Rupiah Hits Rp18,195, Yet South Sulawesi Residents Continue Passport Applications, Primarily for Umrah

The continuous weakening of the Rupiah against the US Dollar, reaching the level of Rp18,195, has not deterred the residents of South Sulawesi from travelling abroad. Evidence of this can be seen in the heavy queues for passport processing at the Makassar Immigration Office.

The Makassar Immigration Office recorded 4,420 passport applicants between May and early June 2026, with the majority intending to perform the Umrah pilgrimage. Oky Derajat Rizki Mubarok, Head of Travel Documents and Stay Permits at Makassar Immigration, revealed that the number of applicants remained stable compared to the same period in 2025, suggesting that the depreciation of the exchange rate has not yet become a significant deterrent.

“Despite the decline in the Rupiah exchange rate, the number of passport applicants remains the same. There has been no decrease,” Oky told reporters at the Makassar Immigration Office on Monday (8/6).

Detailed data shows that from January to 8 June 2026, the total number of passport applicants in Makassar reached 18,937 people. In May 2026 alone, there were 3,631 applicants, while the first eight days of June 2026 saw an additional 789 applicants.

Interestingly, among the various purposes for application—including tourism, family visits, and Hajj—the Umrah pilgrimage is the most dominant. Oky noted that most residents of South Sulawesi are processing passports specifically for Umrah.

This phenomenon indicates that spiritual motivation and the mobility of South Sulawesi residents remain high, even amidst the current slump in the Rupiah’s value. Meanwhile, the weakening of the Rupiah, which has crossed the psychological level of Rp18,000 per US Dollar, is testing the resilience of fiscal and monetary fundamentals. The exchange rate opened 0.39 per cent lower at Rp18,107 per US Dollar on Monday morning.