First Things First: What Should I Do Before Departing to Indonesia?

It is always good to prepare in advance for your departure. Some steps even require proper planning as it has a scheduled timeline to be aware of!

Here are 12 first things you need to do:

01. Starting three months before your study start date: Preparing your visa documents and applying for the visa!

You can check what documents you need and the steps to apply for study visa on the visa section here.

Tips:

When is the best time to arrive in Indonesia?  It is advisable to arrive 2 weeks before the orientation starts so you can have enough time adapting and settling-in to the new environment. Your visa process can start as early as 3 months before your planned arrival date.

Always double check any travel regulations in place before you travel!  You can check the regulations in IATA website or your chosen airlines’ website. You can also see the update here.

02. Decide where you will be staying: at our cool student accommodation, or at a tailored, off-campus private accommodation

• BINUS Square Hall of Residences (BSQ)

We have a cool student accommodation near our Anggrek Campus. Check out the BINUS Square Hall of Residence (BSQ) page here to see what rooms, facilities, and student activities and enrichments it offers. By staying in BSQ, you can expand your friendship and grasp some new skills through the activities they hold.

• Off-campus options

If you are looking for other options where you can have more independent life, or wishing to explore other accommodation types Jakarta has to offer that suits your budget and lifestyle, you are welcomed to stay in the private-owned residences. Check these websites to look for apartments and rented houses (Travelio.com, Flokq.com), and kos-kosan (rooms in a shared house/building) (Mamikos.com).

03. Check the most current travel regulations, which airlines and flights to book

See here to know the latest regulations and some tips on selecting your flights (link to travel regulations, Indonesian customs, and prohibited items to bring)

04. Do enough research about Indonesia

To ease your transition and minimize culture shock, it is helpful to know your destination and country profiles, the people and the habits, norms, and values, sending and receiving money from your local bank (informing the local bank if you are travelling, so you can draw or receive cash from Indonesia without issues), etc. You can read more about what to know about Indonesia, the people, norms, and culture here.

05. Setting up necessary arrangements in your home country for an extended stay abroad

Don’t forget to check if there are any immigration-related documents to be processed, or any important steps you need to do before you leave your country. You might want to go through these activities:

• With your local bank: notify them of your extended stay in Indonesia to arrange money withdrawal from Indonesia, and consult which money sending and receiving works between Indonesia and your home country.
• With your local authorities: request good conduct and penal clearance letter.
• With your physicians: arrange necessary medical appointments. You might want to ask for long term medicines prescriptions or any substitute prescriptions for any regular medications you take. If you are in need of long term treatments that requires regular check-up such as braces, and other health conditions, please consult on how you should manage it. We do have a basic student health plan to cover some amounts for basic health treatments, however you might find your needs are not covered. Don’t forget to check if you need extra health plan benefits purchased, or extra funds ready to cover your expenses that might not be covered by an Indonesian basic student health plan.

06. Prepare important documents

Prepare the soft copies and hard copies of your:

• BINUS letters,
• visa and travel documents,
• travel insurance,
• health documents (i.e. vaccination records, doctor’s prescriptions or recommendations),
• financial documents (your credit/ debit cards, etc.),
• etc.

Don’t forget to legalize copies of important documents (i.e. passport) to the related authorities. This legalized copies will be helpful to serve as back up on unexpected lost and damages to original documents.

07. Save up for your initial settlement fees

Bring enough cash for the first month of settlement (approx. USD 300 – 400/ month). P.S.: don’t forget to prepare some of the amount in IDR too!

08. Create a checklist on what to bring and do! Start packing!

Read the next post on what to bring to help with your packing.

09. Know your new friend – your iBuddy

iBuddy is a local BINUSIAN sophomore/ junior/ senior will be available to be your first friend and mentor to help you settling-in. You can ask them about your study and student’s life, or share with them your passions and hobbies.

10. Stay healthy!

11. Keep essential contacts on your phones: iBuddy contact, University contacts, and other emergency numbers

You will be reached by our International Student Counselor before you depart, and you can find our contacts here. You can also keep these emergency numbers in Indonesia:

• 112 – for any emergencies
• 110 – for police
• 118 dan 119 – for ambulance and Covid-19 emergencies

12. Arrange your trip carefully

Last but not least, plan your departure well! If your campus is in Jakarta, we recommend you to:

• Arrive at Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK). There will be an airport pick-up service available if you are staying at BSQ from Monday-Friday (office hour), or your iBuddies might be available to help arranging pick-up if you are arriving on weekends.
• Plan your trip so that you don’t arrive late at night without having made prior arrangements for accommodations. We encourage you to arrive in the morning or afternoon. :)

Once you’ve sorted out the preparations, you are now one step more ready for departure! Have you read through our guide on what to know before you go, Indonesia and Jakarta, and what to bring? Don’t forget to check these pages out too:

Read about what you should know, and what you need to bring here.

Have further questions or not finding what you are looking for on our website? You can reach our International Student Engagement Counselor here.

[Link/Image: Indonesia and Jakarta] [Jakarta and the Living Cost] [Link/Image: Health and Wellbeing]