License to Drive

Jakarta traffic is chaotic to put it mildly. We've gone almost two years here without ever really needing a car. Sure, we thought, it would be nice to be able to hop in the car and drive to a store or out to eat, but the costs greatly outweighed the benefits. But recently a friend had to leave without her car because it's still awaiting a bunch of Indonesian red tape to transfer the title from when she bought it back in July. So we're holding onto it for her.

I figured I should get a license if I was going to be driving regularly, so I joined a group of people from the embassy to go to the local equivalent of the DMV. But this is Indonesia. Jakarta has one place for all 10 plus million people to get their driver licenses.

When you enter the building, there's a giant map on the wall that explains the simple 10 steps to getting your license.

Step 1: Eye exam - wait in line to pay the fee and fill out the form for the eye exam (an entrepreneurial old woman is selling pencils seeing as they're not provided). Wait in second line for actual eye exam.

Step 2: Forms - Pay second fee for obtaining the necessary forms. Fill out these forms.

Step 3: Data entry - take the forms to another room to have your information entered in the computer.

Step 4: Fee - Pay third fee (I think this was the fee for our photo and actual card).

Steps 5-8: Learn to drive - we got to skip driving school and video game driving test.

Step 9: Photo and thumbprint - we entered a small room with around 10 other people to wait to have our photos taken, thumbprints scanned and to sign the electronic reader.

Step 10: Driver License - the cards were ready after only an additional waiting time of one more hour!

So after 3 hours at the DMV in a building with no air conditioning, I'm now legally allowed to drive! Next step - mastering driving with hundreds of motorcycles darting out from every direction while people wheel food carts down the middle of major streets.