CLAN
CLAN Indonesia business permits & compliance
Work & stay permit for expatriate staff

Work KITAS (RPTKA) for Expatriates in Bali & Indonesia

To legally employ a foreigner — a director, a specialist, or yourself as a working founder — your PT PMA needs an approved RPTKA work plan and a Work KITAS for each person. It's also the permit most often caught in the 2026 OSS fallout: when a company's account is blocked, director and staff renewals stall. CLAN handles the full RPTKA-to-KITAS chain and the renewals, in English.

Arrange a Work KITAS or call +62 853-1365-1587
RPTKA work-plan approval
Full work permit + KITAS
Renewals when OSS is blocking
Handled in English
Kevin Tan

Written by Kevin Tan , Foreign Client Director

Last updated: 24 June 2026

What it takes to employ a foreigner legally

Employing a foreign national in Indonesia isn’t a single permit — it’s a chain. The employing PT PMA first needs an approved RPTKA (Rencana Penggunaan Tenaga Kerja Asing), the plan that justifies each foreign position. It then pays the DKP-TKA work-permit levy (commonly USD 100 per position per month). Only then can the Work KITAS — the stay permit itself — be issued for the individual. Skip a link and the employment isn’t legal, however senior the person.

This applies whether you’re bringing in a specialist, appointing a foreign director who draws a salary, or — very common in Bali’s agency and hospitality scene — formalising a working founder who has been operating on the wrong visa.

The RPTKA-to-KITAS chain

The work-permit chain, in order
RPTKA work plan approved Justify the position
DKP-TKA levy paid USD 100 / position / month
Work permit / notification Manpower
Work KITAS issued Stay permit in passport

Each step depends on the one before it — and all of them read from a valid company profile in OSS.

Not every role qualifies. Indonesia reserves certain positions for citizens, and each foreign position has to be defensible in the RPTKA — frequently with a knowledge-transfer or local-understudy element. We check the role and job title against what can actually be approved before you make hiring promises.

Why renewals are failing in 2026

A pattern we’re seeing repeatedly this year: a Work KITAS renewal that should be routine suddenly won’t process, and the employee panics — even though their own paperwork is perfect. The cause is almost always on the company side. The work-permit chain reads from your PT PMA’s profile in OSS, so if your OSS-RBA account is blocked or your KBLI wasn’t migrated by 18 June 2026, the renewal hits a wall.

The fix isn’t to push harder on the immigration side; it’s to repair the company status first. We diagnose whether a renewal failure is really an OSS or KBLI problem and, if so, route it through KBLI 2025 Migration & OSS Recovery before resubmitting.

What CLAN handles

  • RPTKA preparation and approval — building a defensible foreign-worker plan and getting it through manpower.
  • DKP-TKA and work permit — the levy and the work-permit/notification step managed for you.
  • Work KITAS issuance — the stay permit through to the card and registrations, per employee.
  • Founder advice — for shareholders who also work, we weigh Work KITAS vs Investor KITAS so you don’t pay the levy unnecessarily.
  • Renewals and rescue — ongoing renewals, and unblocking the company-side problems that stall them.

Related services

Investor KITAS PT PMA Company Setup KBLI 2025 Migration & OSS Recovery LKPM Reporting & Capital Lock-Up

Work KITAS — frequently asked questions

What is a Work KITAS and what is RPTKA?

A Work KITAS is the limited stay permit that lets a foreign national be employed in Indonesia. Before it can be issued, the employing company needs an approved RPTKA (Rencana Penggunaan Tenaga Kerja Asing) — the foreign-worker utilisation plan that justifies the position — and must pay the DKP-TKA work-permit levy. The RPTKA, levy and KITAS together make the employment legal.

What is the DKP-TKA levy?

DKP-TKA is the compensation fund levy for employing a foreign worker, commonly USD 100 per position per month, paid for the duration of the position. It is part of the work-permit framework and is separate from the Investor KITAS route, which does not require it.

Can any position be filled by a foreigner?

No. Indonesia restricts certain roles to citizens, and each foreign position must be justified in the RPTKA, often with a local-understudy or knowledge-transfer element. We assess whether your intended role and the job title can be approved before you commit to hiring.

Why are my Work KITAS renewals suddenly failing?

The most common 2026 cause is a company-side problem: a blocked OSS-RBA account or a KBLI that wasn't migrated by the 18 June 2026 deadline. Because the work-permit chain reads from your company profile, an OSS issue stops renewals even when the employee's own documents are fine. The fix is to repair the company status first.

As a working founder, should I get a Work KITAS or an Investor KITAS?

If you own shares, the Investor KITAS is often simpler and avoids the DKP-TKA levy; if you're primarily an employee, the Work KITAS fits. Many founders are both, so the right answer depends on your shareholding and how you're paid. We advise on the cleanest combination.

How long does a Work KITAS take and how long is it valid?

With RPTKA approval in hand and complete documents, the permit chain typically takes a few weeks; validity is usually up to 12 months and renewable, tied to the RPTKA period. Timing depends on manpower and immigration processing and on your company's compliance status.

Hire your foreign team the legal way

From the RPTKA work plan to the KITAS in each passport — and the renewals when an OSS problem is in the way — we run the whole chain. Tell us the roles you're filling and we'll map the permits.

Talk to us about Work KITAS

or reach us at +62 853-1365-1587 · clan.qu34@gmail.com