Open Business in Bali

Bali is a piece of heaven on earth. Its stunning landscapes, breathtaking cultures, friendly people, vibrant communities, and dynamic business activities are only several of so many reasons why foreign people invest in this land of the god and goddess. Besides, Bali is a well-known place to provide luxuries and prestige so that it is not surprising if Bali has become the destination for so many business people from all over the world.
In this article, we would like to share useful information with you about how to invest or start a business in Bali.
Bali: General Overview
Bali is located in the mid-part of Indonesia, with the area of around 2,175 square miles. The population of Bali based on the latest census was 4,225,000. As one of the most popular tourist destination in Asia, it is estimated that there are more than 1,500,000 foreign tourists visited Bali, and this number grow continuously every year. Tourism is the biggest magnet in Bali.
Moreover, Bali and its exoticism have been becoming a favorite business place. Many people, domestically or internationally, come to Bali to do—or at least discuss—businesses. Bali has also increasingly become a destination for start-ups and collaborative works. Therefore, it is not surprising that despite its beauties, Bali also offers many business opportunities for both Indonesian and foreign investors.
HOW TO START INVESTING IN BALI: PRACTICAL TIPS
Here are several tips if you want to state investing in Bali:
Prepare your Investment Plan
The first and most important thing to prepare is your investment plan. You must first consider what area of business you want to invest in and then check it in Indonesia negative investment list. You must aware that certain kinds of businesses are prohibited (or allowed with certain restrictions) to be fully owned by foreigners. (Read: Foreign Investment in Indonesia).

After that, you also need to understand that there are minimum paid up capital and investment in Indonesia. Based on the newest regulation from Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), it is clearly stated that the minimum capital for foreign company is IDR 10 billion. In addition, the paid up capital that the company has should be 25% of the authorized capital or above IDR 2.5 billion. It is very important to note that based on the most recent regulation, the amount of the paid up capital should have a legal proof that must be submitted to the Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights. This policy is applied to ensure that the foreign company is healthy and able to run its business operation well based on the laws and regulation applied in Indonesia. Having the capital ready, you can start to prepare the registration of your foreign company in Indonesia.
However, if your capital is less than the specified amount mentioned above, you still can invest in Indonesia by having other forms of businesses. Opening a representation office or a local company—instead of a foreign company—is another alternative that you can do to invest in Indonesia. However, different kinds of companies also have different kinds of rules. Take for example, if you want to open a representative office, you don’t need to have large amount of capital or paid up capital. However, it is prohibited to directly generate revenue and profit, as well as engage in sales.
Read also:
- The Differences of Local Company, Foreign Owned Company, and Representative Office
- 10 Things Foreign Investors Must Avoid When Establishing PT PMA in Indonesia
If you want to open a special purpose vehicle, you can choose the following type of company (based on the amount of the company’s net worth:
- A micro company, which has the net worth up to IDR 50 million.
- A small company, which has the net worth between IDR 50 million to IDR 500 million.
- A medium company, which has the net worth between IDR 500 million to IDR 10 billion.
- A large company, which has the net worth above IDR 10 billion.
Business Address
Next, you need to consider a business address, because you cannot register your company in Indonesia unless you have a local business address. You even have to submit the document signed by the local authorities stating the exact location of your business. Therefore, having a reputable business address is very crucial.
The business address shall be located in the business district or area. If your budget is big enough, you can rent a place. However, if you only have limited budget, you can use the service of virtual office and serviced office. Serviced or virtual offices are both accepted legally under Indonesian law.
You need to do a comprehensive research if you want to choose the right place to conduct your business in Bali. You may choose an agent to help you, but you must keep in mind that you are dealing with trusted and reputable agent to avoid inaffective decisions. The other reason also because changing business address is a complicated thing. Moreover, you should also match the type of business and the area of Bali that you choose. Some areas are more suitable for certain businesses.
It is important to check the spot by yourself before you agree to rent the place. This rule is a must for both serviced office and virtual office. You must check the facilities as well as the neighboring areas.
Read also:
- Comparing Virtual Office and Conventional Office
- Most Common Question about Office Space
- The Differences between Virtual Office and Serviced Office
HR Management

When you run a business, you need workers. You need to hire people with work ethics and professional capabilities to support your daily business activities. Being a foreigner in a country with complicated bureaucracy, you will find it difficult to get the best local talents. Even when you want to hire foreign people, you need to follow certain strict law and regulation to bring them legally to your company. It means that you need an HR management, which has thorough understanding of your company as well as the law in Indonesia.
Most specifically in Bali, there are also some strong cultural values that are brought to the professional fields. This includes many special holidays with certain obligations that should be followed by any business in Bali. One example is Nyepi Holiday, which requires all business to shut its operation during the day. Without prior knowledge of these kinds of cultural values, you will find it hard to cope with the local workers.
Thus, establishing an HR Management for your business in Bali is vital. Your HR Management team should also create certain HR guidelines and functions that will affect your whole business. These include HR policies, compensation policies, recruitment, and training.
Read also:
- Recruitment in Indonesia: Understanding the Labor Situation and Recruitment Process
- Recruitment and Hiring Market in Indonesia
Business Process Activity
The last but not least, you also have to think about your whole business process activities. You need qualified people, those who understand business best practice in Indonesia, who will work on your daily operations. Handling everything by yourself must be very difficult at the beginning. So, you can use the service of the trusted firm to provide you with people who can assist you to do your business process activities professionally. These include personal assistant, secretarial and administration jobs, accounting jobs, payroll processing, tax reporting, etc.
Read also:
- Important Points You Should Know about Payroll System in Indonesia
- Income taxation system in Indonesia
- Corporate tax and personal income tax in Indonesia
How Cekindo Can Help
Cekindo can help youto set up your business in Bali. If you have any question related to the explanation above, you can drop your message in the comment section, or simply contact us for further details. We always have the best solution for every problem that you have related to company establishment and business activities in Bali and other areas in Indonesia.
References:
http://www.bali-directory.com/all-about-bali/Overview.asp
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrealoubier/2017/01/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-starting-a-business-in-bali/#46b4a6d186ad
http://www.disparda.baliprov.go.id/en/Statistics2
http://www.cekindo.com/?s=minimum+capital
http://cekindo.com/how-to-invest-in-indonesia-through-representative-office.html
http://www.cekindo.com/services/recruitment-and-hr-establishment-in-indonesia