Pre-Departure Preparation

  1. About Surabaya

Surabaya is Indonesia’s second-largest city and the capital of the province of East Java. It is located on the northern shore of eastern Java at the mouth of the Mas River and along the edge of the Madura Strait. As the main seaport and commercial center in the eastern region of Indonesia, Surabaya has become one of the largest cities in Southeast Asia. Today, Surabaya’s population is around three million, and the surrounding rural area houses at least 7 million.

Plaza Tunjungan, Galaxy Mall, Surabaya Plaza, Supermal Pakuwon Indah, Surabaya Town Square, and Royal Plaza Surabaya are the famous shopping center while Hi-Tech Mall, WTC, and Plasa Marina are the computers and mobile-phones shops center in Surabaya. Surabaya is home to the Eastern Armada, one of two in the Indonesian Navy.  strong maritime heritage is also reflected with the Submarine Monument, a real retired Russian submarine, called Pasopati, that was converted into a museum ship in the city center.

This city is located in the equatorial region. Hence there are only two seasons: a very humid rainy season and a dry season.  The minimum temperature in Surabaya is about 25 degree Celsius during the months of January, February and March. Usually the high temperature reaches to about 35 degree Celsius during the month of October.

Surabaya is a multi-ethnic city: foreign nationalities represented include Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, Arab, and European. In addition to Javanese and Maduranese natives, the city also has representatives of other Indonesian areas: Sunda, Minangkabau, Batak, Banjar, Balinese, and Bugis. They adhere to Islam. Other religions include Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism. Most citizens speak a dialect of Javanese called Suroboyoan. A stereotype of this dialect concerns  equality and directness in speech. The usage of register is less strict than the Central Javan dialect. However, as a multi racial city, most people speak the national language, Bahasa Indonesia. English is also widely spoken at major shops, hotels and universities.

 

  1. How to get to Surabaya

Surabaya is the major transportation hub in East Java, with connections to the rest of the island by any kind of transports.

 

Getting to Surabaya By Airplane

The Juanda International Airport (code : SUB), is nowadays served by major airlines from all around the world. Since, there are still not too many international airlines serve to Surabaya, you may find it easier to fly through Jakarta or Bali. The city is served by most of Indonesia’s domestic carriers. There are flights more or less hourly from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. After your arrival in Juanda International Airport, you can take airport taxi which cost around IDR 80.000 for about 40 minutes drive to PPNS.

 

Getting to Surabaya By Train

Train is a comfortable means of transportation to get to Surabaya. After your arrival in Soekarno-Hatta Airport, you can use the airport shuttle bus to the Gambir Train Station. The shuttle bus leaves approximately every 15 minutes and the journey lasts about 30-60 minutes depends on the traffic. From the train station, you should take a train to Surabaya. From Jakarta, it spends a minimum of nine hours.

  1. Entry Regulations

You will need a visa to enter Indonesia – in which you can obtain at the nearest Embassy or Consular Office of Indonesia in your country. Here are types of visas you could apply:

 

  1. Index B-211 Visa or VKSB

Another category of visit visa is VKSB (Visa Kunjungan Sosial Budaya – Social/Cultural Visit Visa) – a visa for those coming to Indonesia for a short-term stays, not as tourists and not for business. This single entry visit visa refers to Index B-211 and is valid for 30 – 60 days.

 

We would never recommend you to use the Visa on Arrival (VOA) which is only intended for those who are visiting Indonesia as tourists, NOT for those intending to live for an extended period of time because this kind of visa is not extendable.

 

Requirements to obtain the Index B-211 Visa are as follows:

  1. A letter of acceptance which invites you to stay/study in Indonesia
  2. Your passport
  3. A copy of return trip ticket
  4. A couple of photos
  5. Application form (provided by the Visa Section of the Indonesian Embassy)
  6. Visa fee

 

  1. VITAS (Limited Stay Visa)

Three kinds of VITAS valid for:

  1. 6 months
  2. 12 months
  3. 24 months

 

The process of applying the VITAS takes 2 – 3 months before your arrival in Indonesia. The reason is that Study Permit (Izin Studi) must be applied to DIKTI (the Directorate General of Higher Education of Indonesia – Jakarta) before you apply for VITAS.

 

The following are detailed documents you should prepare for Study Permit (Izin Studi) and VITAS:

  1. A letter of Recommendation from the Vice Rector of Academic Affairs of .
  2. A letter of Approval  from the Indonesian Embassy  (If you are still in your home country), from the representative Embassy/Consular Office of your country (If you are  already in Indonesia).
  3. An Academic Report/Transcript
  4. A Curriculum Vitae/Resume
  5. A letter of Declaration stating that you:
  • will obey Indonesian rules and laws
  • will not involve in any work activities
  1. A letter of Sponsorship or of Financial guarantee (if you are privately financed)
  2. Health Report (signed by a medical doctor)
  3. A copy of valid Passport:
  • 12-month passport validity remaining to apply for a 6-month SP and KITAS (Limited Stay Permit Visa)
  • 18-month passport validity remaining to apply for a 12-month SP and KITAS
  • 30-month passport validity remaining to apply for a 24-month SP and KITAS

So, if your passport nearing expiration, we recommend that you have it renew to the maximum time allowable before you begin applying procedures.

  1. Three sheets of passport-size photos (4 x 6) red background

Since Study Permit and VITAS are applied before your arrival, the International Office of PPNS will then proceed the application to the Immigration Office in Surabaya. After being approved, the Immigration Office will send a telex of a letter of approval to the Indonesian Embassy or Consular Office in related countries, in which you can get the VITAS mentioned. Therefore, please send the above documents (1 – 9) to:

 

International Office
Politeknik Perkapalan Negeri Surabaya (PPNS)

Directorate Building 1st Floor

Jalan Teknik Kimia

ITS Campus  Keputih – Sukolilo Surabaya 60111, Jawa Timur

INDONESIA