The Flado Visa Agency team shared that we’ve been receiving inquiries from foreigners asking:
Is it possible to continue the process or switch visa agents without leaving the country, if they already hold a Bridging Visa?
❌ The answer is clearly: NO
A Bridging Visa is the middle of an immigration process, and it can only be continued by the same agency or sponsor that submitted the application.
This has been confirmed in an official consultation with Ditjen Imigrasi.
What is happening in practice
The team also received information that a certain Bali’s Visa Agency had, about two years ago, mass-registered investors under shell PT PMA companies (many individuals, very few real companies). Today:
– These “investors” have no access to the companies
– The capital and compliance of those PT PMAs cannot be upgraded
– Renewing the Investor KITAS is impossible
– So this agency is now offering clients:
• Immediate submission for a Bridging Visa
• Followed by conversion to a Digital Nomad KITAS
• Most likely — at an inflated price
(For comparison, our total price would be: 13.25M (sponsored Nomad KITAS) + 2.5M (conversion service without exit) + 3M (Bridging) = 18.75M)
Why the Bridging Visa cannot simply be “taken over” by another sponsor
– Only the original agency has access to the PT PMA
– It is not possible to change the sponsor while still under the Investor KITAS process
– Sponsor change is only allowed after the Nomad KITAS is issued, and at that point:
• The client ends up paying twice
• The previous agency might charge 2–2.5M to upload your new sponsor’s documents
• Flado would need to provide company documents for upload through the old agency’s immigration account
In practice, this type of transition is nearly impossible due to agency competition and system limitations.
How Sponsor Change Works for KITAS
If the KITAS has already been issued and the current sponsor does not object, then an official sponsor change procedure (change guarantor) is possible:
– The current sponsor must request a document package from the new sponsor, including company deed (Akta), NIB, sponsorship letter, director’s ID, and other relevant documents
– The legal status and business scope of the new sponsor must match. For example, a company sponsoring a KITAS E33G (Digital Nomad) must be registered as a travel agency
– The current sponsor submits a sponsor change request through their immigration account
– After the process is completed (typically 5–7 working days), the new sponsor can request the KITAS from their own account in order to continue handling it (extensions, reporting, etc.)
When is this beneficial for the foreigner?
– Mainly during KITAS extension, if the new sponsor offers more competitive terms (lower fees, better service, more transparency)
– It’s important to note that this procedure is not free:
• The fee for the sponsor change (typically IDR 2–2.5 million) is charged by the current sponsor
• The new sponsor only provides documents, and for document preparation Flado charges IDR 300,000
– If you plan to work with the new sponsor long-term, and the current sponsor does not oppose the transfer — this option can be reasonable and strategically beneficial
The most realistic and recommended solution
To stop dealing with the first agency, the client would need to:
– Wait for the Bridging Visa to expire
– Then leave the country (e.g., to Kuala Lumpur), and return under a new visa/KITAS issued offshore by Flado
This is:
– Legal
– A visa run costs approximately 2.5 million IDR
– Offshore KITAS issuance with us is cheaper than conversion without exit, by roughly the same amount
What we can offer
– We can already submit the desired visa/KITAS via Flado — it’s valid for 90 days for activation
– By the time the Bridging Visa expires, the client can leave and re-enter with a new KITAS from us
– Moreover, as part of our current promo, a 1-year Nomad KITAS for entry starts from 12.25 million IDR
This is the safest, most transparent, and most cost-effective option we can recommend based on consultations with Ditjen Imigrasi.