • Take along a couple of black pens for any form filling;
  • Take money. You will pay for the visa and then be issued with a receipt. This receipt is used to pick up the visa when processing is complete. You will be informed of the date and time to return for your passport;
  • Consular missions do not have photocopiers or ATMs. So once again, be over-prepared.

Passport Validity

Please note that participants’ passports must be valid for at least six months beyond their intended date of departure from Indonesia (post-program). Participants renewing their passports must supply new passport details to the ACICIS Secretariat as these are included on the visa sponsorship letter issued by the host university in Indonesia, Satya Wacana University.

Pre- and Post- Program Travel

The program runs for approximately 25 days (3-week course) or 50 days (6-week course). Visas are valid for 45 days (3-week course) or 60 days (6-week course), inclusive of the dates of arrival and departure. Candidates are free to arrive in Indonesia prior to the program or stay on after its conclusion for leisure purposes. It is the responsibility of participants to ensure that travel itineraries enable them to complete the program on the 45-/60-day visa. Under no circumstances will the host university supply letters for extensions of a Social-Cultural Visa. The duration of the Social-Cultural Visa commences from the date that the student enters Indonesia, not the date of issue of the visa itself. Fines for overstays are the responsibility of participants.

What you need to know

  • Duration: 3 weeks – 6 weeks
  • Session Dates:
    • Session 1: 3 January – 25 January 2020
    • Session 2: 24 January – 15 February 2020
  • Application Deadline: 1 October 2019
  • Tuition Fee: AUD $1,175 (1 session)
Financial Help: AUD $3,000 NCP grants*
Check your eligibility here

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