Introduction
First of all, I’m not Indonesian — I’m a foreigner who was asked by my Indonesian friend to help him apply for the SDUWHV as a step toward getting his Working Holiday Visa this year.
I’d like to thank Orange Surf School Bali for giving me the opportunity to share this experience here.
Sorry that this post isn’t about surfing — I just wanted to share my experience in case it helps others who are struggling with the same application process.
When I started looking for information about what documents were needed and how to apply, I realized that there wasn’t much detail — the only thing mentioned was that the file should be under 10 MB in size and in a specific format.
So in this post, I’ll share:
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What documents we actually submitted,
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What happened on the application days
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And some tips and tricks for connecting to a painfully slow server
Some parts might make local readers go “huh?”, but I hope this post will be helpful for anyone trying to figure out the process.
Documents We Prepared
The official page lists the required documents, but it can’t be accessed from outside Indonesia.
This link is from a private agent and not the official immigration site. Use it for orientation only
🔗 RACC: SDUWHV Information
The official details were quite minimal, so here’s what we actually uploaded, including file sizes:
| Document | Description | Format | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport ID Page | Scanned open page(ID info) | 182 KB | |
| Bank Statement / Written Statement / English Proficiency Certificate | Scanned individually | 250 KB | |
| Proof of Educational Qualification | Scanned in landscape format Original document was landscape |
PDF (horizontal) | 262 KB |
| Photo | Taken at a photo studio, white background, wearing a colored shirt (some countries don’t allow white shirts on white backgrounds for passport photos) | JPG | 175 KB (413×531 px) |
Slot Announcement
On October 1, Immigration announced via Instagram and Facebook that SDUWHV application slots would open at 9 AM on October 15.
Everyone started preparing intensely.
October 15: The Server Slowdown
When the page opened, it was completely inaccessible — even the buttons wouldn’t load.
People kept refreshing for hours, and finally, after about twelve exhausting hours, Immigration posted an update around 9 PM:
“The application will reopen on October 17 .”
After twelve hours of nonstop refreshing, the battle was finally over — at least for now.
It was such a relief to see an official announcement.
October 17: The Second Battle
Starting at 9 AM, the same issue happened — the site was unbearably slow.
Many applicants just kept refreshing the page, hoping to finally get through.
Tips for Connecting to an Overloaded Server
| Trick | How to Do It | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Cache & Cookies | Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + R or Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data |
Avoids reconnecting to expired sessions |
| Use Incognito Mode | Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N / Safari: “New Private Window” |
Starts with a clean session |
| Use Mobile Data Instead of Wi-Fi | Try 4G/5G or tethering | Bypasses cached DNS routes |
| Try a Different Browser | Chrome → Edge / Firefox / Opera (VPN OFF) | Sometimes lighter routes connect faster |
| Don’t Refresh | Wait 5–10 minutes — it might suddenly load | Too many reloads kick you out of the queue |
| Keep Two Tabs Open | Leave one idle, refresh the other | Keeps your session alive for a retry |
| Change DNS | Google DNS 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 |
May reduce lag or timeout |
| Check via DevTools | Chrome → F12 → Network tab | (pending) = waiting / 500 = server down |
What Happened That Evening
In the evening of October 17, some applicants suddenly received emails from Immigration.
The email said:
“Your application is in progress. Please reconnect within 15 minutes to continue.”
These messages seemed to have been sent to people whose applications had been interrupted midway.
There was no special link in the email, but when they accessed the server again, the page finally loaded properly.
Conclusion
From what I observed, as long as the server is alive, it’s first-come, first-served.
If your documents are ready, the visa seems to be issued quite quickly.
With thousands of applicants competing for only 5,000 slots, it’s understandable that the system struggles.
Still, I hope everyone gets an equal chance in the future.
If this article helps even one more applicant survive the next SDUWHV chaos, I’ll be happy.
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