Employing in Indonesia without an establishment there

Affiliation of the company and of each employee to the two social protection agencies applies from the very first recruitment. The employer likewise obtains its tax identification number and, where applicable, its value added tax status.

Establishment itself runs through a company, usually a foreign investment company, whose notarial deed must be approved by the justice ministry before the business identification number is issued by the single online submission system. The activity code selected determines what may then be carried on.

Writing is required for fixed-term engagements, which must be registered with the labour administration; for open-ended contracts, it remains strongly advisable. Company regulations, or failing that a collective agreement, must be drawn up and endorsed by the administration once headcount reaches the relevant threshold.

The minimum wage is set by province, and sometimes by district, which rules out any national approach. Income tax is withheld at source, reported monthly and reconciled annually. Termination, whose formalities and compensation regime were substantially reshaped by the job creation reform, is prepared well in advance. A foreign national additionally requires an approved manpower plan and a separate work permit, both handled through the labour ministry and both slow to obtain, so they belong at the start of any recruitment timetable rather than at the end.