Indonesia runs a two-layer system rather than one register. Corporate existence is recorded by the Direktorat Jenderal Administrasi Hukum Umum (Directorate General of General Legal Administration, AHU) of the Kementerian Hukum (Ministry of Law) through the Sistem Administrasi Badan Hukum (Legal Entity Administration System), while the right to trade is recorded by the Kementerian Investasi dan Hilirisasi/BKPM (Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry) in the Online Single Submission system, which issues the Nomor Induk Berusaha (Business Identification Number, NIB). Basic corporate and beneficial-owner data can be searched free of charge on the AHU portal; deeds and ministerial decrees are obtained through the AHU system.

The official company register in Indonesia

The register of companies is maintained by the Direktorat Jenderal Administrasi Hukum Umum (Directorate General of General Legal Administration, AHU) within the Kementerian Hukum Republik Indonesia (Ministry of Law of the Republic of Indonesia). A limited liability company acquires legal personality not on filing but when the Minister issues a decree approving its deed of establishment, which the founding notary submits electronically through the Sistem Administrasi Badan Hukum (Legal Entity Administration System, SABH). The public entry point is ahu.go.id, with the company service at ahu.go.id/sabh/perseroan.

Indonesia therefore has one register maintained by AHU covering both companies and unincorporated business forms, organised in separate modules rather than separate institutions:

  • Badan hukum (legal entities) — Perseroan Terbatas, Yayasan and Perkumpulan, registered through SABH; cooperatives are registered through the dedicated service at koperasi.ahu.go.id.
  • Perseroan Perorangan (individual company) — the single-founder company introduced for micro and small enterprises, registered electronically without a notarial deed at ptp.ahu.go.id.
  • Badan usaha bukan badan hukum (business entities without legal personality) — Persekutuan Komanditer (CV), Firma and Persekutuan Perdata, which since 2018 must be registered with AHU rather than with the district court.

A plain sole trader is the exception: an usaha perorangan (individual undertaking) is not entered in the AHU register at all and exists administratively only through its NIB. The Online Single Submission system at oss.go.id, operated by the Kementerian Investasi dan Hilirisasi/BKPM under the risk-based licensing regulation, issues that NIB to every business actor — company, partnership or individual — and the NIB now also performs the function of the former Tanda Daftar Perusahaan (Company Registration Certificate). Any complete picture of an Indonesian business therefore combines the AHU record of its legal status with its OSS licensing record.

Legal forms that can be registered in Indonesia

Badan hukum — forms with legal personality:

  • Perseroan Terbatas, PT (Limited Liability Company) — the standard commercial form under Undang-Undang Nomor 40 Tahun 2007; capital divided into shares, shareholder liability limited to the shares subscribed, normally at least two shareholders, managed by a Direksi (Board of Directors) and supervised by a Dewan Komisaris (Board of Commissioners).
  • Perseroan Perorangan (Individual Company) — a one-person limited company created by the Job Creation reform for businesses meeting the micro and small enterprise criteria; a single founder is both shareholder and director, and registration is a simple electronic statement rather than a notarial deed.
  • Perseroan Terbuka, Tbk (Public Company) — a PT that has offered shares to the public or meets the shareholder and capital thresholds for a public company; additionally supervised by the Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (Financial Services Authority).
  • Perseroan Terbatas Penanaman Modal Asing, PT PMA (Foreign Investment Company) — not a distinct legal form but a PT with foreign shareholding, subject to the investment-sector rules and to a higher minimum investment value.
  • Perusahaan Perseroan, Persero (State-Owned Limited Company) — a limited company whose shares are majority-held by the State, formed to operate commercially.
  • Perusahaan Umum, Perum (State Public Corporation) — a wholly state-owned enterprise whose capital is not divided into shares, established to provide goods and services of public benefit.
  • Perusahaan Perseroan Daerah and Perusahaan Umum Daerah (Regionally Owned Enterprises, BUMD) — the provincial and municipal equivalents of Persero and Perum, established by regional regulation.
  • Koperasi (Cooperative) — a member-owned enterprise built on cooperative principles, with profit distributed according to members’ participation; legal personality is granted through the AHU cooperative service.
  • Yayasan (Foundation) — a non-profit legal entity with separated assets and no members, governed by a Pembina, Pengurus and Pengawas, used for social, religious and humanitarian purposes.
  • Perkumpulan (Association) — a membership-based non-profit legal entity, registered with AHU; commonly used by professional and community organisations.

Badan usaha bukan badan hukum — forms without legal personality:

  • Persekutuan Komanditer, CV (Limited Partnership) — one or more sekutu aktif (active partners) with unlimited liability who manage the business, and sekutu pasif or komanditer (silent partners) liable only up to their contribution. The most common small-business vehicle after the PT.
  • Firma, Fa (General Partnership) — a partnership trading under a common name in which all partners are jointly and severally liable without limit for the firm’s obligations.
  • Persekutuan Perdata (Civil Partnership, Maatschap) — a contractual partnership in which members pool assets or skills, typically used by lawyers, notaries, accountants and other professionals.
  • Usaha Perorangan or Usaha Dagang, UD (Sole Proprietorship) — an unincorporated business owned by one individual who is personally and fully liable; no AHU registration, only an NIB.

Foreign presence without incorporation:

  • Kantor Perwakilan Perusahaan Asing, KPPA (Foreign Company Representative Office) — a non-trading office that may only conduct liaison, market research and preparatory work for its parent.
  • Kantor Perwakilan Perusahaan Perdagangan Asing, KP3A (Foreign Trade Representative Office) — a representative office for trade promotion, agency and buying activities; both are licensed through the Online Single Submission system and neither may earn revenue in Indonesia.

Two changes matter for anyone working from older material: the Perseroan Perorangan did not exist before 2021, and the previous fixed minimum authorised capital for a PT no longer applies, so a company’s capital is now agreed by its founders subject to sector rules.

Information available from the register

The AHU search portal at ahu.go.id/pencarian/profil-pt offers name-based lookup across eight categories: Perseroan (companies), Perseroan Perorangan (individual companies), Yayasan (foundations), Perkumpulan (associations), Fidusia (fiduciary security), Pemilik Manfaat (beneficial owners), Badan Usaha Non Badan Hukum (entities without legal personality) and Partai Politik (political parties). The portal notes that accessible company data are the records held under the 2007 Limited Liability Companies Law; entities whose data pre-date the current system must be requested manually from the Directorate General.

For a registered company the record establishes its existence and identity: the exact registered name, the number and date of the deed of establishment, the number and date of the ministerial decree granting legal personality, the domicile, the authorised, issued and paid-up capital, the current articles of association and the history of approved amendments, and the composition of the Direksi and Dewan Komisaris together with the shareholders named in the deed. Entries for foundations, associations, cooperatives and unincorporated partnerships show the corresponding founding and registration particulars.

Indonesia is unusual in Asia in maintaining a searchable beneficial ownership layer. Under Peraturan Presiden Nomor 13 Tahun 2018 every corporation must identify and report its pemilik manfaat (beneficial owner) to AHU, and the Directorate General has opened this data to search through the same portal; the underlying declarations are supplied by ministries, by the corporation itself, or by the notary or authorised representative acting for it.

On the licensing side, the Online Single Submission system publishes a business-actor lookup, so an NIB can be checked and matched against the company recorded at AHU, together with the KBLI activity classification and risk level assigned to the business.

What the register does not disclose

The register holds no accounts. An ordinary Indonesian company does not file annual financial statements with AHU, so there is no public filing history of accounts comparable to European registers. Only companies in the categories set out in Article 68 of the Limited Liability Companies Law — public companies, companies that raise funds from the public or issue debt securities, state-owned Persero, and companies above the statutory asset threshold — must have their accounts audited and published, and listed issuers report instead to the Otoritas Jasa Keuangan and the Bursa Efek Indonesia (Indonesia Stock Exchange).

Full profiles, copies of deeds and copies of ministerial decrees are not open downloads: they are retrieved through the AHU system by the notary or the authorised representative of the corporation. Personal identity data of founders and officers, and the supporting documents attached to an application, are likewise not published in the public search.

Documents that can be obtained from the register

The documents that establish and evidence an Indonesian business come partly from AHU and partly from the notary who drew the constitutive deed, with the licensing documents issued by the Online Single Submission system.

  • Akta Pendirian (Deed of Establishment) — the notarial deed containing the founders, the initial capital and shareholding, the first officers and the full Anggaran Dasar. The primary constitutional document of a PT, CV, Firma, foundation or association.
  • Surat Keputusan Menteri tentang Pengesahan Badan Hukum (Ministerial Decree on Approval of Legal Entity Status) — the decree that brings the company into legal existence. It is the document counterparties and banks ask for as proof of incorporation.
  • Surat Keputusan or Surat Penerimaan Pemberitahuan Perubahan Anggaran Dasar (Decree or Receipt of Notification of Amendment to the Articles) — evidences approved or notified changes to the articles, capital, name, objects, domicile or officers, and shows which version of the articles is current.
  • Anggaran Dasar (Articles of Association) — the internal constitution setting out objects, capital structure, share classes, powers of the Direksi and Dewan Komisaris and general meeting procedure; used to verify signing authority.
  • Sertifikat Pendaftaran Perseroan Perorangan (Registration Certificate of an Individual Company) — the electronic certificate issued on registering a single-founder company, serving as its proof of legal personality.
  • Surat Keterangan Terdaftar Badan Usaha (Registration Certificate for an Entity Without Legal Personality) — the AHU certificate confirming registration of a CV, Firma or Persekutuan Perdata and the particulars of its partners.
  • Profil Perseroan (Company Profile) — the consolidated extract of the data held in the AHU system: identity, capital, articles history, officers and shareholders. The standard due-diligence document.
  • Salinan Akta (Official Copy of a Deed) — an authenticated copy of a notarial deed, including deeds recording shareholders’ resolutions such as share transfers, capital increases or officer changes.
  • Nomor Induk Berusaha, NIB (Business Identification Number) — the licensing identity issued through Online Single Submission, which also functions as importer identification and company registration; accompanied by the risk-based Sertifikat Standar (Standard Certificate) or Izin (Licence) for the relevant activity.
  • Data Pemilik Manfaat (Beneficial Ownership Record) — the reported beneficial owner of a corporation, used for anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official business register in Indonesia?

It is the register kept by the Direktorat Jenderal Administrasi Hukum Umum (Directorate General of General Legal Administration) of the Kementerian Hukum (Ministry of Law), operated through the Sistem Administrasi Badan Hukum and published at ahu.go.id. Business licensing is recorded separately in the Online Single Submission system at oss.go.id.

Can I check an Indonesian company for free?

Yes, to a point. The AHU portal allows a free name-based search of companies, individual companies, foundations, associations, unincorporated partnerships and beneficial owners. Full profiles, deeds and ministerial decrees are retrieved through the AHU system by a notary or an authorised representative of the corporation.

Are the accounts of Indonesian companies public?

Generally no. Ordinary companies do not file financial statements with the register. Publication and audit are required only for public companies, companies raising funds from the public or issuing debt, state-owned Persero and companies above the statutory asset threshold; listed issuers report to the Otoritas Jasa Keuangan and the Indonesia Stock Exchange.

What is an NIB and is it the same as company registration?

The Nomor Induk Berusaha is the single business identification number issued by the Online Single Submission system to every business actor. It replaces the former Tanda Daftar Perusahaan and serves as licensing identity, but it does not create legal personality — for a company that comes from the ministerial decree issued through AHU.

Are CV and Firma partnerships registered anywhere?

Yes. Since 2018 a Persekutuan Komanditer (CV), a Firma and a Persekutuan Perdata must be registered with AHU in the register of entities without legal personality, replacing the older practice of registration at the district court, and they appear in the AHU public search.

Can the beneficial owner of an Indonesian company be identified?

In most cases yes. Peraturan Presiden Nomor 13 Tahun 2018 obliges every corporation to identify and report its beneficial owner to AHU, and the Directorate General provides a Pemilik Manfaat search on its portal, subject to the completeness of the reports filed by the corporation.

Sources

Keywords

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