For companies and investors planning to put their money in Indonesia’s economy, here’s some good news for you. From the 72nd place, the country jumped 19 places in the most recent Ease of Doing Business Index report by the World Bank. It did significantly better in making it easier for businesses to get electricity as well as to resolve insolvency.
Despite this tremendous achievement, it still struggled with making it easier for investors to start a business in the country. A good example is getting a business visa. What could have been a straightforward procedure in other countries can be laborious and confusing here in Indonesia. To help you navigate through the process, Cekindo provides you with this comprehensive guide.
What Is a Business Visa?
A business visa is a visit visa. It is intended for foreign nationals who wish to stay longer in the country to study the market, meet with potential distributors or suppliers, set up a representative office, attend a meeting or a seminar, and do other business-related activities.
It is not a work permit, and thus, it doesn’t allow the holder to undertake any activity that includes wages and other forms of compensation. It also means the foreign national cannot use it to seek and accept job offers. But compared to getting a work permit, obtaining an Indonesian business visa is easier and faster.
Who Should Get a Business Visa?
In general, all foreign nationals who want to conduct a business-related activity in the country should get such visa. But there’s a caveat.
According to Indonesia Immigration, foreign nationals should get a visit visa if the purpose of it is:
Holiday, Family, Social, Art dan cultural; governmental visit; non-commercial sport activity, Benchmarking, shortcourse, short training, Giving consultation and training in implementing technological innovation on industry to improve Indonesian industrial product design quality, and foreign marketing, Working in a very urgent matters, journalistics (with approval by Minister of Foreign Affairs), Non-commercial movie making (with approval by Minister of Foreign Affairs), Business meeting, buying goods or products, Giving lecture or following seminars, participating on international exhibition, attend meeting held by Head Office or Branch office in Indonesia, Audit, quality control, inspection to a branch office in Indonesia, foreign workers on probation, transit, and join a transportation mode in Indonesia.
Those who enter the country for the above-mentioned reasons then have the option to apply for either a visa on arrival (which can be free or with a fee) or a visit visa.
The country, however, also grants a visa exemption to around 169 countries, which is valid for 30 days. With it, passport holders of these nations can engage in giving speeches, attending seminars, and participating or conducting meetings with the representative offices.
Indonesia also allows passport holders with APEC business travel cards with an IDN code to visit the country for business up to 60 days.
Who should then obtain the business visa, and why is it still necessary?
- Passport holders of the 169 countries can obtain a visit visa that’s good for 30 days, but it cannot be extended.
- Those who can enter the country with a paid visa on arrival can stay for 30 days and extend it for another 30 days, but can do so only at one time.
- Some countries such as North Korea, Pakistan, and Cameroon can enter the country but would need to get an Indonesian visa before they enter the country.
The main benefit of getting a business visa is the fact that you have the option to apply for a multiple-entry visa. It saves you the hassle of applying for a new visa and extending the current visit visa. Moreover, as investors are more likely to travel in the country multiple times during a year, this option saves both time and money. This is because holders can stay in the country for 60 days per visit.
There are two kinds of business visas in Indonesia: single entry and multiple entry. You can refer to the table below to know more about them.
| SINGLE ENTRY | MULTIPLE ENTRY | |
| Validity | 60 days | 12 months |
| Length of Stay | 60 days (can be extended up to 4 times – maximum stay 30 days for each extension – without leaving Indonesia | 60 days for every entry |
| Requirements | application letter and guarantee lettercopy of passport with a validity of 6 months with at least 1 blank pageproof of travel arrangementsvisa applicationpassport-sized photobank account copies to prove sufficient fundsreturn ticket | application letter and guarantee lettercopy of passport with a validity of 6 months with at least 1 blank pageproof of travel arrangementsvisa applicationpassport-sized photobank account copies to prove sufficient fundsreturn ticket |
| Fee | $50 | $100 |
As you can see from the list of requirements, you need a guarantee letter before you can apply for a business visa in Indonesia. In other words, you have to look for a sponsor. Who can act as one?
- all local and foreign-owned companies
- representative offices
- institutions
Cekindo can also help you in this aspect, which we shall discuss more later.
How to Get an Indonesian Business Visa
1. Look for a sponsor. If your sponsor is an Indonesian citizen or resident, he or she may need to give a certificate of employment, photocopy of his or her passport, KITAS (limited stay permit card) or KITAP (permanent stay permit card). He or she should also present the national ID. If the sponsor is a company, it needs to present a company profile and business permit, among others.
2. The guarantor or sponsor then sends the foreigner’s application and an invitation to the Directorate General of Immigration.
Note: If you come from any of the restricted countries, the sponsor may have to undergo an interview with the immigration.
3. The guarantor or sponsor waits for the approval of the visa. It may take at least 3 to 5 days to receive it. For the restricted countries, it may take much longer. Sometimes there’s no exact timeframe.
4. If the visa is approved, the sponsor will receive copies of the visa approval. One of these must be sent to the embassy or consulate nearest to the foreign national via telex. If the foreigner is already within Indonesia, most likely, he or she will get it from Malaysia or Singapore.
5. The foreigner proceeds to the embassy or consulate to receive the visa approval and process the issuance of the business visa. It is also the time to pay for the fees as mentioned above.
Only then can the foreigner travel to Indonesia for business purposes.
How Can Cekindo Help in Processing Business Visa in Indonesia
Cekindo’s role in your business visa application is simple: we’ll make things easier for you. We can:
- assign business consultants who can guide you through the process from start to finish; in the process, you avoid committing mistakes that can further delay or even cause the rejection of your application
- act as your sponsor for the Indonesian business visa
- help your sponsor or guarantor in submitting the requirements
- ensure your sponsor application is processed as soon as possible; this is because the immigration office limits its number of visa approval in a day
- help you secure a multiple-entry Indonesian business visa fast
For all your needs for getting a business visa in Indonesia, call us at +6221 80660999 or send us your email at info@cekindo.com. We’ll help you make the entire process more convenient, cost-efficient, and quick.
