Steps to abtain a driver's license

JAKARTA (JP): Theoretically, applying for a driver's license in Indonesia, for locals and foreigners alike, should not be a complicated process. Not as complicated a process as most people actually go through.

There are several reasons for the chronic problems within the licensing process, including the fact that applicants who hate following proper procedures prefer to use the services of brokers or corrupt officers to help process their licenses.

The following article and the accompanying chart focus on the procedures involved in applying for a new, renewed or substitute (for a stolen or lost) license as well as how to obtain an international license and business-used license. The latter is for those who drive for a living, such as drivers of taxis, buses and trucks.

Driver's licenses are known under the local abbreviation of the Surat Ijin Mengemudi (SIM). There are six types of licenses: type C (for motorcycles), A (four-wheel light vehicles, such as sedans, jeeps and vans), B-I (buses and trucks), B-II (container trucks, trailers, etc), Akh (three-wheel vehicles, such as bajaj) and Umum (for business purposes).

The Umum type consists of three categories: A Umum (for taxi drivers), B-I Umum (public bus drivers) and B-II Umum (drivers at trailer transportation companies).

Applying for B-I, B-II and all Umum licenses involves upgrading the type of the license. For that purpose, one should already hold a license of a lower type for at least one year prior to the date of application.

For instance, to apply for an A Umum or B-I license, one should have owned a SIM A for at least one year. To get a B-I Umum, the applicant should have owned an A Umum or B-I license for at least one year, and so on.

Applicants intending to obtain Umum licenses of similar types, such as from A to A Umum, or B-I to B-I Umum, do not have to take a classroom test and driving test again, unless they apply for a different type, such as from A to B-I, or from A Umum to B-I.

Trailers used for driving tests for B-II applicants are only available once or twice a month.

The required minimum age for a SIM C is 16, A: 17, B-I: 20 and the remaining types, the minimum age is 21.

Foreigners are allowed to apply only for a SIM C and A, with a validation period of one year, compared to five years for locals.

Tariffs for any type of licenses and for any applicants, including foreigners, are similar.

You will end up paying twice to nine times the official fee if you deal with scalpers or corrupt officers.

The illegitimate tariffs are around Rp 125,000 for a SIM C, Rp 150,000 for a SIM B and between Rp 200,000 and Rp 400,000 for the other types.

In return, applicants might experience shorter waiting times and, most of all, obtain any type of license easily, as long as they can afford to pay the fee. In many cases, no tests are required.

However, it is suggested that applicants process their licenses by themselves, because scalpers often cheat customers by taking all the money and documents.

An applicant must bring with them the following in order to obtain a license.

For SIM C and SIM A:

* KTP or residential identity card (for Indonesians), or KIM-S

and passport (for foreigners) -- their originals and

photocopies.

* Pencil -- 2B type (for classroom test),

Those required to renew their licenses or extend any type of license should also bring their original SIMs and their photocopies. Applicants whose lost their licenses or whose licenses were stolen must obtain a police report and submit this when applying for a new license.

Procedures

The procedures are as follows (see chart).

(1) Go to a medical check-up booth for a health record. Medical records from other physicians are not acceptable.

(2) Go to any bank booth to pay Rp 52,500 for administration fees. In return, you'll receive a receipt consisting of three copies: the front copy is used to obtain the license at the final stage, the second for registration and the third for your personal records.

(3) Go to any insurance booth to pay Rp 10,000 for life insurance premiums.

(4) Show the bank and insurance receipts plus your original ID card or KIM-S and passport to officers at the registration booth to get a registration form.

(5) After completing the form, submit it along with your ID card, its copy, the medical record plus the second copy (blue) of the bank receipt to the registration booth. Foreigners have their own booth. Only applicants with completed forms will receive a coupon bearing the applicant's number from the officers.

(6) Take a classroom test that has 50 optional answers about traffic rules and signs. If you are applying for two licenses at the same time, such as for motorcycles and cars, you have to take two test forms at the same time.

(7) Take a driving practice test. (Those who want to renew or process stolen/missing licenses will not have to take the classroom test or driving test, unless their licenses expired more than a year ago).

(8) Wait for the announcement of your test results. One should follow the test procedures again from the beginning if they fail the test.

(9) If you pass, your coupon will be marked by the officers for which you're allowed to take your pictures at the identification room. Your fingerprints will also be taken. In this stage, you're also asked to double check the details of your identity as shown on the computer screen.

(10) Wait for the completion of your license in the waiting lounge; your license is being processed and printed by the computerized machines.

International

International licenses, which could be used in any country throughout the world, are issued by the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI) at its headquarters in the Senayan Sports Complex in Jakarta.

Only Indonesian citizens are allowed to apply.

Prerequisites required are a KTP, passport, Indonesian driver's license and two passport-size photos.

"Male applicants should wear ties in the photos," said Suharto of IMI.

The fee is Rp 100,000 and the process takes about a week.

However, the cost jumps to between Rp 350,000 and Rp 400,000 via the help of brokers.

"We don't take all the money for ourselves. A large portion goes to IMI's people," said a broker. (bsr)