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I will go to Indonesia to marry my fiancee. She tells me that when I arrive there, at her village called Cianjur, I have to report to the police. I don't understand these procedures well so I am asking:

  • Why should I report to the police?
  • What do I need to tell them?
  • Should I pay anything?
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  • 2
    Related: travel.stackexchange.com/questions/68866/…
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 16:01
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    Congratulations :)
    – Luke Sawczak
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 21:27
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    I would politely ask if there are any charges for this registration (even though I know that it is free) and then depending on the response give some money or give nothing.
    – Aru
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 4:03
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    @axsvl77 - it exists because the police wants to track you, period. And this has been true in literally every country I've ever traveled to.
    – Davor
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 10:28
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    @Hanky That was always the first bullet point question, so yes it originally was ‘why’.
    – grg
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 22:46

3 Answers 3

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Some countries require that foreigners register their stay with the local police. Normally, if you're staying in a hotel then this is taken care of for you. If you are staying at a private residence then you must do the registration.

For example, from Entry Requirements - Indonesia:

Registering

If you stay in private accommodation in Indonesia (not a hotel) you must register your presence with the local police or you could face a fine of Rp 5 million [~ 375 USD]. If you stay in a hotel you will be registered automatically.

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    Just to add: This requirement might be different for different citizens. So in India, people from Pakistan have to register with the police, while Europeans usually don't. You need to check not just the rules, but the rules for your country, if applicable.
    – Shantnu Tiwari
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 8:42
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    Do i need to register only once, because i will move to several places, first to the village then to central jakarta, also do I get any receipt that I have registered with the police ?
    – user203788
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 10:49
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    @user203788 You probably have to register for each place you stay. Basically, they want to know where they can find you on any given day. I had to register multiple times when staying in private residences in China, but I've never been to Indonesia so I don't know first hand.
    – Greg Hewgill
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 10:58
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    @user203788 You will have to register for each home you'll stay at for more than 24 hours. The good new is that if you come back to the very same place, you don't have to do it again
    – Madlozoz
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 12:44
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    5 million Indonesian Rupiah is currently 375 USD / 297 GBP to potentially save others from Googling.
    – Martin Smith
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 18:23
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In Indonésia, when you stay more than 24 or 48 hours at someone's place, you have to register to some authority (not exactly the police, but I forgot the official name).
This is not only foreigners. The police just want to keep track of people (or at least, pretend they do)

You don't need to tell them anything. Just give your ID and the address you'll stay at. They will ask you plenty of question that you may find nosy, but that's mostly Indonesian chit-chat.

You don't have to pay anything, but Indonesian official being what they are, you possibly will have to. You know... just being polite with the elders :-/ .
Let your local friend deal with this part. It's easy to accidentally insult people by giving/not giving money to the right/wrong person.

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  • thanks for the comment, do you have an idea of how much they may ask me to pay if they do ?
    – user203788
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 13:10
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    "Unofficial" payments are the sort of thing that can vary from village to village. Your fiancee will know, or can ask other locals who have hosted foreign guests.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 16:17
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    @user203788 I this case, I would say it is probably free or "uang roko" (10- 20 thousand rupiah). But unofficial stuff follow no rule (well... no rule a foreigner could anticipate)
    – Madlozoz
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 9:38
  • I've only been to Bali in Indonesia and never had to do this because we stayed in a hotel. That said, whenever anyone asks for money that doesn't seem appropriate when we're traveling, I simply ask for a receipt for the money signed by them. Frequently, this makes the request go away. If it's a legitimate fee or whatever, they'll have no problems signing for it. If it's to line their pockets, they are far more hesitant.
    – delliottg
    Commented Jun 23, 2017 at 17:24
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Why should I report to the police?

They just want to record the data, so if something bad happen (earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc) they will know who is missing. This is also applied if police or authorities demand data for investigation (terrorism or illegal foreigner)

What do I need to tell them?

Who are you, what business you came there, how long you stay, etc. You can say you are doing legal stuff for your marriage for example.

Should I pay anything?

Depend. But offcially you dont need pay anything.

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