Legal & Business Setup

Foreigners cannot simply register a company in Indonesia the way they might in Singapore or Hong Kong. Foreign-owned businesses take the form of a PT PMA, a foreign investment company, and setting one up correctly means navigating the Positive Investment List, minimum paid-up capital thresholds, KBLI business classification codes, and sector-specific ownership caps that vary considerably by industry. Choosing the wrong KBLI code at incorporation is a common and expensive mistake to unwind later.

The firms listed here span two overlapping types. Corporate services providers handle the mechanics end to end: deed of establishment, Ministry of Law approval, NIB and OSS-RBA licensing, domicile address, corporate bank account opening, and the ongoing secretarial, bookkeeping and tax filings that follow. Law firms bring litigation capability and advisory depth — shareholder and joint venture agreements, commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, legal due diligence, intellectual property registration, employment and labour disputes, arbitration and bankruptcy.

For most foreign founders the practical question is which of the two you need. If you are establishing a straightforward trading or consulting entity, a corporate services firm is faster and cheaper. If you are entering a joint venture, acquiring an Indonesian company, negotiating a substantial lease, or anticipating a dispute, you want a licensed Indonesian advocate. Several firms here pair lawyers with in-house tax consultants, which is useful when the legal structure and the tax treatment need to be decided together.

Most listings sit in SCBD, Sudirman, Kuningan and Cilandak, inside or beside the central business district. Each records the office address, phone, WhatsApp, email and website, and every firm listed works in English with international clients as a matter of course.