Pre-Incorporation Indonesia Visa Plan: Founder Role, Shares, Sponsor, and Travel

Classify the intended activity before selecting a visa route

Indonesia immigration routes are activity-specific. The current C2 visit visa page describes business meetings, purchasing, negotiation, agreement signing, and inspections, while prohibiting the holder from selling goods or services or receiving wages or compensation in Indonesia. The E28A investor route has its own sponsor, shareholding, evidence, validity, and activity conditions. A company title cannot convert operational work into a visit activity. For the pre-incorporation visa plan, the immediate acceptance point is to confirm the visit route permits them against the documented meetings, negotiation, signing, or inspection facts.

Prepare a conduct memo that lists what the foreign founder will actually do, where, for whom, how often, and whether the activity produces or manages the Indonesian business. Then match that conduct to the current immigration classification and, where work is involved, the manpower process. Recheck the official route immediately before filing because classifications, document lists, fees, and system procedures can change independently of the company deed. Within the pre-incorporation visa plan file, the responsible officer should preserve shares, sponsor, role, and E28A evidence as evidence for the decision to validate investor-route eligibility.

Answer the ownership question at the exact activity level

Foreigners may own shares in an Indonesian PT PMA, and many commercial activities are open to full foreign ownership. That is a starting proposition, not a universal percentage. The decisive review identifies the actual products and services, maps them to the correct five-digit KBLI, and checks the current investment list plus any sector-specific condition. A different activity inside the same group can produce a different ownership result. For the pre-incorporation visa plan, the immediate acceptance point is to record the legal basis against the documented investment list and sector conditions.

Document the conclusion from Presidential Regulation 49 of 2021 and the live licensing facts before the deed is signed. Then reconcile the shareholder percentages with the deed, AHU record, OSS projects, UBO report, bank KYC file, and any sector approval. If a condition applies, change the ownership, scope, joint-venture design, or entry vehicle lawfully; a provider assurance or nominee contract does not override the rule. Within the pre-incorporation visa plan file, the responsible officer should preserve deed, OSS, UBO, and license as evidence for the decision to keep one ownership story.

Apply the ordinary PT shareholder floor to the PT PMA

A conventional Indonesian limited liability company, including the ordinary PT PMA used for foreign investment, should be established and maintained with at least two shareholders unless a specific statutory exception applies. The single-person company framework is designed for a company meeting micro or small business criteria; it should not be assumed to override the PT PMA regime, which is treated as a large-business investment vehicle under current investment rules. For the pre-incorporation visa plan, the immediate acceptance point is to protect the minimum against the documented transfers, succession, and shareholder exit.

Read the company framework together with Government Regulation 8 of 2021 and BKPM Regulation 5 of 2025 . Two shareholders do not need equal stakes, but each subscription must be genuine, recorded, funded, and included in UBO and bank analysis. Plan death, dissolution, merger, transfer, default, and a temporary concentration of shares before it occurs; obtain notarial advice promptly instead of leaving an unlawful or unstable cap table unresolved. Within the pre-incorporation visa plan file, the responsible officer should preserve at least two genuine shareholders for ordinary PT PMA as evidence for the decision to record real subscriptions.

Test whether a foreign director's real conduct is work

Appointment as a director answers a corporate governance question; it does not automatically answer the manpower and immigration question. Under Government Regulation 34 of 2021 and Minister of Manpower Regulation 8 of 2021 , the company must classify the real position, duties, work locations, duration, employer relationship, and required approvals. Board oversight, signing a reserved document, directing staff every day, selling, and delivering client work are not interchangeable activities. For the pre-incorporation visa plan, the immediate acceptance point is to prove the appointment against the documented deed, AHU record, and reserved authority.

Write a duty schedule before choosing the title or visa. Identify recurring operational tasks, decision frequency, customer and employee contact, physical locations, remuneration, delegation, and the Indonesian organization supporting the role. The approved deed, RPTKA or other manpower output, stay permit, employment record, payroll treatment, and actual conduct should tell the same story. If duties change, reassess before the new activity begins. Within the pre-incorporation visa plan file, the responsible officer should preserve calendar, job description, locations, and reporting as evidence for the decision to classify the conduct.

A founder appointed to the board should compare the intended conduct with the director KITAS route after incorporation before signing employment or relocation terms.

Check the current investor visa evidence and permissions

Investor immigration requirements must be checked at the time of application because classifications, fees, evidence, and permitted activities can change independently of company law. Current official E28A information allows one- or two-year stays, requires a sponsor, and lists passport, funds, itinerary, curriculum vitae, and share-ownership evidence among the application materials. Immigration remains the decision-maker. For the pre-incorporation visa plan, the immediate acceptance point is to reconcile with corporate records against the documented sponsor and share-ownership evidence.

Use the live E28A investor visa requirements rather than an old provider checklist. Verify the applicant's passport validity, sponsor data, company role, share value, permitted activities, PNBP billing, and family plan. Keep the payment code and official receipt, and do not treat a five-working-day processing statement as a guaranteed outcome where documents, verification, or further review are involved. Within the pre-incorporation visa plan file, the responsible officer should preserve stay period and allowed activities as evidence for the decision to plan conduct and renewals.