Question about my passport after the interview

[Saihtiam 11]

Hey all,

 

I've got my embassy interview next week and I understand that if things go well (fingers crossed) the embassy will keep my passport and send it later via courier (something I have already registered for).

My question is this: Will the the embassy issue a receipt that they kept my passport? I ask because I live in a country where having my passport on me is important for ID purposes.

Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks

[Boiler 45,661]

I have never heard of this

 

What do people who do not have Passports do?

Edited February 1 by Boiler

[Vickys_Mom 230]

My mother-in-law did her interview in Jakarta late last year.

 

They did not *keep* her passport at the time of the interview.  They wanted to do administrative processing first.

 

When they were ready to issue her visa, they had us send them the passport through the courier service.  The courier service included a "bill of lading" that specified what documents were being provided.  The first thing was her passport.  She had a copy of the courier document that showed where her passport was until she got it back with the visa in it.

 

@Saihtiam why could you not use your Kartu Tanda Penduduk (KTP) for identification purposes while the embassy has your passport?  

 

Regards,
Vicky's Mom

[Saihtiam 11]

Thanks for sharing @Vickys_Mom - Unfortunately I do not have a KTP. I'm European so I don't think we are issued one. I was just curious in case they did keep it and I would need to prove that my passport is with the embassy it would be nice to have something in writing to confirm this.

[Boiler 45,661]

Make a copy

 

I suppose the foolproof route would be to get a second passport

[TexasRafael 134]

9 hours ago, Saihtiam said:

Hey all,

 

I've got my embassy interview next week and I understand that if things go well (fingers crossed) the embassy will keep my passport and send it later via courier (something I have already registered for).

My question is this: Will the the embassy issue a receipt that they kept my passport? I ask because I live in a country where having my passport on me is important for ID purposes.

Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks

Well, when my Fiance went to his interview in Jakarta in 2021 and he was told the K1 visa was approved, they kept his passport and he stayed in Jakarta, ( he lives in another city in Sumatera,) and they did not give a receipt.  He was not concerned.   Five days later he received the notice that the package was delivered to the pick up courier and he picked it up.  In 2023, as my spouse, the same thing happened, he went to the interview in Jakarta, his visa was approved, they kept his passport, no receipt given, and 5 days later he picked it up at the courier.  He stayed in Jakarta in a hotel for the time waiting and had no concerns.      

[pushbrk 12,974]

Keeping the passport is the norm.  Keep your interview letter to support any needed claim of where your passport is for a few days.

[top_secret 2,447]

7 hours ago, Saihtiam said:

Unfortunately I do not have a KTP. I'm European so I don't think we are issued one.

 

 

That is indeed a valid concern.  I have been asked for my passport many times at checkpoints in Indonesia.  Usually I had it on me,  a few time in Surabaya I was passed through with just a photocopy and US Drivers licence.  In Jakarta I was detained along with the poor taxi driver who was driving me for like an hour with the cops trying to shake me down before they got tired of it and let us go.  Your circumstances is unusual so I could not say what the embassy would do but I am sure they are aware of the issue in Indonesia and would be sympathetic.  Perhaps your own embassy could provide you with a temporary document?

[pushbrk 12,974]

9 minutes ago, top_secret said:

 

 

That is indeed a valid concern.  I have been asked for my passport many times at checkpoints in Indonesia.  Usually I had it on me,  a few time in Surabaya I was passed through with just a photocopy and US Drivers licence.  In Jakarta I was detained along with the poor taxi driver who was driving me for like an hour with the cops trying to shake me down before they got tired of it and let us go.  Your circumstances is unusual so I could not say what the embassy would do but I am sure they are aware of the issue in Indonesia and would be sympathetic.  Perhaps your own embassy could provide you with a temporary document?

It's a few days.  Avoid checkpoints in the meantime.  Putting a visa in a passport is not "instant".  It's printed on a special secure machine and glued permantly to a page.  Once the visa is approved, you'll be without your passport for a few days.

[top_secret 2,447]

1 minute ago, pushbrk said:

Avoid checkpoints in the meantime. 

 

Avoiding checkpoints in Jakarta is indeed a highly desirable endeavor but those guys can be tricky sometimes. 🙄  Stay in the hotel at night and your odds improve.

[pushbrk 12,974]

3 minutes ago, top_secret said:

 

Avoiding checkpoints in Jakarta is indeed a highly desirable endeavor but those guys can be tricky sometimes. 🙄  Stay in the hotel at night and your odds improve.

It's life.  Sometimes you just gotta do what you just gotta do.

 

[Saihtiam 11]

Thanks everyone for your help and your suggestions. It seems like I'll just have to be extra careful. I appreciate the quick response and I just want to say thank you again to everyone here on the forum for making this process so much easier. Very excited to do the interview!!!

[powerpuff 6,729]

Hijack post removed. Please stick to asking questions in your own thread.

 

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