How to conduct a company registration in Indonesia for a foreigner?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Indonesian employment status in PMA company?

In Indonesia, employment arrangements are categorized into temporary employment agreements (PKWT) and permanent employment agreements (PKWTT). Temporary contracts are for short-term, seasonal, or experimental work, while permanent contracts are for continuous employment.

Is there limited responsibility for shareholders in a PMA company?

In a PMA Company in Indonesia, shareholders typically have limited liability, meaning they’re not personally liable for agreements or losses beyond their shareholding, except in certain circumstances. Liability may extend if the company isn’t properly established or if shareholders exploit the company in bad faith, engage in unlawful acts, or deplete company assets to the detriment of creditors.

Can you have a nominee arrangement when setting up PMA?

A nominee arrangement is an arrangement that uses another person’s name as a subject. In Indonesia, it is prohibited. This restriction aims to prevent situations where a company is owned by one party but beneficially owned by another. According to the law, any nominee agreement between a local party and a foreign investor is deemed null and void.

How is the process of liquidating a PMA company in Indonesia, and how long does it take?

The procedures for (voluntarily) liquidation typically involve the following steps:

• Conduct a general shareholder meeting to approve the liquidation and the liquidator’s nomination
• Notify the Ministry of Law and Human Rights as well as the creditors of the liquidation and the distribution plan for the assets by newspaper notice
• All business licenses and tax numbers should be canceled or revoked; the tax office will conduct a tax audit to revoke the tax number
• Make sure creditors are paid and that any liquidation funds are distributed to shareholders (if any)
• Conduct a general meeting of shareholders to approve the liquidator’s discharge and acquittal
• Notify the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the liquidation’s outcome. After receiving the notification, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights will deregister the company’s status as a legal entity and remove its name from the Company Registry
• Release the liquidation’s outcome in a newspaper

Completing the liquidation process can take around two years.