I rarely comment about this kind of topic, but I am impressed with the service so it made me want to post about it.

Background Story :

My passport has expired and I didn’t notice it until a month ago. Due to the Covid19 partial lock-down situation, the immigration offices were also closed. They finally opened again in the mid June 2020. And I decided to try to register directly to government and make passport myself without any help from the agent (In Indonesia we call them Biro Jasa).

Procedure that I went through :

• Get an online queue number. This is the most frustrating and hard part. After this part is done, everything went smooth. So the thing is, you must apply an online queue number using android application at the specific time and day. They opened the queue line every Friday at 14.00 PM. But I failed several times, probably due to the server couldn’t handle all the requests at once.
  In my case, I couldn’t even access this function until later at night. And luckily I still see some spot left in my preferred Immigration Office (I chose Soekarno Hatta Airport Immigration Office because of their good rating I heard from a lot of people)
• After you got the online queue number, go to immigration office that you chose with all your supporting documents (original and copy). If you are an Indonesian citizenship just bring your valid ID, KK, Birth certificate, proof of marriage (if available). The good things about Soekarno Hatta Immigration office is that they have a photo copy center just 10 steps away from the registration booth, so it is really easy to copy your document in case you forgot.
• Fill in some registration form.
• Wait for interview and Photo session.
• Finished. At this time you will get 2 piece of papers. The first one is an invoice stating how much you should pay and the second one is the instruction how to pay and a list of what Bank that you could use to make the payment.
• Make a payment in your preferred Bank. You need to keep the printed proof of payment, so it is advisable to use ATM machine.
• Wait for 7 working days to go back to get your Passport. They will send you an SMS text message, however the staff at the immigration office kindly explain to me that sometimes their SMS blast system is having problem, so whether I do get the SMS or not , I need to get back again after 7 working days. Wait too long (such as longer than 30 days) and you might need to restart the whole process all over again.
• In My case I did get the SMS exactly after 7 working days, so I went back with the invoice and proof of payment. Scan the barcode using the invoice to get another queue number, wait for your queue, and retrieve your new passport after you gave the invoice and proof of payment.

The best thing about Soekarno Hatta Immigration office is that they are not crowded, I chose to went there at early morning (They open at 8.00 AM). Both when I went there to register and to retrieve my passport, I only saw less than 10 queues. When I went there to register the first time, it took me around 15-20 minutes, and when I went back to retrieve the new passport it took me less than 10 minutes.

Additionally, all the staff in the immigration office were kind and helpful, such a really good service attitude.

Conclusion :

If you could get pass the online queue number system using your android, it is best to register on your own without any help of agent (using an agent will took you twice the normal fee).

The system is far better right now. I remember back then when I renew my passport in Jakarta Immigration office, I waited for 4 hours (using an agent). I also saw someone else that have been there before me but they are not yet handled even after I’m done. Back then we didn’t have the queue number, so the staff will call out your name if it is your turn. I assume I got the priority because I was using an agent (but still 4 hours waiting though). So I am really glad to see that the system in Indonesia improved a lot.