Police Report Certificate (STM) No Longer Required for Most Foreign Workers

TILP - Issue 1, June 2025

In a notable change to Indonesia’s immigration and employment compliance rules, following the enactment of Police Regulation No. 3 of 2025 on Police Functional Oversight of Foreign Nationals (“Police Regulation”), as of 10 March 2025, the Indonesian National Police will only require the Report Certificate (Surat Tanda Melapor – “STM”) for foreigners visiting Indonesia for journalism or research purposes in designated zones.

This new regulation means the police will no longer issue the STM for foreign employees working outside journalism or research.

What’s New

Previously, employers in Indonesia were required to ensure that all foreign workers under their sponsorship obtained an STM from the local police. However, under the new Police Regulation, STM issuance is now limited to specific lines of work, namely for foreign nationals conducting journalistic or research activities in designated areas, and is no longer part of the general administrative requirements for foreign workers residing in Indonesia.

Article 5 of the Police Regulation states that the issuance of police clearance documents is now restricted to foreign nationals involved in journalism or research in designated zones, and upon request from their sponsor (penjamin).

In practice, local police stations no longer accept STM applications from foreign workers who fall outside of the abovementioned categories.

Our View on Compliance and Impact for Employers

As a result of this regulatory change, employers are no longer required to obtain or submit an STM as part of the documentation process for employing foreign workers. The removal of this administrative requirement simplifies onboarding procedures and reduces the compliance burden for companies sponsoring foreign employees, particularly those with frequent expatriate assignments.

For employers who previously made the STM a precondition for local registration or internal HR processing, this shift may require updates to internal SOPs to avoid unnecessary requests to expatriates and ensure alignment with the new rules.

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If you have any questions, please contact:

1. Rudy Andreas Sitorus, Partner - rudy.sitorus@makarim.com
2. Golden Mandala, Associate - golden.mandala@makarim.com
3. Bhawika Tanggwa Prabhuttama, Associate - bhawika.prabhuttama@makarim.com

_{The Indonesian Legal Perspective by M&T is a digital publication prepared by the Indonesian law firm, Makarim & Taira S. It informs generally on the topics covered and should not be treated as legal advice or relied upon when making investment or business decisions. Should you have any questions on any matter contained in this article, or other comments in general, please contact us at the emails provided at the end of this article.}