Company Registration Indonesia involves more than obtaining a deed or an NIB. The correct process depends on the proposed owners, company form, business activities, investment status, location, tax profile, and sector-specific licensing requirements.
This guide separates corporate establishment through AHU from tax administration and OSS risk-based licensing. Completing one stage does not automatically complete every other stage.
Current legal framework
Limited liability companies are principally governed by Law No. 40 of 2007 on Limited Liability Companies, as amended through the Job Creation legislation. Current administrative procedures for establishment, amendment, and dissolution are addressed by Minister of Law Regulation No. 49 of 2025.
Business licensing is governed by Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 and the current OSS implementation rules. Government Regulation No. 5 of 2021 is no longer the controlling risk-based licensing regulation.
Choose the entity and investment structure first
Common options include:
- Capital-partnership PT: a limited liability company with shareholders and corporate organs under the Company Law.
- Individual company for qualifying micro or small businesses: a separate route that may be established by one eligible Indonesian individual under Government Regulation No. 8 of 2021.
- PT PMA: a limited liability company involving foreign investment, subject to investment, ownership, and business-field rules.
- Domestic-investment company: a structure using domestic capital and owners, with its own corporate and licensing analysis.
- Representative office: a limited presence available for specified activities and sectors; it should not be assumed to have the same commercial scope as a PT.
“Two shareholders” is therefore not a universal rule for every form of limited liability company. Eligibility for an individual company and the consequences of later exceeding the UMK criteria must be reviewed separately.
Company registration and licensing are different stages
Corporate establishment creates and records the legal entity through the responsible legal-entity administration system. OSS then maps the business actor and activities into the risk-based licensing framework. Tax registration and sector approvals are additional workstreams.
A company may exist as a legal entity while still needing to complete operational licensing for one or more activities.
Step-by-step company registration process
- Define the ownership structure: identify individual or corporate shareholders, domestic or foreign investment, beneficial ownership, and management.
- Map the business model: determine actual goods, services, revenue streams, locations, and suitable KBLI codes.
- Check foreign-ownership rules: where foreign capital is involved, review the business field under the current investment framework.
- Confirm the address: distinguish the registered office from operational locations and check relevant spatial or sector requirements.
- Prepare incorporation documents: reserve an eligible name and arrange the deed or statement of establishment through the applicable process.
- Obtain legal-entity status: submit the application through AHU/SABH and obtain the relevant approval or certificate.
- Complete tax administration: verify tax identification, system access, and the company’s actual filing obligations.
- Register through OSS: obtain the NIB and review the licensing output for each KBLI activity.
- Complete additional legalities: fulfil Standard Certificate verification, licences, PB UMKU, environmental, building, or sector requirements where applicable.
- Set up ongoing compliance: maintain corporate registers, approvals, accounting records, tax filings, OSS updates, and investment reporting as applicable.
Documents commonly required
- identity and address information for individual founders and management;
- corporate documents and authorization for corporate shareholders;
- proposed company name, address, objectives, and activities;
- ownership, capital, director, and commissioner information;
- beneficial-owner information;
- foreign documents and authentication or translation where required; and
- location, technical, and sector documents for the intended activities.
The list varies by structure. A foreign corporate shareholder, regulated sector, or specialized facility usually requires additional review.
NIB is not always the final approval
The NIB is a business identifier issued through OSS. For low-risk activities it may serve as the relevant risk-based business licence. Medium- and high-risk activities generally involve additional Standard Certificates or licences, and some businesses need PB UMKU or other approvals.
Read the detailed NIB and OSS Registration Indonesia guide before treating an OSS document as authority to commence operations.
Foreign and domestic investment routes
Foreign ownership must be reviewed against the intended KBLI activity and the investment framework, including Presidential Regulation No. 10 of 2021 as amended by Presidential Regulation No. 49 of 2021.
Use the focused guides for PT PMA Services Jakarta and PT PMDN Setup Jakarta. These pages address different users and should not be treated as interchangeable company-registration guides.
Timeline and approval risk
No universal completion time applies. Timing depends on name availability, document readiness, foreign-document formalities, AHU and OSS systems, tax administration, risk level, sector verification, and the competent authority’s review.
Professional assistance may reduce preventable errors, but it cannot guarantee approval, full compliance, or completion within a fixed number of days.
How Jakarta Legal ID may assist
Jakarta Legal ID’s Business Setup service can coordinate structure review, document preparation, notarial workflow, AHU registration, tax-administration steps, and OSS licensing within an agreed scope.
The responsible notary, government authority, tax representative, or other regulated professional should be identified where their statutory authority is required.
Frequently asked questions
Does company registration end when the deed is signed?
No. Legal-entity approval, tax administration, OSS registration, and applicable business licences are separate stages.
Can every PT be established by one person?
No. The individual-company route is limited to an eligible Indonesian individual and a business meeting the applicable UMK criteria.
Can a foreign investor use an ordinary domestic PT?
Foreign investment must be structured and recorded under the applicable foreign-investment rules. Ownership eligibility depends on the proposed business activities and other requirements.
How long does registration take?
There is no single reliable duration. A timeline should be estimated only after the owners, documents, activities, locations, and required approvals have been reviewed.
This guide is general information and does not replace a company-specific legal, investment, tax, or licensing review.