TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Batam first class immigration office issued thousands of smart cards, containing passport data, for foreign citizens working in Batam. Irwanto Suhaily, the Chief section of B Unit at Batam Port, said that they issued 300 to 500 smart cards for immigrants.
"We issued more than 4,500 smart cards last year," he said. He later explained that the card functions as a passport for incoming foreigners, in order to help them ease the immigration procedure.
The users just simply have to insert their card into a card-reading machine, without having to hand in their passports. Irwanto said that the immigration office also planned to issue smart cards for Bintan and Karimun islands.
Moreover, he added that Batam Center Port recorded at least 4,000 immigrants coming in and out of the island within a month. "Sometimes the pages of their passports aren't enough for writing down all of their travel logs," he said. As for the smart card, users will only have to pay Rp1 million for the registration.
NUR ALFIYAH