If a foreigner wants to operate a business legally in Bali, in most cases they will need a PT PMA — an Indonesian company with foreign capital ownership.

However, opening a company is not simply a matter of registering a legal entity. The structure must be designed as a complete operating system from the beginning:

• what the business will actually do;
• which permits and licenses it may require;
• who will be the shareholder, director, commissioner, or de facto manager;
• which immigration status each foreign person should hold;
• how payments, taxes, accounting, and reporting will be handled.

Opening a PT PMA generally consists of three stages.

A PT PMA is an Indonesian company with foreign capital ownership. This structure is used by foreigners who want to legally own a business, obtain business licenses, open a corporate bank account, hire employees, and operate officially in Indonesia.

In simple terms, a PT PMA is usually required when a foreigner wants not only to live in Bali, but to launch and operate a business in Indonesia: a café or restaurant, real estate business, retail store, consulting company, manufacturing project, service company, or another commercial venture.

It is important to understand that a PT PMA must be established for specific business activities. That is why, before registration, it is necessary to understand what the business will do, which business activity codes it needs, and which permits may be required.

A PT PMA is usually required for foreigners who want to conduct commercial activity in Indonesia through their own or controlled legal structure, including those who want to:

• legally open a business in Bali;
• own shares in an Indonesian company;
• receive income from activities in Indonesia;
• open a corporate bank account;
• obtain licenses for a specific business activity;
• arrange an immigration status that matches their role in the company;
• operate through a transparent legal structure rather than through nominee arrangements.

For example, a PT PMA may be required if you want to open a restaurant, tourism agency, villa management company, consulting business, service agency, trading company, or another project in Indonesia.

One of the most common mistakes is opening a PT PMA quickly, using a standard template, and only then trying to adapt it to the real business.

Typical problems caused by weak preparation include:

• the KBLI does not match the actual business activity;
• the business requires licenses that were not considered in the structure;
• the legal address does not match sectoral or zoning requirements;
• the shareholder, director, and commissioner structure does not reflect the real roles of the people involved;
• the KITAS / ITAS is arranged without proper connection to the foreigner’s actual activity;
• the company cannot smoothly pass bank, licensing, or OSS checks;
• personal and corporate payments are mixed, creating tax and reporting risks.

In Bali, a structural mistake at the beginning often costs more than proper preparation before registration. Correcting the structure, changing codes, reissuing permits, and checking immigration statuses may take time and create operational risks.

Before opening a PT PMA, the business must be described operationally — not only in general words.
It is not enough to say: “I want to work with villas,” “I want to open a restaurant,” or “I want to launch an agency.”

For a legal structure, the details matter:

• who the client is;
• what exactly is being sold;
• where the service is provided;
• who receives payment;
• who manages the process;
• which permits are required for this model.

For example, villa management can mean different things.
In one model, the company helps the property owner with cleaning, maintenance, and coordination of contractors.

In another model, the company accepts bookings, works with guests, promotes the property on platforms, receives payments, and effectively operates the property as a commercial accommodation business.
For the client, both models may look like the same industry. For OSS, KBLI, licensing, and taxation, they may be completely different structures.

The same logic applies to tourism, restaurants, online platforms, trading, consulting, and service businesses. The business name is not enough. What matters is the actual operating mechanism.

Before registration, at minimum, the following questions should be answered:

• what services or goods the company will sell;
• who the clients will be: individuals, companies, tourists, property owners, or foreign customers;
• where the office or place of business will be located;
• whether the company will receive payments in Indonesia;
• who will be the shareholder, director, commissioner, and de facto manager;
• which foreigners will be in Indonesia and what role they will perform;
• which KBLI codes match the real activity;
• which licenses, certificates, or PB UMKU may be required;
• what tax and accounting consequences the chosen model creates.

When opening a PT PMA in 2026, it is important to separate two issues: the minimum investment value and the minimum issued and paid-up capital of the company.
These are different requirements. Confusing them may create problems during registration and future company maintenance.

As a general rule, a PMA company is treated as a large-scale business and must meet the minimum investment requirement. This is more than IDR 10 billion, excluding land and buildings, for each five-digit KBLI and project location.

However, this rule cannot be applied mechanically to every business. For certain sectors, the calculation may be different — for example, wholesale trading, food and beverage, construction, industrial production, real estate, accommodation, and certain other activities.

That is why the amount must be checked for the specific KBLI, location, and business model.
The minimum issued and paid-up capital of the PT PMA is assessed separately. Under the current rules, it is at least IDR 2.5 billion per PT PMA, unless special requirements apply to a specific case.

This capital must be treated as a real company commitment. It should not be moved out of the corporate account during the minimum required period, except for the purchase of assets, construction of a building, or operational activities of the company.

KBLI is the official business activity code of a company in Indonesia. It shows the government what the business actually does. The official KBLI catalogue is available through the OSS system.

In simple terms, KBLI is the foundation of the company’s future activities.
KBLI affects:

• what the company is legally allowed to do;
• which licenses are required;
• whether a foreigner may conduct this activity;
• the business risk classification;
• which requirements will appear through OSS;
• which reports and permits may be required.

A wrong KBLI may create a situation where the company exists legally, but does not fit the real business. This means using the company for the intended activity may be risky or impossible.

OSS is Indonesia’s government online system for business licensing. Companies use it to obtain key registration and licensing documents.

NIB is the main business identification number. A company receives it after registration in the OSS system.

However, having an NIB does not mean that the company can automatically carry out any business activity.

For some sectors, NIB may be sufficient as the basic business legalization. For others, standard certificates, verification, licenses, PB UMKU, or additional sector-specific documents may be required.

That is why, when checking a PT PMA, it is important to review not only whether the company has an NIB, but also the full set of permits required for the specific KBLI, risk classification, and place of business.

Indonesia’s OSS system operates under the logic of risk-based licensing. This means that the company’s requirements depend not only on the PT PMA legal form, but also on the risk level of the specific business activity.

For example, two companies may both be PT PMA companies, but the requirements for each may be different.

One activity may require only NIB. Another may require a standard certificate. A third may require a verified standard certificate. A fourth may require a separate license.

Therefore, the desire to open a company is not enough. The more important question is whether a PT PMA can be opened for this specific activity, under this KBLI, in this location, with this role structure, and with the required set of permits.

When opening a PT PMA, it is not enough to register the company. The roles must also be structured correctly.

It is important to understand which KITAS is required for the business owner, director, manager, and other foreign persons involved.

A typical company structure may include:

• shareholders / owners;
• director;
• commissioner;
• de facto business manager;
• employees or contractors.

For a foreigner, it is especially important that the legal structure matches the factual situation:

• a shareholder owns shares in the company;
• a director manages the company and signs documents on its behalf;
• a commissioner performs a supervisory function and is not an ordinary operational manager;
• a de facto manager actually makes decisions and manages processes, even if this role is not always correctly reflected in the documents;
• employees and contractors perform specific functions under an employment or commercial model.

If a person actually works for the company or manages it, this must be reflected not only in the corporate documents, but also in the immigration status.

A PT PMA is a company.

KITAS / ITAS is the immigration status of an individual. It gives a foreigner a limited right to stay in Indonesia under the relevant legal basis.

Opening a company does not automatically mean that the foreigner receives the right to live and work in Indonesia. Immigration status is arranged separately and must match the person’s real role.
If a person is an investor, director, employee, or de facto manager, the correct type of status must be selected for that specific situation.

The work does not end after the PT PMA is registered. In reality, that is when the company’s regular obligations begin.

Usually, after registration, the company must:

• obtain and check the NIB through OSS;
• check mandatory licenses, standard certificates, and PB UMKU;
• open a corporate bank account;
• set up accounting and tax reporting;
• arrange the required KITAS / ITAS for foreigners;
• maintain corporate and accounting documents;
• submit LKPM investment reports;
• ensure that the actual activity matches the selected KBLI;
• update permits and company data when the business changes.

LKPM is the company’s investment report. It is an obligation for business actors, and late submission or incorrect data may lead to warnings and sanctions, including revocation of the NIB.

In other words, a PT PMA cannot simply be opened and forgotten.
Even if the business has not started generating profit, the company may still have obligations before government systems.

We do not start with company registration. We first check whether this company can actually be used to operate your business legally, safely, and conveniently in the long term.

Our task is not simply to open a PT PMA. Our task is to build a structure that can withstand bank checks, OSS requirements, licensing procedures, immigration questions, tax reporting, and future business development.

We begin with the key question: what exactly do you want to do, and how do you want to implement your idea?

Only after understanding the business model can we correctly select KBLI, check restrictions, calculate capital requirements, define people’s roles, and choose the appropriate immigration status.

After the diagnostic stage, we help to:

• analyse the business model;
• select suitable KBLI codes;
• check foreign capital restrictions;
• verify minimum investment and capital requirements;
• determine the correct PT PMA structure;
• prepare company registration;
• arrange OSS / NIB;
• check additional licenses, certificates, and PB UMKU;
• select KITAS / ITAS according to the foreigner’s real role;
• assist with corporate bank account opening;