CGK: new immigration "procedure" on arrival

[milehighj]

Just a heads up to you CGK regulars. Stepped off SQ958 at the E Concourse to an insane new pre-immigration arrival procedure.

From what I gather:

Indonesian nationals (and Saphire members? ) are guided along the central travellators to the original immigration counters.

All foreigners are now supposed to head off to the right and left sides to clear immigration at the newly installed side counters, near the old visa-on-arrival counters.

Again - from what I gather, cos none of this is very clear - those foreigners not requiring VOA head to the left side, and those requiring VOA head to the right.

Suffice to say it was a zoo for disembarking pax today. No signs, and of course the CGK regulars charged down to the original immigration counters, only for the foreigners to be told to back-track to the new counters.

And what would you know, there were 2 counters open on the left side to receive a full 773...


Caveat: This was at the E Concourse. Who knows if it's the same at the D Concourse where SQ usually parks??

[StarG]

I arrived at D concourse last Saturday.
Same situation. Foreigners no need to VOA, to the left. Indonesians & Saphire members, straight to old counters. Didn't see where VOA foreigners have to go.
I'm hoping with all the new counters they will actually have more people manning them.
Signages were so unclear (Saphire signage are still there above the NEW walkway for Non-VOA Foreigners), I confidently passed through the Non-VOA Foreigners counters unstopped , only to find that there is no Saphire gate anymore. So I had to get back into the Saphire line from near Saphire gate.

[SilverChris]

Don't know if this is some step taken by the authorities to improve the situation - it's not working

[UMD]

Don't know if this is some step taken by the authorities to improve the situation - it's not working

With proper signage and more people manning the booth, this should improve the immigration process because the number of booths now is now almost triple the number of booths before. But being Indonesia, sometimes new things are done in haste and with extremely poor planning.

If only CGK can be managed by Changi......

[YYZ]

The last time i passed through was late December, I believe the current procedure for visitors needing a VOA is just to go to the VOA counter where their passports are also stamped and then straight to baggage claim (passport now stamped there as opposed to the former procedure where the purpose of the VOA counter is just to purchase the VOA and one would have to line up at the foreigners immigration counters once more to get one's passport stamped). I could be wrong however and things may have already changed again of course .

Did anything change at all in regards to the sapphire gates? Will be passing through again in the beginning of February. Arrivals and departures with sapphire is actually very very painless, don't know how I managed before it . Travelling without baggage my record time getting into my car from when doors open is less than 3 minutes and I was walking in typical leisurely Indonesian fashion

[YYZ]

On another note, has anyone experienced the new supposedly more "stringent" customs procedure?

[milehighj]

On another note, has anyone experienced the new supposedly more "stringent" customs procedure?

No change there - so far. They are still only X-ray-ing the hand luggage.

[YYZ]

No change there - so far. They are still only X-ray-ing the hand luggage.

Good to know. There was a huge fuss going around near the end of 2010 saying that they're going to be more stringent this year towards "fining" returning Indonesians with goods purchased abroad whose value exceed the allowance.

[UMD]

Sorry to bump it up but the immigration areas in both Concourse D and E are now very much improved with the new VOA counters now in the expanded areas. The entire immigration areas have been expanded to both sides of the concourse.