Vaccinations and new health requirements for Indonesia due to Coronavirus pandemic

Introduction

If you plan to move to Indonesia or set up a business here, it is important to stay informed about the vaccinations you or your family will need. This article will discuss the mandatory and recommended vaccinations for Indonesia and the new health requirements due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and provide answers to the questions that often come up. Note that this article was not written by a medical professional. Please speak to a doctor or paediatrician for your medical needs, including vaccinations. 

Mandatory vaccinations

If you are coming from a country with a high risk of Yellow Fever transmission, a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required upon arrival in Indonesia. Failure to provide evidence at the immigration will result in you being denied entry. The list of the countries are as follows:

AFRICA – Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda. 

THE AMERICAS – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

If you give birth in Indonesia, all newborns must also take mandatory vaccinations. According to Minister of Health Regulation (Permenkes) No 12/2017 Article 6[i], the mandatory vaccinations are as following:

• Hepatitis B – the first dose of this vaccine will be given within 12 hours of birth at the hospital. Then 3 more doses (see chart). If the mother is HBsAg positive, the baby will receive HB immunoglobulin as well,
• Poliomyelitis – The first dose is usually given during a baby’s first medical exam, a few days after birth. Then again at 2, 3 and 4 months,
• Tuberculosis  – The BCG vaccine is given before 3 months of age. Many western countries have stopped giving this vaccine due to low rates of TB,
• DPT – Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus given at 6 weeks, with follow up doses at 2, 4 and 6 months. Then additional boosters at 12 years of age,
• Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV), to prevent pneumococcal infections caused by Haemophilus Influenza type b (Hib) that cause pneumonia, inflammation of the ear, and meningitis,
• Measles – or known as campak in Indonesian. Your child may receive the first dose at 9 months of age. A second dose at 18 months is not needed if MMR vaccine was administered earlier.

Concerns regarding Coronavirus

The world is racing for a vaccine to end the spread of Coronavirus or nCov-2019. However, no vaccine for Coronavirus has completed clinical trials to this date and therefore Indonesia currently prohibits all foreigners from entering Indonesia effective April 2, 2020 until further notice and international flights are currently on hold. According to the Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation (Permenkumham) No 11/2020[ii], this prohibition applies to all foreign nationals with six exceptions: 

• Foreigners who hold Indonesian Temporary Stay Permit (KITAS) or Permanent Stay Permit (KITAP);
• Foreigners who hold Indonesian Diplomatic Visa or Service Visa;
• Foreigners who hold Indonesian Diplomatic Stay Permit or Service Stay Permit;
• Medical, food and humanitarian aid support workers;
• The crew of means of transport;
• People whose travel is associated with essential work for national strategic projects such as infrastructure or constructions.

Foreign nationals who get an exception to enter the Indonesian Territory must provide the following requirements:

• A certificate of health (in English) issued by the local government’s health authority;
• Negative PCR or polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19 test result (valid for 7 days) or COVID-19 rapid test (valid for 3 days);
• Have stayed for 14 days in an area not affected by COVID-19 outbreak before entering Indonesia, evidenced by an immigration stamp or boarding pass;
• Statement of willingness to enter quarantine for 14 days in facilities provided the Indonesian Government;
• Fill out an electronic health awareness card (e-HAC) which is available via the e-HAC Indonesia mobile application or sinkarkes.kemkes.go.id/ehac.

The following exceptions apply for foreign nationals who are currently residing in Indonesia: 

• Foreigners who hold a Visitor Stay Permit (from B211/B212 Visas or Visa on Arrival, Visa Exemption) that has expired and /or cannot be extended will be granted an Emergency Stay Permit free of charge automatically by the system without applying to the Immigration Office.
• Foreigners who hold a Temporary Stay Permit or Permanent Stay Permit which has expired and/or cannot be extended, their stay permit will be deferred and granted an Emergency Stay Permit automatically by the system free of charge without applying to the Immigration Office.

Recommended vaccinations

Besides the mandatory vaccinations, the IDAI (Indonesian Paediatric Society) recommends the following for foreigners visiting Indonesia:

• MR / MMR vaccine, to prevent measles, rubella and mumps;
• Rotavirus vaccine, to protect children from gastroenteritis that causes diarrhoea;
• Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines, to reduce the risk of hepatitis A and typhoid fever;
• Varicella vaccine, to prevent varicella-zoster virus infection that causes chickenpox;
• Influenza vaccine, to provide protection against ARI due to flu;
• HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine, as prevention against cervical cancer;
• Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine, to prevent Japanese encephalitis virus infection that causes inflammation of the brain.

Obtaining vaccinations in Indonesia

If you are already residing in Indonesia and wish to get vaccinated, the mandatory vaccinations are available for free to all national health insurance (BPJS) participants. Your local primary care facility (Faskes 1) stated on your BPJS card or app will provide you with the vaccinations. Expats with work permits and KITAS are eligible for BPJS. For the non-mandatory vaccines or if you have private health insurance, you should notify your doctor or paediatrician beforehand and expect to pay between $20 – $100 depending on the type and number of vaccines. Foreigners can also receive vaccinations at any hospital in Indonesia.

Conclusion

We hope you find this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions and require additional information regarding work permit and company incorporation in Indonesia, or simply have feedback on the content of this article, do not hesitate to get in touch with us via email at anita@permitindo.com or by filling out this form here.

References

[i] Minister of Health Regulation (Permenkes) No 12, Year 2017
[ii] Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation (Permenkumham) No 11, Year 2020
[iii] https://www.thejakartapost.com/adv/2020/04/21/ri-denies-entry-to-239-foreigners-during-covid-19-pandemic.html, published on 21 April, 2020.

Photo by Daniel Schludi

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