Hints for Citizens

You & Your Family

Consider obtaining a mobile phone and ensure that the phone batteries are kept charged.
Keep sufficient funds on hand to meet likely contingencies in the event that banks are closed (eg. for the payment of household staff and the airport fiscal).
- We were advised by the Fiscal Section of the Directorate General of Taxes that the Fiscal (a tax that is mandatory for non NPWP/tax number card holder residents of Indonesia, including KITAS holders, prior to departing the country) is no longer applicable as of 1 January 2011. For further information, please visit the Directorate’s website at http://www.pajak.go.id/.
Keep photocopies of important documents such as passports, birth certificates, ID cards etc, handy so that you have some records in the event that those documents happen to be in the hands of local authorities at the time of an emergency. A small supply of passport photographs would also be helpful to have should a need for the issuance of an emergency travel document arises.
Ensure that all travel documents and/or visas are in order. If you or your dependents do not hold an Australian passport or valid entry documentation (visas) for Australia, please make arrangements to remedy this.
Always have adequate supplies of food and water on hand in the event that shops are closed and you are "housebound" for several days.
Ensure that your health/medical insurance is in order.
Keep adequate supplies of medicine and toiletries, particularly for young children and those who have on-going health problems.
Make a list of emergency contact numbers and keep it handy (copies by the phone, in the car, etc).
As a result of the current economic climate in Indonesia, incidences of theft are increasing. We recommend that you take common-sense precautions to guard against such theft, eg, be alert - don't wear a lot of jewellery or carry large amounts of cash when on the street. Keep your vehicles locked with the windows wound up at all times (take particular care when stopped at traffic lights) and be particularly cautious when travelling by taxi.

Your Home

Have contingency plans for the protection of your residences and property during a period of absence, and if necessary, make arrangements for the care of your pets.
Ensure that household staffs are briefed on the importance of the security of your residence (not to allow entry to anybody without your prior approval). Keep doors and gates locked at all times.
Check that you have adequate/relevant insurance coverage for your property. If you have not already prepared one, it might be useful to prepare an inventory of your household effects and their value for insurance purposes.
Ensure that your residence is equipped with standard safety appliances, such as fire extinguishers, blankets, alarms, and first-aid kit. Ensure that your household staffs are familiar on how to use those equipments, and communications equipment (use of phone/fax machines, mobile phones etc).
Ensure that you have a reliable radio with adequate battery supplies.

Your Vehicle

Ensure that your motor vehicle is maintained in good working order and the petrol tank is kept full.
Carry a first-aid kit in your vehicle.
Consider keeping a small supply of drinking water in the car.
Try to familiarise yourself with the local roads and possible alternate routes to the airport, hotels and key safe areas.
Have a reliable street map, especially of your own district.

What We Are Able To Do For You

Provide advice via our bulletin system to assist you to make your own informed decision on whether or not you should depart Indonesia in the event of an emergency. Should a further crisis develop where we were to issue an advice that Australians should leave the area, we would encourage you to act on such advice and make arrangements for yourself and any dependents to leave as soon as possible by commercial means. Citizens should not rely on the Government to provide RAAF or charter aircraft to assist with their departure from the country in the event of a crisis. This course of action would only be considered if other means of commercial transport were exhausted, at which time it would be a complicated and costly exercise.
Issue Australian citizens with an emergency travel document (of a limited validity) to assist you to depart Indonesia in the event that you do not have access to your passport. To assist us in issuing such a document it would be helpful if you are able to provide original, or at least copies of the following original documents, such as birth certificate, citizenship certificate, and other forms of identification. Keep in mind that it would also be helpful to keep a small supply of passport photos on hand.
During an evacuation situation, Embassy officers would be on hand at major points of departure to facilitate the boarding of charter flights. Please note that such flights would only be provided by the Government if commercial flights were unavailable.

What We Are Not Able To Do

Provide protection services at your residences or look after property and pets after your departure.
Collect you from your residence at a time of crisis. Please keep in mind that if you are not able to get out of a particular area, we might not be able to get to you.
Provide accommodation at the Embassy.
Provide detailed advice on all roads and areas of Jakarta/crisis area at any given time.
Arrange commercial airline bookings/hotel reservations on your behalf.

Transport

We would envisage that in most circumstances Australian citizens would make their own arrangements to travel to the airport. Should a security assessment be made and the situation warrants it, the Embassy would make every endeavor to facilitate transport from key holding areas in the city to the respective airport(s).