Indonesia Company Search and Verification Service

An Indonesia company search and verification service checks whether a business is legally registered, currently active, and safe to invest in, partner with, buy from, or work for. We pull the deed history from Ditjen AHU, confirm the NIB and KBLI codes through OSS, check tax registration status, and search for pending litigation. A basic check runs USD 150 to 300 and takes one to two business days. Full due diligence including a land or asset title check runs USD 700 to 1,500 and takes up to ten days.

Contents

• What an Indonesia Company Search Actually Checks
• How to Check if a Company Is Registered in Indonesia Yourself
• What This Service Costs
• PT PMA Verification: What Foreign Investors Need Before Signing
• The Most Common Red Flags We Find
• What a Company Search Cannot Tell You
• Our Process and Timeline
• FAQ

What an Indonesia Company Search Actually Checks

A proper search covers seven things, not one database lookup. Most of the "company check" services advertised online just screenshot the OSS public page, which tells you almost nothing about whether the entity is safe to deal with.

• Legal registration (Ditjen AHU): the founding deed, its amendment history, and the SK Kemenkumham decree that confirms the entity legally exists as a stated legal entity.
• Business license (OSS/NIB): whether the Nomor Induk Berusaha is active, suspended, or under evaluation, and which risk-based license tier it holds.
• KBLI codes: the registered business classification codes, checked against what the company actually does. A mismatch here is one of the most common problems we find.
• Tax status: whether the NPWP is active in the Coretax system and whether the company is registered as a PKP (VAT collector) if it claims to issue VAT invoices.
• Shareholders and capital: the registered ownership split, and whether authorized capital was ever actually paid up, which is a different figure from what appears on the deed.
• Directors and commissioners: who is legally authorized to sign on the company's behalf right now, not who was authorized two deed amendments ago.
• Litigation history: checks against the Directory of Supreme Court Decisions and relevant district court records, with the honest caveat that this database has gaps.

How to Check if a Company Is Registered in Indonesia Yourself

You can do a limited version of this for free. The OSS public portal lets anyone search a company's NIB number and see a basic active or inactive status. That confirms the company exists in the licensing system, and nothing more.

What the free portal will not show you: deed amendment history, whether shareholders listed today match who actually put money into the company, whether the KBLI code was ever updated after the business changed direction, or whether there is a court judgment against the entity. Ditjen AHU's own online system holds that detail, but individual access requires a paid notary or legal account, which is why lawyers and notaries pull these records rather than the buyer doing it directly.

We see this gap cause real damage in Bali specifically around villa leasing structures, where a PT looks active on the free portal but its KBLI never covered property leasing to foreign tenants, or the paid-up capital on file is a fraction of what was represented verbally.

What This Service Costs

Pricing depends on scope. Confirm the exact quote for your situation, since it varies with how many entities, jurisdictions, and years of history are involved.

PT PMA Verification: What Foreign Investors Need Before Signing

A PT PMA (foreign investment company) needs extra checks that a locally-owned PT doesn't. First, confirm the paid-up capital actually meets the required threshold for the business line, which is commonly cited at around IDR 10 billion per KBLI line, though this figure has changed before and should be confirmed for your specific sector at the time you check. Second, confirm the sector is open to the percentage of foreign ownership being offered, under the current Positive Investment List. Some sectors cap foreign ownership, others require an Indonesian joint venture partner, and a few remain closed outright.

Third, and this is where we see the most damage, check whether any shareholder is a nominee arrangement. An Indonesian citizen holding shares "on behalf of" a foreigner with no real capital contribution is a legally weak structure. If the relationship sours, the foreign party often has no enforceable claim to the shares, because the paperwork says the nominee owns them outright.

If you are also the one relying on this company to sponsor your own stay permit, verify that the sponsoring entity's NIB and KBLI actually cover employment of a foreign worker in your role, which we walk through in detail in our Bali Work Visa 2026: Work Permit and KITAS Guide. A company can look legitimate on paper and still be an invalid sponsor for your specific KITAS category.

The Most Common Red Flags We Find

• KBLI code doesn't match the actual activity, such as a company licensed for general trading that is actually operating a restaurant or leasing property to foreigners.
• A shareholder holds shares with no bank record or notarial evidence of ever paying for them, a strong sign of a nominee arrangement.
• NIB status shows suspended or under evaluation rather than active.
• The deed on file hasn't been updated with Kemenkumham after a known ownership or capital change, meaning the legal record and the reality on the ground don't match.
• Registered address is a virtual office with no operational presence, which on its own isn't illegal but often correlates with shell entities.
• Directors or the company itself appear in ongoing litigation or bankruptcy filings.
• The company claims to issue VAT invoices but its tax number shows it isn't registered as a PKP.

The single most expensive mistake: transferring investment funds, signing a joint venture, or paying a deposit on a villa or business "through a PT" before an independent check of the deed and NIB status. It happens constantly here: an investor relies on a glossy company profile or a warm introduction, wires money, and only later discovers the PT was dissolved years ago, the KBLI never covered the activity being sold, or the person who signed was never a legally appointed director. Once money has moved, recovering it through Indonesian courts is slow and often incomplete. Get the check done before you sign, not after.

What a Company Search Cannot Tell You

Be realistic about the limits. A search confirms legal existence, license status, and registered ownership. It does not guarantee financial health, since audited accounts for private Indonesian companies generally aren't public. It won't surface every debt or personal guarantee a director has taken on informally. The court decision database we search covers a meaningful share of published rulings but has gaps and delays, so a clean litigation search reduces risk without eliminating it entirely.

If the deal involves land or property, a company search is not a substitute for a separate title check at the local BPN land office through a notary, since land ownership and company ownership are recorded in entirely different systems.

Our Process and Timeline

1. You send us the company name, NIB number, or deed number, whatever you have.
2. We pull the AHU deed history and cross-check it against the current OSS/NIB record.
3. We check tax registration status and search available litigation and court records.
4. We compile a written report with every discrepancy clearly flagged, not buried in legal language.
5. We walk you through the findings by call or in person before you make any decision.
6. On request, we run a follow-up check on a specific shareholder, director, or a linked land title.

Rush turnaround is usually possible for an additional fee if you're under deal pressure, but a rushed check on a complex structure is worth less than a proper one. If the counterparty won't give you two or three extra days to verify them, that alone tells you something.

FAQ

How do I check if a company is registered in Indonesia?

Search the company's NIB on the OSS public portal for a basic active/inactive status, free of charge. For deed history, current shareholders, and license detail beyond that, you need access to Ditjen AHU's system, which requires a paid notary or legal account. Most individuals arrange this through a lawyer or notary rather than direct access.

What is the difference between NIB and NPWP?

The NIB (Nomor Induk Berusaha) is the business identification number issued through OSS and functions as the company's business license. The NPWP is the tax identification number issued separately by the tax office, now managed through the Coretax system. A company needs both, and one can be active while the other is inactive or unregistered.

Can foreigners check Indonesian company records themselves?

Partially. The OSS public portal gives free basic status checks anyone can run. Deed history, shareholder changes, and litigation records sit in systems that generally require a notary or lawyer's paid access, which is why most foreigners commission a formal search rather than relying on self-checks alone.

How long does a company verification take?

A basic registration check takes one to two business days. Standard due diligence covering KBLI, shareholders, and tax status takes three to five days. Full due diligence including litigation and land title checks takes seven to ten days. Rush service is sometimes possible for an additional fee.

What is a PT PMA and why does it need extra checks?

A PT PMA is a limited liability company structured to allow foreign investment or ownership. It needs extra checks beyond a standard PT because it must meet minimum paid-up capital requirements, comply with foreign ownership caps under the current Positive Investment List, and avoid illegal nominee shareholding arrangements that leave foreign investors with no enforceable claim to their shares.

Can a company search reveal hidden debts or lawsuits?

It can surface litigation that appears in the Supreme Court decision directory and relevant district court records, but that database has gaps and isn't always current. It generally cannot reveal informal debts, private loan agreements, or personal guarantees a director has taken on outside the company's formal records.

How much does an Indonesia company background check cost?

A basic registration check runs USD 150 to 300. Standard due diligence covering shareholders, tax status, and license detail runs USD 350 to 600. Full due diligence including litigation and land title checks runs USD 700 to 1,500 or more, depending on how many entities and how much history is involved.

What is a nominee shareholder and why is it risky?

A nominee shareholder is an Indonesian citizen who holds shares on paper for a foreign investor who cannot legally hold them directly in that sector. It's risky because the arrangement usually has no enforceable backup document giving the foreign party real rights, so if the relationship breaks down, the nominee legally owns the shares outright.

We run these searches as part of our wider visa and legal services in Bali, and the same team is available to walk you through findings before you sign anything. If the company you're checking is also meant to sponsor your stay in Indonesia, it's worth reading our guide on work permits and residence visas alongside your due diligence, since a licensing problem in one often points to a problem in the other. You can see who handles these files on our About page.