If you plan to incorporate a company in Indonesia, understanding the market and local culture while testing the demand for your business is important for business success. As such, many foreigners have adopted setting up a representative office in Indonesia as a key first step towards the incorporation of a foreign-owned company (PT PMA).
Representative offices are typically established to help you better understand the Indonesian market, become more familiar with potential clients in Indonesia, locate suitable distributors and commercial partners, and advertise the products or services offered.
Types of Representative Offices in Indonesia
There are a total of four different types of representative offices which exist in Indonesia.
- General representative office of a foreign company (KPPA)
- Representative office of a foreign trading company (KP3A)
- Representative office of a foreign construction service company (BUJKA)
- Representative office of a foreign oil and gas company (KPPA MIGAS)
KPPAs
Also, KPPA is a general representative office of a foreign company incorporated without the need to make a significant capital investment.
Although, an application must be submitted to the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). A director or management of the associated overseas company must submit such an application. It is also feasible to hire a lawyer to help you with this. KPPAs will be housed in provincial capital city office buildings with a license that has a three-year validity period which can be extended indefinitely.
KP3As
KP3AS are established to promote the products of their affiliated foreign companies in Indonesia, however, they are not allowed to engage in any form of trading and sales activities. A KP3AS can be opened anywhere in Indonesia, the license needed consists of 3 variations of SIUP3A:
- Temporary SIUP3A (2 months)
- Head Office SIUP3A (1 year)
- Branch Office SIUP3A and SIUP3A extension (3 years)
*Unless specified otherwise
BUJKAs
Also, only foreign construction businesses with a B or B2 business certification are permitted to establish BUJKAs. Moreover, in Indonesia, BUJKAs are permitted to carry out specific construction projects. You can only do so if you are working with a local construction company (BUJK). BUJKAs can also undertake market research and communicate with other businesses and organisations.
Other responsibilities that a BUJKA may accomplish include the procurement of building services and the hiring of staff members for office administration. The Ministry of Public Works must receive all essential petitions and papers about the establishment of a BUJKA.
KPPA MIGAS
Any international oil or gas business can establish a KPPA MIGAS. It will serve as the company’s permanent base of operations in Indonesia. A KPPA MIGAS and a KPPA have some characteristics.
One of these parallels is regulation: a KPPA MIGAS is regulated in the same way as a KPPA is regulated. A recommendation letter from the Ministry of Oil and Gas is required before establishing a KPPA MIGAS.
The BKPM will accept applications to establish a KPPA MIGAS. The permit for a KPPA MIGAS is valid for three years and can be renewed if necessary. A KPPA MIGAS does not have to be installed in any specific location.
Required Documents for the Setup of a Representative Office
Before you set up a representative office in Indonesia, certain documents must already have been prepared. Basically, these documents include:
Company Documents
- Article of Association from the holding/ parent company with the Board of Director structure, shareholder, registered address, and business field
- Letter of Appointment (LoA) signed & sealed by the director of the holding/ parent company
- Letter of Statement (LoS) from the proposed Chief Representative Officer (CRO) that they accept the position as CRO, signed & sealed with stamp duty (Material 6000) if the letter is signed in Indonesia
- Letter of Intent (LoI) signed & sealed by the holding/ parent company
- Letter of Reference (LoR)
- Original building domicile/statement from the building management
- Building & land tax receipt (PBB) including the payment approval of the current year
- IMB or certificate of ownership if the building is owned
- Statement for lease (if any)
- Min. 3 office photos – reception, signage of company & office room with business activity
- Statement of domicile issued by the company & acknowledged by the building management
- Company letterhead & copy or sample design of the company stamp
Chief Representative Officer Documents
- Foreigner: Copy of coloured passport with a min. 18-month validity and 4 blank pages
- Local: ID card (KTP & Taxpayer Identity Number)
- Family card (KK)
- Indonesia visa stamp
- Residence of hotel or apartment domicile letter for the CRO
- Recent passport-sized photo with a red background
NOTE: Edited photos are not accepted!
*Unless specified otherwise
Alternative Business Entities for Incorporation in Indonesia
Beyond representative offices in Indonesia, there are different types of business entities that you can incorporate, especially if you would like to gain revenue from your operations. The most common types of companies include a local PT company and a PT PMA c
1. Local PT Company
A local PT (Perseroan Terbatas) company is also known as a limited liability company. Besides, only local entrepreneurs and investors are allowed to incorporate this entity. Hence, there are 3 categories under a local PT company:
- Small-scale business
- Medium-scale business
- Large-scale business
2. PT PMA Company
However, PT PMA (Penanaman Modal Asing) company is a wholly or partially owned limited liability company and is governed by the Foreign Capital Investment Law. Also, this means that foreign investors may not be eligible to incorporate a company in selected sectors under the Positive Investment List.
Incorporating a company in Indonesia can be difficult if you do not understand their local language. Reach out to us for reliable incorporation services so you can scale your business to success.
FAQs
Sebagian besar perusahaan di Indonesia dikenakan pajak sebesar 25%. Namun, perusahaan yang memiliki setidaknya 40% sahamnya tersedia untuk publik dan tercatat di Bursa Efek Indonesia dikenakan pajak sebesar 20%.
Pemerintah Indonesia telah mengambil langkah-langkah untuk menurunkan tingkat pengangguran yang ada di negara ini. Untuk alasan ini, pembatasan tertentu pada pekerja asing telah diberlakukan. Salah satu pembatasan tersebut berkaitan dengan pekerja asing di kantor perwakilan.
Kantor Perwakilan (RO) pada dasarnya adalah kantor administrasi sementara yang didirikan sebagai penghubung untuk mengoordinasikan dan mengelola kegiatan non-komersial, untuk perusahaan asing. RO tidak memiliki status hukum dan bukan merupakan badan hukum yang terpisah dari perusahaan induknya
KITAS adalah izin yang memungkinkan pemegangnya untuk tinggal di Indonesia untuk waktu yang lama. Orang asing yang berencana bekerja di Indonesia akan memerlukan KITAS. Ada empat jenis KITAS yang ada di Indonesia: KITAS yang disponsori oleh entitas Indonesia, KITAS yang disponsori oleh pasangan Indonesia, KITAS pensiun, dan KITAS tanggungan. Jenis yang dibutuhkan akan tergantung pada kebutuhan dan status pemohon.