Setting up a consulting company in Jakarta starts with defining exactly what advice or professional service the company will sell. Indonesia does not treat every business using the word ‘consulting’ as one licensing category, so selecting the company structure before defining the service can create the wrong KBLI and the wrong OSS path.
Indonesia’s current risk-based licensing framework is Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025, which is in force from 5 June 2025 and revoked Government Regulation No. 5 of 2021.
Consulting Company Setup Jakarta: Start With the Service, Not the Company Name
Before the notary prepares the PT documents, write a plain-English description of what clients will actually buy.
For example:
- management strategy and organizational advice
- industrial management consulting
- IT or computer consulting
- tax or accounting advice
- engineering consulting
- HR or executive-search services
- tourism consulting
- education consulting
- legal advisory services
These activities should not automatically be grouped under one generic consulting code.
The current OSS management-consulting classification covers advice, guidance and operational assistance on strategy, organization, finance-related decisions, marketing policy, human resources and production planning.
The same OSS classification expressly excludes software-system design, legal services, accounting and tax consulting, architecture and engineering, advertising, market research, executive search and education consulting.
The practical lesson is simple: choose the KBLI from the service deliverable, not from the word ‘consultant’ on the business card.
Management Consulting Is Not Every Type of Consulting
A company advising executives on strategy, organization, operating efficiency or management processes may fit within the management-consulting family. A company designing computer systems, issuing legal advice or providing engineering analysis belongs in a different classification family.
This distinction can affect more than the NIB description. A different professional activity may carry different sector rules, certifications, ownership conditions or PB UMKU.
When the business will provide several advisory services, map each revenue-generating activity separately. Do not add a broad list of unrelated KBLI codes simply because the founders might pursue those services later.
A useful test is to ask three questions for every service line:
- What exact deliverable will appear on the client invoice?
- Which professional expertise produces that deliverable?
- Does OSS place that service inside management consulting or another regulated activity?
This produces a licensing structure that is easier to defend and maintain as the business grows.
Check the KBLI 2025 Conversion Before Incorporation
Consulting founders should also be careful with older incorporation guides because Indonesia’s classification system is transitioning to KBLI 2025.
Because classification is changing, founders should also note that OSS currently shows KBLI 70209 as split into multiple KBLI 2025 codes, so an old incorporation checklist should not be copied without checking the live OSS conversion.
For example, the official OSS conversion record for industrial management consulting states that former KBLI 70204 converts one-to-one to KBLI 2025 code 70202.
The correct workflow is therefore to identify the business activity first, then confirm the current code and conversion inside OSS immediately before incorporation and licensing.
Do not assume that a five-digit code used by another consulting company several years ago is still the correct code for a new company in 2026.
Choose PT PMDN or PT PMA
Once the service classification is clear, decide who will own the company.
A consulting company owned within the domestic investment framework can be established as a PT PMDN where the ownership and other facts support that structure. A company with foreign investment is generally structured through the PT PMA framework and must also satisfy the investment rules applying to the selected activity.
The underlying company-law framework remains Law No. 40 of 2007 on Limited Liability Companies, which the official database lists as in force subject to subsequent amendments.
For the company-formation layer, the official legislation database lists Minister of Law Regulation No. 49 of 2025 as in force and replacing the former Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation No. 21 of 2021.
The ownership decision should be made before finalizing the company deed because it affects the investment and OSS planning that follows.
PT PMA Investment Planning for Consulting Businesses
Foreign founders need an additional investment review before treating a consulting company as a simple low-overhead professional-services business.
For foreign investors, Article 26 of Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry/Head of BKPM Regulation No. 5 of 2025 categorizes PMA businesses as large businesses and generally requires total investment greater than IDR 10 billion, excluding land and buildings, per five-digit KBLI per project location, subject to the regulation’s stated exceptions.
The BKPM legal database lists Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry/Head of BKPM Regulation No. 5 of 2025 as in force and records that it repealed BKPM Regulations Nos. 3, 4 and 5 of 2021.
This rule is especially important for consulting businesses because the company’s physical operating costs may be modest, while the statutory investment plan can still be governed by the PMA framework.
Foreign investors should also test the chosen consulting activity against the current investment-field framework because Presidential Regulation No. 49 of 2021 remains officially listed as in force.
Do not assume that every activity containing the word ‘consulting’ has the same foreign-ownership position. Check the exact current KBLI against the applicable investment-field rules before finalizing the shareholding structure.
Form the Company Under the Current PT Rules
After the owners, service scope and proposed KBLI are aligned, the incorporation documents can be prepared around the business the company will actually conduct.
The practical setup file should include the proposed company name, shareholders, directors and commissioners, capital information, registered address and the activities to be stated in the company’s purposes and objectives.
The goal is alignment. The deed should not describe one business while OSS later registers an unrelated set of consulting activities.
If the company expects to add a materially different service later—such as engineering, tax consulting or software development—review that activity separately before inserting it merely as an optional future code.
Complete NIB and OSS Licensing
Company incorporation and business licensing are separate stages.
After the PT is established, the business proceeds through OSS using the current activity classification and project information. The applicable risk-based licensing output should be read from the actual activity rather than assumed from another consulting firm’s NIB.
Jakarta Legal ID’s NIB and OSS registration guide provides broader context on this stage of Indonesian company licensing.
For an ordinary advisory business, the compliance review should at minimum confirm:
- the current KBLI for every active service line
- business location information
- NIB issuance
- the licensing output generated for the selected activity
- any PB UMKU or sector-specific requirement shown in OSS
- foreign investment conditions where the company is a PT PMA
Do not treat NIB issuance as permission to provide professional services that fall outside the registered or otherwise regulated activity.
Build the Operating Model Around the Licensed Scope
The final setup step is to make the commercial documents match the licensing structure.
Review the website, proposals, invoices and consulting agreements before launch. If the company is licensed for management consulting, the marketing copy and client deliverables should not quietly evolve into regulated legal, tax, engineering or another professional service without a new compliance review.
The registered address also needs to work for the actual business model. An asset-light advisory company may have very different premises requirements from an industrial consultancy that regularly operates from project or technical sites.
For a consulting business, scope discipline is often more important than physical infrastructure. The founders should know exactly which services belong inside the company and which services require another KBLI, professional qualification or regulated provider.
Consulting Company Setup Checklist
The following table is designed to catch classification and structure problems before the company starts invoicing clients.
| Setup item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Consulting deliverable | Describe exactly what clients will buy |
| KBLI | Use the current OSS classification and conversion data |
| Excluded professional services | Confirm the service is not actually legal, tax, accounting, engineering, IT or another separately classified activity |
| Ownership | Decide whether the company is PT PMDN or PT PMA |
| Foreign investment | Check current investment-field conditions for the selected KBLI |
| PMA investment plan | Apply the current Article 26 investment rule where relevant |
| PT documents | Align deed activities with the actual consulting scope |
| Company address | Use a location that works for registration and the operating model |
| NIB | Obtain it through OSS for the correct company and activity |
| Risk-based licence | Review the actual OSS output instead of assuming the requirement |
| PB UMKU | Check supporting licences generated for the activity |
| Client documents | Align proposals, contracts and invoices with the licensed service scope |
The implication is that consulting-company formation should be designed from the service outward. When the KBLI, ownership structure, deed, OSS record and client contracts all describe the same business, the company starts with a much cleaner compliance position.
For founders who need implementation support, Jakarta Legal ID currently lists PT PMDN/PMA setup, NIB OSS and business licensing among its services.
Conclusion
A consulting company setup in Jakarta should begin with service classification, not incorporation paperwork. Determine what the company will actually advise clients about, confirm the current KBLI in OSS and separate management consulting from professional services that belong in different classifications.
Then choose the appropriate PT PMDN or PT PMA structure. Foreign investors should review both the investment-field position of the selected activity and the current PMA investment-value rules before finalizing ownership and capital planning.
Only after those decisions are aligned should the company move through incorporation and OSS licensing. The most reliable setup is the one in which the deed, KBLI, ownership structure, NIB and client-facing service scope all describe the same consulting business.
Set the Consulting Scope Before Filing the Company
If you are preparing a PT PMDN or PT PMA consulting company in Jakarta, Jakarta Legal ID provides company setup, NIB OSS and business licensing services within its current service scope.
Request a consultation to review the proposed consulting activities, ownership structure and current KBLI before the incorporation and OSS filings are finalized.
FAQ – Consulting Company Setup Jakarta
What KBLI should a management consulting company use?
The correct code depends on the exact consulting activity and the current KBLI 2025 conversion. OSS places strategy, organization, management, marketing, HR and related operational advisory work in the management-consulting family, but founders should confirm the current five-digit activity in live OSS before filing.
Can one management consulting KBLI cover IT, tax and legal consulting?
No general assumption should be made. The OSS management-consulting classification expressly excludes software-system design, legal services, accounting and tax consulting, engineering and several other professional activities.
Can a foreign investor establish a consulting company in Jakarta?
A foreign-owned consulting business can be structured through the PT PMA framework where the chosen activity and investment rules permit it. The exact KBLI should be checked against the current investment-field framework before the ownership structure is finalized.
What is the current minimum investment rule for a PT PMA consulting company?
Under the current BKPM regulation, PMA businesses are generally subject to total investment greater than IDR 10 billion excluding land and buildings per five-digit KBLI per project location, subject to specific exceptions in the regulation.
Is an NIB enough for every consulting activity?
Do not assume so. The business should review the risk-based licensing output and any PB UMKU or sector-specific requirements generated for the exact consulting activity in OSS.
Should I add many consulting KBLI codes when forming the PT?
Only add activities that reflect a real and planned business scope. Unrelated codes can create unnecessary licensing questions and may place the company into professional or regulated service categories it does not actually intend to provide.
References & Sources
- Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 on Risk-Based Business Licensing — peraturan.go.id
- Law No. 40 of 2007 on Limited Liability Companies — peraturan.go.id
- Minister of Law Regulation No. 49 of 2025 on Limited Liability Company Formation, Amendment and Dissolution — peraturan.go.id
- OSS Management Consulting Activities Classification — oss.go.id
- OSS Other Management Consulting Activities and KBLI 2025 Conversion — oss.go.id
- OSS Industrial Management Consulting and KBLI 2025 Conversion — oss.go.id
- Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry/Head of BKPM Regulation No. 5 of 2025 — jdih.bkpm.go.id
- Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry/Head of BKPM Regulation No. 5 of 2025 — Official Full Text — peraturan.go.id
- Presidential Regulation No. 49 of 2021 on Investment Business Fields — peraturan.go.id
- Jakarta Legal ID NIB and OSS Registration Guide — jakartalegalid.com
- Jakarta Legal ID Company Setup and Licensing Services — jakartalegalid.com
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