Corrupt immigration

As foreigners, we are required to drop by to the immigration office with great frequency. It's nice that all the fees are displayed openly on the wall, but the nightmare awaits just around the corner.

We have never once managed to get our papers processed without some kind of extra charge, and these charges are rising quicker than the inflation rate. Every extension for a family of four costs at least Rp 3 million, and applying for an exit permit costs another Rp 1 million.

Once a year you might renew your visa, for example, in Singapore, and a few million rupiah will be asked at the embassy there. Not to mention all the hassles of renewing documents every year at different offices. Corrupt immigration officers are just everywhere; it is impossible to avoid them and they cost us a fortune.

I dream about a one-stop fee, known to everybody, that is paid once, in one office, to one officer. But surely this could only happen in paradise.

UWE BURGASTALLER Denpasar