Receta Obtaining Affidavit for Malaysian-Indonesian Children in Malaysia
Naomi, who is half Malaysian and Indonesian, was born in Malaysia and as Malaysia doesn't recognize double citizenship, she automatically follows her Dad's nationality. This said, Naomi only holds Malaysian citizenship and passport. On normal basis, Naomi is permitted to enter and remain in Indonesia for 30 days from the day she enters her Mom's home country for social visit.
As I plan to return to Indonesia with Naomi for a period of more than 30 days, I would need to get the special immigration facility for Naomi through Affidavit application from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur so my child can stay in Indonesia with me for more than a month. With this Affidavit, when travelling to Indonesia, Naomi who holds Malaysian passport is exempt from the obligation to have a visa, immigration permit and re-entry permit. In essence, she can freely re-enter and stay in Indonesia for more than a month.
Applying for affidavit for children born from a mixed marriage (Indonesian and Malaysian) is relatively easier, less stressful and more straightforward than renewing Indonesian passport in the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. The only minor challenge was probably the waiting period for submitting the paperwork. We waited for about 2 hours just to submit the documents required to obtain Naomi's Affidavit at the counter in the Visa Section office. I naively thought that this office would be quiet but I was so wrong. The small office with just 4 available counters was full house of applicants.
Anyway, below is the detailed list of documents we need to bring for applying our child's Affidavit from Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia. Just make sure that you have all the below documents ready before submitting them to the officer at the Visa Section in the embassy for smoother application process.
A form for applying affidavit (to be obtained at the counter below the Visa Section's office in the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur)
A photocopy of child's valid passport, your passport and Malaysian spouse's passport
A photocopy of marriage certificate
A photocopy of child's birth certificate (from Malaysia's JPN)
4 pieces of child's photo (3cmx4cm)
All the above original documents (e.g. original passport books, marriage certificate and child's birth certificate) must also be shown during submission for verification purpose.
Here are the steps in applying the Affidavit once we arrive to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur:
Go straight to the information counter just below the Visa Section's office near the Embassy's exit passage and passport renewal waiting area.
Obtain the form for applying Affidavit from that information counter (he/she will ask us to show all the documents needed before giving us the form).
Fill the form and show the completed form to the officer in the information counter to get the queue number.
Go upstairs to the Visa Section office and queue for your turn.
Submit the filled form and all the above-mentioned required documents to the officer.
If our application is successful, the officer will ask us to pay the processing fee and give us a receipt for collecting the Affidavit (letter/statement) after two working days.
When I was renewing my Indonesian passport at the embassy some months ago, I thought of applying Affidavit for Naomi as well. However, my intent to submit the documents to the officer at the Visa section was declined because applicants cannot do the document submission in the afternoon. Therefore, be sure to come to the Embassy early in the morning for the paperwork submission and bring your child as well. The Visa Section office only accepts application and documents submission from 9am-1pm and does immigration permits/visa/affidavit certificates' collection at 2pm-5pm on working days.
Further, the officer said that the Affidavit that I got for Naomi is valid until Naomi turns 18 y/o (or perhaps forever - not so sure about it but I will check on this again with the immigration officer once I arrive to Indonesia). However, he did mention that I can laminate the letter so it keeps better and must not lose it. He also stressed that this Affidavit is only to be shown at the immigration in Indonesia.
Total fee: RM 27 for Affidavit application per child
Required working day(s): 2 working days
** Please note that this information is based on my personal experience and subject to change in accordance with any amendments to the rules and regulations from the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia.