Can I open a business in Bali without a KITAS?
Anonymous
I want to start a small business in Bali but I don’t have a KITAS yet — I’m currently just visiting on a tourist visa. Can I actually set up and own the company now, or do I need to sort out my visa/immigration status first before I’m allowed to do anything?
1 reply
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Kevin Tan · Foreign Client Director · 12 June 2026
Yes — you can open the business without a KITAS. The confusion comes from mixing up two different things: owning a company and working in it.
What you can do without a KITAS:
- Be a shareholder of a PT PMA. Foreign shareholders don't need to be resident in Indonesia, and much of the incorporation can be handled remotely via power of attorney and the notary.
- Be appointed as a director or commissioner on paper as part of the company structure.
What you cannot do without a KITAS:
- Work in or actively manage the company day to day on Indonesian soil. Running operations on a tourist visa is exactly the informal arrangement that gets foreigners in trouble in Bali.
So the clean sequence is shareholder-first:
- Set up the PT PMA with you as a foreign shareholder — done largely from abroad.
- Once the entity is live, process your operational visa: an Investor KITAS off your shareholding, or a Work KITAS if you'll be employed by it.
- Then you can be on the ground, legally working in your own business.
This order also helps your cash flow and timing — you're not paying for a visa before the company that sponsors it even exists. Tell us your situation and we'll sequence the company and the KITAS so there's no illegal gap in the middle.