Ministry of Immigration and Corrections
Directorate General of Immigration
HAMBURG, GERMANY - Indonesian citizens living in Hamburg and the surrounding areas can now save time and money when applying for electronic passports (e-passports). On Thursday, November 19, 2024, Felucia Sengky Ratna, the Director of Immigration Mobility at the Directorate General of Immigration, inaugurated the electronic passport service at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Hamburg. This KJRI is the third Indonesian Representative Office in Germany to offer e-passport services, following the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin and the KJRI in Frankfurt, which began their e-passport services last July.
As of now, a total of 22 Indonesian Representative Offices abroad have begun accepting applications for electronic passports. From January 1 to November 19, 2024, these offices issued 15,493 e-passports. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore recorded the highest number of e-passports issued, totaling 6,256, followed by the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, with 2,776, the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, with 1,404, and the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo with 1,260. The Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney issued 857 e-passports.
"The electronic passport service at our representative offices has received a positive response from the Indonesian community abroad. With the introduction of electronic passports at these offices, Indonesian citizens no longer need to travel back to Indonesia to renew their passports. We aim to ensure that Indonesian citizens abroad do not feel like second-class citizens due to limited access to public services," stated Sengky.
The Indonesian community within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General in Hamburg numbers 6,718, with most citizens concentrated in Hamburg and Niedersachsen, where approximately 2,500 individuals reside in each province. The remaining Indonesian citizens live in Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein. The community includes entrepreneurs, professional employees, students, and spouses of German citizens.
The electronic passport is equipped with chip technology that stores biometric data, providing maximum protection for personal information and enhancing security for the passport holder. This feature also benefits Indonesian citizens living abroad who frequently travel for work or business, allowing them to use automatic immigration checks (auto-gates) and facilitating visa applications.
During the inauguration ceremony, the Director of Immigration Mobility presented the first electronic passport issued by the Indonesian Consulate General in Hamburg to two Indonesian citizens: Renata Siagian, the Indonesian Consul General in Hamburg, and Melissa, an Indonesian representative in Hamburg. Representatives of Indonesian students in the city also attended the ceremony.
"The launch of the electronic passport service at the Indonesian Consulate General in Hamburg exemplifies the collaboration between the Directorate General of Immigration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The implementation of electronic passports reflects the Indonesian Government's commitment to leveraging information technology to enhance public service delivery," concluded Sengky.
Last updated 21 November 2024
