Cekindo Business International is now InCorp Indonesia. Learn more.
InCorp offers a comprehensive range of solutions to ease the company registration process and help you create a viable roadmap for your business.
Learn More
Get assistance from experts with a decade of experience in assisting international business owners expanding into Indonesia.
Avoid any bureaucratic complexity when closing your company by engaging with our experienced legal advisors.
What type of legal entities should you choose to register a company in Indonesia? We can assist you in choosing which is the best one to grow your business.
To help businesses survive during this unfortunate time, InCorp provides corporate recovery in Indonesia and insolvency services.
Obtaining property & land ownership in Indonesia offers some challenges for foreigners. However, buying property in Indonesia is attainable with specific resources and documents.
Recent regulatory changes have a knock-on effect on Indonesia's Merger & Acquisition landscape. Check on how we can navigate you through your M&A in Indonesia.
InCorp provides Virtual Office services Indonesia in various locations: Jakarta, Bali, Semarang, Surabaya, and Batam.
Business process outsourcing in Indonesia is a viable option to streamline bureaucratic complexities that hurdle your business expansion objectives.
InCorp offers a complete range of accounting service Indonesia, from tax reporting to auditing.
With professional financial audit services from InCorp, you can ensure all accounting activities are accurately recorded and compliant with Indonesian regulations.
Using an Employer of Record service to set your roots in Indonesia opens the doors to new opportunities in the country.
Financial and Operational Resilience services from InCorp are developed to support businesses and help them survive during this difficult time.
Payroll services in Indonesia are a practical solution to avoid unnecessary complexities while you focus on growing your business.
Using a recruitment agency in Indonesia will help you hire the best candidates for your company, saving you time and money.
Tax consulting in Indonesia are the shortcuts to fulfill the administrative obligations with high accuracy and in a timely manner.
The Indonesian government promotes tax holidays as one of the fiscal incentives to attract major foreign direct investment in Indonesia.
Operating businesses in Indonesia, entrepreneurs must comply with the regulations accordingly, especially concerning taxes.
Immigration in Indonesia is one of the strictest and most complex processes due to its ever-changing regulations. InCorp provides a seamless experience in obtaining your stay and work permits.
Avoid any hassles by engaging with an experienced visa agent in Indonesia.
A dependent visa Indonesia is a document that allows foreigners to bring their family while settling down in the country.
Investor KITAS Indonesia is a stay permit that offers many benefits to investors that invest in the country.
Overseas Visas are required for Indonesians who are planning to stay abroad for an extended period of time.
KITAP is a permanent stay visa for foreigners who have intentions to stay in Indonesia.
Foreign retirees often find their plans stuck due to the complex visa application process. InCorp helps expedite the process.
Obtaining a social visa is daunting if you are not familiar with the country’s complex bureaucratic processes. Consult with us for a seamless Indonesian visa application experience.
Foreigners married to an Indonesian citizen are eligible for a spouse-sponsored KITAS.
Learn how to obtain an Indonesian tourist visa seamlessly and securely, directly from a trusted visa and travel agent.
Get assistance from a trusted visa agent in Indonesia to make your traveling plan to Indonesia even more convenient.
Expedite your Indonesian work permit application process by engaging with a trusted visa agent.
All imported goods must obtain permission granted by specific governing bodies prior to entering the local market.
Learn more about the cosmetic product registration services in Indonesia.
Learn more about exporting goods to Indonesia.
Learn more about the food & beverage product registration services in Indonesia
Learn how to go through halal certification in Indonesia directly from experts successfully.
Learn more about the health supplement product registration services in Indonesia.
Learn more about the household product registration services in Indonesia.
Learn more about importing goods from Indonesia
An Importer of Record in Indonesia is a legal service that enables companies to import products into Indonesia, through an import partner.
Learn more about the medical device registration services in Indonesia.
Register a trademark is necessary to avoid legal issues in the future. InCorp can help you with Trademark Registration services in Indonesia.
Compliance is one of the most challenging parts of business overseas, especially in a country packed with complex bureaucratic processes such as Indonesia.
Updating business documents to align with your company’s growth can be a hassle.
Due Diligence services are needed to assess the credibility of the company or partner you wish to work with or acquire in Indonesia
From Company Regulations to Employment Agreement Drafting, Employment law services from InCorp will help you to compliance with employment policy in Indonesia.
InCorp’s legal consultation services in Indonesia are crafted to help your business settle and fully comply with the latest regulations.
Organizations must continuously evolve and transform to remain competitive and relevant in today’s global environment ...
Companies face many opportunities and challenges as a result of a changing market and regulatory landscape ...
Adopting Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) practices can improve your company’s value ...
Risk Management services from InCorp Indonesia can assist companies in building confidence when making future business decisions ...
Transfer Pricing in Indonesia occurs when a company performs an internal transaction within the same business group or its subsidiaries
InCorp's transfer pricing advisory services in Indonesia are marked by the objective to support our clients' business needs.
Our transfer pricing services provide you with a hassle-free experience while still complying with the legal aspects of transfer pricing in Indonesia.
As the market-entry consulting firm in Indonesia, InCorp provides a wide range of customized solutions to ease the business incorporation process.
Both natural and legal persons are entitled to open a bank account in Indonesia. Find out how to open a bank account in Indonesia, here.
InCorp can help you find a trusted Buying Agent Indonesia for product sourcing in Indonesia. Contact us now for a free consultation.
InCorp can help foreigners to get the driving license in Indonesia, whether SIM A or SIM C. Check out the requirements and the procedure, here.
IMEI Registration in Indonesia is necessary to ensure telecommunication devices from abroad can function properly in Indonesia.
With offices in Jakarta, Bali, Semarang, SUrabaya, and Batam, InCorp is ready to assist you as a local partner and distributor in Indonesia.
InCorp can help you to select the trusted local partners to import and distribute your products in Indonesia.
Improve your business by knowing the market conditions in Indonesia through market research services in Indonesia.
InCorp can help you gain information about your competitor's product through mystery shopping.
Bordered by countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, etc., Indonesia is a critical trading hub in Southeast Asia for both export and import.
Trading has a pivotal role in Indonesia’s economic growth with exports and imports contributing to 37% of GDP. In 2016, Indonesia imported US$ 132 billion worth of goods, mainly from China (US$32 billion), Singapore (US$26 billion), Japan (US$11 billion), Malaysia (US$6.7 billion), and South Korea (US$6.6 billion).
Before the implementation of OSS (Online Single Submission), according to the Trade Ministry in Indonesia, any individuals or any companies who wanted to import goods to Indonesia legally were required to obtain a special license – the General Import License (API-U) or a Producer Import License (API-P), depending on what products you were dealing with.
Regardless of how large or how small your import shipment was, you would need one of these licenses under the Indonesian Law.
The processing time of these licenses could be daunting and used to take up to five months. However, the implementation of the OSS licensing system and the cancellation of unnecessary procedures by Ministry of Trade have allowed more convenient and shorter processing time.
This has also encouraged more and more investors to start a trading business in Indonesia. In this article, we will detail the updates on securing an import license with OSS, and requirements on how to start a trading company in Indonesia.
The two special licenses, as mentioned, are API-U and API-P. The difference between these two licenses became clear after the significant changes from January 1, 2016, under the Regulation 70/2015 by Ministry of Trade.
Companies in Indonesia are prohibited from holding two types of licenses at the same time.
An API-U import license allows a trading company to import goods for general trade and commerce in Indonesia. Please note that under the updated Reg 70/2015, API-U license holder can now import products under more than one group with the HS code. Previously, only one particular group of items is allowed for import by the API-U holder.
Different from API-U, an API-P is a license used to import items for personal use or internal use in a company. These imported goods under API-P include raw materials, capitals goods or supporting items that can be further processed to produce other goods, or merely for the support of operational and production activities.
Importers with API-P needs to be aware that items imported with this type of license are not permitted to be transferred or sold directly to any third parties.
Previously, apart from the import regulators such as the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Directorate General of Customs and Excise, and Ministry of Agriculture, investors or importers also needed to go through a lengthy process of up to 5 months.
Furthermore, the type of goods imported could also further complicate the import license application process. Let us walk you through how the previous process looks like:
The OSS system in Indonesia has been effective since July 2018. The system has been gradually improved, and eventually, all permit and licensing processes will be streamlined under the OSS.
Licensing processes covered under the OSS include the import licenses as well – good news for investors and importers is that with the OSS, there is no need for them to obtain an API and a NIK (Customs Registration) as basic import licenses anymore.
With this new system, all business entities will need to register themselves through it. After completion of registration at the OSS, each business will get a Business Identity Number NIB (Nomor Induk Berusaha).
The NIB will not expire as long as the company is in operation. This NIB number makes all processes much easier as it replaces the Company Registration Certificate, Importer Identification Number (for import license), and Customs Registration NIK (Nomor Induk Kepabeanan).
With that being said, import companies or companies that engage in import activities do not have to go through the process of acquiring API and NIK anymore. However, importers need to make sure that they still comply with technical import requirements with relevant authorities.
One of the pros of a NIB is that it does not have a validity period, compared to API and NIK.
Previously, API had to be renewed every five years. Besides, the NIB offers benefits such as the elimination of technical challenges when a company changes its data or other information. With API and NIK, once a company’s data or information is altered, the company will have to proceed with a course of license and permit updates caused by the data changed.
This might not seem like a big issue, but the series of licenses updates were often detrimental to the import capability of a company. Businesses were not allowed to go ahead with any import activities until all licenses had been updated. Now, thanks to the OSS, all you need to do is to change the data with your NIB in the system.
According to the government of Indonesia, NIB as an import license has now been successfully implemented. Also, the OSS has been integrated with the Indonesian customs and excise system.
Anyone to be an authorised person for Import Document Signatories has become invalid under the OSS. It means that only directors are now permitted to be registered under the OSS for the signing of import documents.
Previously in API, anyone who is stated as an authorised person can do the signing. In practice, by giving powers of attorney, directors of import companies can still authorise other individuals to sign the import documents.
Did you know that you can also export to Indonesia without having your own import license? Learn about undername import in Indonesia
Starting a trading company in Indonesia can be an excellent way to offer new products or services, open new domestic markets or reduce manufacturing costs.
The most common form of trading company in Indonesia by foreigners is a foreign-owned company (PT PMA). Here are some of the general requirements you need to pay attention to:
For all foreigners, especially for first-time investors, it will be more beneficial to start a trading company in port areas in Indonesia, i.e. Medan, Semarang, and Surabaya. The reason is to take advantage of its direct access to important sea routes, to improve the shipping capacity with growing demand, as well as to lower the transportation costs.
Contact Cekindo in Jakarta, Semarang and Bali to get to know the latest updates on the application for an import license via OSS. Our advisors have been going through every updated regulation to ensure smooth process of our clients. We will apply for an import licence on your behalf, and thus minimise the potential risk of rejection of your application.
An expert for more than 10 years, Pandu Biasramadhan, has an extensive background in providing top-quality and comprehensive business solutions for enterprises in Indonesia and managing regional partnership channels across Southeast Asia.
We use cookies to improve and customise your browsing experience. You are deemed to have consented to our cookie policy as you continue browsing our site.