Right, it's been a month since I last post anything. Partly because I lack the motivation, and partly because 'real life' needs me (as in, I finally bought a Nint*ndo Sw*tch and got hooked playing ACNH ( ͡❛ ₃ ͡❛)).
Jika Anda membutuhkan versi Bahasa Indonesia, silahkan klik link ini: https://preludetoindonesia.wixsite.com/english/post/perjuangan-memperpanjang-sim-di-tunjungan-plaza-sim-corner
Anyway, today's post will be about my journey and struggle to extend my driving license. Admittedly, I call this a journey because I've been looking for information since September (AKA last month) but never could I find a complete and official information from the police. Other people's blogs help, though, and I finally succeed in extending my driving license before it expires.
If you don't already know, I live in Indonesia, and more specifically in Surabaya, which is said to be the second largest city in Indonesia after our current capital city, Jakarta. As a city, Surabaya can be said to be advanced and modern. We recently even have a bus service that could take you around the city with mineral water plastic bottles as the payment! We don't have a thorough local train system yet though.
Anyway, our current mayor works very hard on maintaining the order in the city. I dare say none of Surabaya people have the heart to upset her, as we all know how much care she has for our city.
Unfortunately, the system in regard of our driving license in Surabaya is confusing. Here, the police has the authority to publish a new driving license and also to extend said driving license. The bad part is, people has no way to easily access the information needed to do this. But before going further into that, I'll first explain about the driving license, or what we call as SIM (Surat Izin Mengemudi), in Indonesia.
In general, there are 3 types of driving license: A, B, and C; A is for cars, B is for trucks and other heavy vehicles, while C is for motorcycles. They are further divided into the private one or the public one. The difference is that the public one is used by public transport drivers, such as taxi drivers or bus drivers, and their SIM has the word 'umum' on it. Public transport in Indonesia can be identified by their yellow license plate, whereas the private vehicles use black license plate. I think the public SIM can also be further divided into categories, but I'm not privy of the details as I'm not in that industry.
Anyway, the SIM, at least for the private SIM A and SIM C, can be made once the person reached 17 years of age and has an ID card, which we call KTP (Kartu Tanda Penduduk). In Surabaya, when we want to make our first driving license, we have to go to the central office of driving license administration which we call Colombo, located at Jalan Ikan Kerapu No. 2-4. There, we will be tested in both our theoretical and practical capabilities.
The driving license has a valid term of 5 years, which means every 5 years we have to extend our driving license. Before, the driving license expiry date is always the date of our birthday. Now though, at least per today, 28 October 2020, the expiry date is the same as the date when we extend our driving license. The license, which is in the shape of a card, has a change of look around last year. Last year, also, there is a new requirement to be fulfilled when we want to extend our SIM.
Right, I'll start explaining about the requirements and procedure. Please heed the disclaimers below while reading.
Disclaimer 1: This is not an official information, but rather what i have done and experience myself when I extend my SIM on 27 October 2020. I can guarantee these information are correct as of that date.
Disclaimer 2: I did this in Tunjungan Plaza's SIM Corner, so what I'll write is mostly about the one done there.
Disclaimer 3: No pics, sorry. I was too stressed and was of no mind to take pictures I no longer need (considering in 5 years time it might even change completely).
Disclaimer 4: This guide is for my fellow Surabaya people. For those who come from another city or even another country, this guide might not help you that much. As far as I know, during COVID-19, if you are from another city then you can extend yours at the Taman Bungkul one, which is open specifically for those from another city. If you're a foreigner, I'm pretty sure the requirements are kinda different and I honestly don't know where you should extend yours.
Now, as I've said before, the central office is at Colombo. However, there are other places where we can extend our SIM; you still need to go to Colombo to MAKE your SIM, but as long as it's only extending it, you can do it at some other places, such as at JatimExpo, Siola, BG Junction Mall, and Tunjungan Plaza (TP). The downside is that only at Colombo can you extend your SIM 2 weeks before it died. At TP, Siola, and BG Junction (I think), you can only extend your SIM when it is already 7 days before the expiry date, whilst JatimExpo only serve those whose SIM died either today or tomorrow. If your SIM died for even 1 day, you have to make a new one (it does not count as extending but rather making a new one).
This time, I extend mine at Tunjungan Plaza, mostly because 1) I am familiar with the layout of TP, and 2) A friend of mine extend hers a few months ago at TP so she can give me some pointers of what I should do. The place to extend your SIM at TP is located at the corner of the lowest floor of TP 1, near B*rger K*ng, and it opens every Monday-Saturday at 11 AM - 7 PM and on Sundays at 11 AM - 2.30 PM.
The requirements to extend one's SIM are:
- 2 photocopies of your old SIM (plus 1 more for psychology test),
- 2 photocopies of your ID Card (KTP) (plus 1 more for psychology test),
- Your old SIM,
- Certificate of health (surat keterangan sehat),
- Certificate of successfully passing the psychology test (surat lulus tes kesehatan rohani), and
- Money to pay the fee (IDR75.000 for SIM C and IDR80.000 for SIM A (the poster outside says it's IDR85.000 for SIM A but I was only asked to pay IDR80.000, so I dunno either).
*Note that if you want to extend both SIM A and SIM C then you need 2 of each certificates.
For the certificate of health or surat keterangan sehat, you can get it from your local clinic or Puskesmas at around IDR5.000 - IDR20.000. Alternatively, you can also get it at TP, specifically at the lowest floor of TP 2 (I don't know the price though, sorry). This certificate of health is only valid for 1-3 days, though, so it is better to get it on the day of extending your SIM or at least the day before.
And as for the certificate of successfully passing the psychology test or surat lulus tes kesehatan rohani, you can get it at the places where one can extend their SIM. For example, the one in TP is located at TP 2, right beside the one where you can get the certificate of health from. Testing for this psychology certificate entails preparing another photocopy of both your old SIM and your ID card, paying the fee of IDR50.000 (or IDR75.000 if you extend both SIM A and SIM C), and answering 15 Yes-No questions OBJECTIVELY (so the answer is not according to your actual condition but rather the on the condition of a person that is perfectly healthy to drive). I personally think the test questions are strange (who cares whether I have diarrhea once or more per month, or if I often got headaches thinking about my financial situation). This certificate is valid for 7 days.
There might be a queue at both places, but they move forward quite fast as a test will only take 10-15 minutes. So just queue as soon as you get there, as even though they only opened at 11 now (because the mall itself opens at 11 AM nowadays due to COVID-19), there will already be a queue.
Actually, that's it for the requirements. Seems few and easy to achieve right? Well, yes and no.
To extend your SIM at TP, there is an additional step you might have and want to take, like a hidden quest. There are two types of applicants the TP one handled each day: the ones whose SIM died that day, and the ones who have the queue number ticket. But as my SIM died right on my birthday, I don't see the appeal in spending my birthday queuing alone in a mall in the middle of COVID-19. Plus, the 29th is a national holiday (and I'm so glad I went there yesterday as I only learned then that they'll close on the 29th and 30th, whilst it was still unclear whether they would open or not on the 28th (perhaps that's why the queue was so long that day)). So obviously I choose to be the second type of applicant.
However, there is a lack of information about it on the internet. I even asked the police but they never reply, much less answer my questions. This is where my friend and other people's blogs came in. From what I can gather, there is a distribution of queue number ticket in front of TP 1 at 06.30 AM. However, the information on the photo said the distribution happens every Monday and Thursday, but some people said it happens every day.
Frustrated, I decided to go to TP myself on Saturday, 24th of October, 2020. When I went there and ask the staff, they said that the distribution of those tickets happens every Monday and Thursday at 06.30 AM in front of TP 1. On Monday, the tickets for Monday until Wednesday are distributed, whilst on Thursday the distributed tickets will be valid for Thursday until Sunday. But as Thursday (29th) is a national holiday, they will be closed so it is better if I get the ticket next Monday. They will open again on the 31st, when my SIM has died, so I say thanks and went on my way.
...to get myself the certificate of successfully passing the psychology test (surat lulus tes kesehatan rohani). There's a queue when I got there, but it's not long before I got in and got the certificate. The place is quite small, though, and I don't think it's ideal to be that close to another person during this time.
Fast forward to the next Monday, 26th of October 2020, I woke up really early for the first time since COVID-19 and went on my way to TP. I arrive at the McD*nalds opposite TP 1 at around 6.20 AM and 'borrowed' their still empty parking lot (I bought something from them later, okay, I'm not completely freeloading) before crossing the street to reach TP 1 (there is a crossing bridge near there). When I arrived, however, the queue already reached 2 lines. Because of COVID-19, they limit the number of applicant to 100 per day (50 for Sunday), and I instantly know that I would get the number for the 27th as there are more than 100 but less than 200 people in front of me.
At 06.27 AM (according to my phone clock), they started distributing the ticket. To get the ticket, you have to show a real SIM and ID Card (KTP) and not just a photocopy of both. I got mine before 7 AM and went home (merrily eating some McD*nalds hash brown).
The ticket itself is a printed ticket with the date of arrival, time, and also number. But don't be fooled. The only thing that ticket is beneficial to you for is only showing the date when you can extend your SIM. The time doesn't matter, and the number also doesn't. I think the number only exist for the police to track the applicant limit of the day. For us, the applicants, it has no function, as the process of actually extending our SIM is held on a first-come-first-serve basis.
And so the next day, on Tuesday, 27th of October 2020, I went to TP after taking a quick detour to a clinic near my house to get my certificate of health. I reached TP a bit past 11 AM and reached the SIM Corner at 11.15 AM. At that time, there is already a queue and there are around 12 people in front of me. Luckily, the officer in batik shirt who distributed the application form was still outside (at the end of the queue and not yet inside to office) and thus I got the application form and the last available seat of the queue.
When giving me the form, the officer asked about my requirements and I said that mine are complete. I also showed him my queue ticket before he gave me the form. Oddly, after that, he went in and didn't come back out. The person who queue right behind me even went inside to ask for a form but was told to just queue without being given a form.
So I fill my application form and wait.
Oh, and I recommend you to bring your own pen and writing pad of some sort, like a clipboard, because the queue doesn't have tables and if you went out of the queue to fill it at the available table then you might loose your spot (except if you went there with someone who can temporarily guard your place).
I think they started at around 11.30 or 11.45, as the queue was not moving at all before that. As the queue starts to move, one person at a time, people who were waiting traded stories of their journey in extending their SIM. One person said that she came to TP from JatimExpo as her SIM died in 2 days still (remember JatimExpo only served those whose SIM died on that day or the next day). Another switch with his son so he can take the psychology test. A live cockroach made itself present from the crevices of the building (*shudders*). Anyway, the queue moves slowly but thankfully still moving. Sometimes it stops for a longer time before picking up again.
At last I got into the office at around 12.30 PM. At the first counter, I gave the officer all the requirements along with my application form and my queue ticket. At that counter too I pay the fee. As I am extending my SIM A (I don't have a SIM C), I pay IDR80.000. To be honest, I was confused because the poster outside says the fee for extending SIM A is IDR85.000, but I won't complain when it's cheaper than I prepared for. He will also ask for your blood type and I think he asked something else but I don't remember (my memory of yesterday is already hazy...).
Afterwards, he gave me back the documents and I gave it to the officer at the left-most table in the inner part of the room. I then sat down inside to wait for my name to be called. After waiting a bit, I was called and headed to the middle table. From the waiting room, this table is blocked with a clothed partition which doubles as a background for the photo. The officer then reconfirm my identity and data before taking my photo (a bit crooked, but I personally hope my SIM never has to leave my wallet so I don't really care) and asking me to sign into the machine (I don't know what's it called). Of course, when taking your picture, you have to take off your mask for a bit.
After all that, I waited for a bit longer, probably around 5 minutes, before my new SIM completed and I get to go back home with it secure in my wallet.
Yayy for me~
However, this tale doesn't end there.
Remember how I said the person after me was not given an application form? Turns out after I got into the office, the process was stopped for a few minutes (around 20-25 minutes I think) before the officers started distributing the application forms again. However, one of the officers told his friend to process the ones with queue number tickets first. As such, only during this second distribution of application form did the officers told them that people whose requirements aren't complete yet and people whose SIM expired that day (and thus don't have a queue ticket) have to get out of the line and either completed the requirements first or came back later after those with queue tickets have finished.
Imagine if you're already on the, like, first or second on the queue and they suddenly said that you should go queue again later on that day. If there is a written information about this kind of process and standard, I wish the police would show them somewhere easily accessible by the general mass....
Anyway, that is my tale of extending my driving license in Tunjungan Plaza. The conclusion is:
The SIM Corner at Tunjungan Plaza is located at TP 1 and opens everyday (Monday-Saturday at 11 AM - 7 PM and on Sundays at 11 AM - 2.30 PM).
If you want to extend your SIM in just one day, I recommend going to TP at 11 AM on the day your SIM expires then check the queue for the SIM Corner. If the queue is short, try asking for an application form and if you can get it, fill it while queuing for the psychology test and health test (if you have not done it yet outside), before going straight back to the SIM Corner. However, if the queue at the SIM Corner is already long or if it seems like that day the queue will be long, I recommend you to leisurely take your time getting your tests done before checking in again on the SIM Corner periodically. If the queue is thin or non-existence, then by all means proceed to queue (it must be your lucky day!).
Another way to extend your SIM in just one day is by queuing from early morning (6 AM should be enough) on a Monday or Thursday in front of TP 1 to get the queue number ticket for that day (don't forget to bring the real SIM and ID Card (KTP)), go to a clinic or Puskesmas to get your certificate of health, then once the mall opens straight up go to take your psychology test before queuing at the SIM Corner. Preferably, you can go there with someone else who can guard your spot in the SIM Corner queue while you do your psychology test. The officer who distributed the application form only ask whether your requirements are complete or not and whether you have a queue ticket or not (they don't ask you to show them any of your documents at this point of time, and they don't ask for your ID either).
What you need to bring when extending your SIM if you have not done the psychology test yet: 3 photocopies of your old SIM, 3 photocopies of your ID Card (KTP), your old SIM, certificate of health, money (IDR75.000 for SIM C or IDR85.000 for SIM A plus IDR50.000 for the psychology test), pen, and writing pad. Don't forget to do the psychology test first!
Stay patient and level-headed, else you're going to end up exhausted which might make your immunity to drop.
That's all I can think of as of now. If you have a question I might be able to answer, feel free to mail me, though, once again, I'm not an official source (and, frankly, I think the police sometimes change up the looser procedure according to their own want...).
Thanks for reading! Hopefully this information can help you successfully extend your driving license (>‿◠)
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