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What is the difference between an investor's KITAS and a worker's KITAS?

We suggest considering the situation using the example of a diving instructor who decided to teach scuba diving to tourists. In this article, we will analyze the fundamental differences between the two KITAS visas — investor and work visas, and find the best visa option for our instructor.

An investor's KITAS can be obtained by foreigners who are willing to invest money in a company registered in Indonesia and wish to manage it. In this case, a diving instructor can open a dive center in Bali. 

To do this, he needs to:

  • Open a PT PMA company.

  • There must be at least 2 founders, one of whom is himself.

  • The company's capital should be at least 10 billion rupees.

  • The amount of issued and paid—in capital must be at least 25%.

  • The investor must own a stake of more than 1,125,000,000 rupees invested in shares. 

However, opening a company does not give him the right to work in it. With the investor KITAS, the instructor can act as a leader: manage employees, set tasks, monitor performance, sign documents, communicate with suppliers, rent new premises, organize work processes and pay salaries. He has no right to work directly with tourists. Employees will have to do this.

KITAS Investor is an excellent visa option for those who want to open a business in Indonesia. Bali is one of the five most investment-attractive places in the world according to Forbes, and registering a company here can be a successful investment in your future.

Learn more about the registration of the PT-PMA company.

Learn more about how to get an investor visa

Working KITAS is a visa that allows foreigners to work and earn income in Indonesia. But there is a caveat here: only a person who is officially employed in an Indonesian company can get such a visa. That is, our dive instructor will not be able to get a visa to work for himself. To get a work permit, he will have to find an employer.

A foreigner can get a job as an employee in a company with foreign investments PT-PMA, if he is not its co-founder and obtain a work permit.

Learn more about what is needed to obtain a KITAS work visa

For some professions, such as diving instructor and many others, there is another type of visa — Freelance KITAS, which allows you to officially engage in commercial activities in Indonesia without an employer. We told you more about this visa in the article Freelance KITAS: who can work for themselves in Indonesia?

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