PMA, Foreign Company

[Bule_Rus]

A am planning to open a PMA in Indonesia this month. I have read a lot of information already. But I still have few questions and I hope someone can help me. I need specifics.. And I will come right away in July...

1) How much will it cost to set up a PT PMA? In internet different companies have different prices for their services... Some ask for 7 000 USD, some ask for 2500$. So how much exactly will it cost me? How long will it take to get a PT PMA? Do I have to ask for their help anyway? Maybe I can register alone and get all the licences myself?

2) On some web site I have read something about the capital of 100 000 USD.
When should I transfer this amount to my company? After I register a company and open a bank account right? Or before?

I am going to start the business only after I get the dealership contracts with some local companies... But it takes too long to get the contracts now. So I decided to come to Jakarta, push local partners and control them. And to open a company. And I will sign contracts later under my company already. So the next question is:

3) If I register a company (before I get contracts from locals), open the bank account, rent office etc etc, but I will not have any income yet (or no operation at all) will it be a problem? For example in my country government blocks companies that are just legally registered but have no operation... I hope you know what I mean.

Thank you very much, hope to see some information and help from your experience maybe.

Regards,
Andrey

[Bule_Rus]

Please tell me also - Do I have to bring/prepare any documents from my home country to set up as PMA in Jakarta?

[Gratilla]

We (myself and my Indonesian wife) successfully registered our PMA ourselves within six months (one month might be a little optimistic), although:
a) This was 8 years ago, in the depths of KrisMon, and
b) We were'nt exactly in "rush mode", also
c) We did it for a fraction of the cost quoted by the "consultants", and
d) without the exorbitant government office "back-handers" that we had been warned about. (My wife is quite a good negotiator - although please don't tell her I said something nice about her).

Your mileage may vary.

I believe things have changed for the better on the government side, but not, apparently, on the "consultants" side. A friend recently used one of those with a swanky office on Sudirman; they took eleven months and charged on/off the upper end of the scale quoted below. He would only recommend them to his worst enemy (and perhaps his ex-wife).

Your questions:
1) It varies, ranging from "a lot" to "does the government print that much money?"
2) I believe you need to prove assets at an early stage in the process. You won't be able to get a company bank A/C until you can show the bank your company registration documents, so (obviously) ...
3) I believe that technically you need to show business within the first three years, but the authorities have been shown to be "lax" on this in the past.

I would (strongly) suggest you:
1) Go and speak to BKPM (NOT BKPMD - long story - even if you are registering your co outside of Jakarta), yourself. They speak/spoke good English, although an interpretor might be a good idea. You (or someone) needs to speak to them at the beginning of the process anyway, as they approve (or otherwise) your planned investment/registration.
2) Buy a copy each of the Jakarta Post <vomit>, the Jakarta Globe and Kompas and look down the list of organisations offering PMA setup/consulting services.
3) Call ALL of these up ask ask them:
a) How much they charge.
b) How long it takes.
c) And what you get for the (ridiculous) amount they are asking in a), above.
4) collate all this information in a spreadsheet to see which consultant "forgot" to tell you what.
5) Set up the PMA yourself.

One pleasant option is to find yourself a bilingual "concubine" to help with the government officials and you might get neatly trimmed toenails thrown in at no extra charge.

[Bule_Rus]

Terima Kasih bnyak!! Finally someone responded here.
Today I contacted Okusi.Net. Well, they have responded very fast.. And I've got a lot of Information from them. They ask for 3000USD and 7-8 weeks. Does anybody know this company? There office is at Jalan Jaksa (btw, what happened to Ya Udah Bistro??? I was in Jakarta 3 weeks ago, went there to see Pedro but there was no Ya Udah ( Did he move to Thailand as he wanted before?)

I've got a new question just now.. what is 1.200 USD that I must pay to the government?

[Bule_Rus]

Read about taxi. Really agree about Selamat Sayang!
Laughed a lot. Thank you!!
Btw, I used to live in Jakarta from the age of 13 to 19. So i loooove it. Now got a sponsor and boss and planning to run business with this money.

[burungkecil]

Okusi is run by an Australian guy named Gary. The company has been around for several years and I've not heard anyone say anything negative about it.

I forget the official name of the $1200 tax, but some people refer to it as a training tax because every foreigner staying here pays $100 per month to a fund which is then supposed to be used to train Indonesians to replace us all. Lord knows where it really goes.

I spoke to a couple of different agents about setting up a PMA a few years ago and they both told me that there were ways of having the $100,000 on paper without having to actually have it, if you know what I mean.

You would need the patience of a saint and an awful lot of time to process everything yourself. It's probably better to find a good agent to do the chasing around for you. Then you can use your time productively by concentrating on your company rather than waiting around government departments and depending on the mood of officials!

[Gratilla]

Today I contacted Okusi.Net. Well, they have responded very fast.. And I've got a lot of Information from them. They ask for 3000USD and 7-8 weeks. Does anybody know this company?

They used to have a presence here on the forum, but I have'nt seen anyone recently. Ask them if there are any "extra" fees. ie does the 3000USD include Notaris PT registration / articles / memorandum.

btw, what happened to Ya Udah Bistro??? I was in Jakarta 3 weeks ago, went there to see Pedro but there was no Ya Udah ( Did he move to Thailand as he wanted before?)

How the hell should I know???

I've got a new question just now.. what is 1.200 USD that I must pay to the government?

This is the 100USD/month paid annually (forever) in advance to DEPNAKER. Technically, it is your (generous) contribution to help finance the training of Indonesians in work-related skills, although I, personally, have yet to see any evidence of this. I have spoken to their reps a number of times about setting up training in aquaculture skills etc in our area. But the only thing they seemed to be interested in was when my next 1200 bucks was due!

[Bule_Rus]

Yeah, I spoke to Gary today. Well, that 100K is not a problem, coz we are gonna invest more. The only thing I cant understand - how should I show this 100K to them? Just a print out of a bank account in Russia?

[baliexpat]

I read on another forum how people just deposit and withdraw $10K into a bank account 10 times to show the $100K capital investment.

Someone else also recommended Okusi to me although I haven't used their services.

I agree on getting a list of everything the $3000 includes and doesn't include. Get a few quotes from a few different agents.

Good luck and I hope you report back on your experience as this question comes up often and we need more people reporting on their recent experiences setting up these companies.

[atlantis]

We (myself and my Indonesian wife) successfully registered our PMA ourselves within six months (edited)

Thumbs up for the whole answer.

I forget the official name of the $1200 tax,

"Dana Kompensasi" or "Dana Pengembangan Keahlian dan Keterampilan" (DPKK) which is the name of the account where the USD 1200 should be stored. A loose translation of the acronym DPKK could be Fund for the Development of Expertise and Skills.

[atlantis]

An agent is not an absolut necessity, but dealing with the creation of a PT or PT PMA requires fair commands of bahasa indonesia if one intends to follow this track. Without it, one would waste money and time. One month doesn't seem realistic, but about 3 months should be a good target for anyone dealing himself with it.

[Bule_Rus]

Guys, does anyone have a good link to some taxation information?
For sure there are a lot of taxes...
And another question... Are there any limitations for PMA companies? Except that negative lists etc.. Maybe it is better to make a local company and ask my director to sign some contract with me so he will not be able to do anything, but only the company will be 100% local.. I hope you understand me. Maybe the taxes will be lower? Coz in my country we dont have local companies, foreign companies.. We have companies. All are the same. But it can be owned 99% by a foreigner. But in Indonesia we have PMA, basic PT etc.. Are there any limitations for PMA?

[marcus]

About income tax :

http://www.expat.or.id/info/2008-IncomeTaxSDSN.pdf (translation of the law and the law explanation)

http://www.pkf.com/site/webdav/site/...ide%202010.PDF (law explanation by PKF)

About tax in general , except local/regional taxes (?) :

http://www.pajak.go.id/eng/

http://www.expat.or.id/business/corporatetaxation.html

[balibali]

Gratilla could you let me know what agent you used and how long it took? Thank you.

[TheSion]

@balibali - You are resurrecting a thread two years old, and I also think that Gratilla is not around anymore anyway (at least with the same nick). Besides all that, Gratilla's post here has been one of the best answers I've seen in the forum

TS