We open the application on the building portal under your PT PMA.
Building approval (PBG) · Bali
PBG building permit in Bali
The PBG is the approval you need before you build in Bali. We handle it for you, from the zoning approval and the certified drawings through to the permit in hand.
Overview
What a PBG is
The PBG, short for Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung or Building Approval, is the permit that approves your building plans before construction starts. It confirms the design meets Indonesia's technical, safety, and zoning standards, and it is mandatory for any new build, extension, or major change.
The PBG replaced the old IMB in 2021 under Government Regulation 16/2021. The difference is more than a name: the IMB was a one-off permit to build, while the PBG is an approval tied to a technical standard that the building has to keep meeting. Applications are filed through the government's SIMBG portal, and the plans are checked against satellite zoning data, so a design that sits in a protected green zone will not pass.
Where it fits
The PBG comes after zoning, before you build
The PBG is one step in a fixed sequence, and it cannot be filed out of order. Zoning conformity comes first, then any environmental approval, then the PBG, then the SLF once the building is finished:
- KKPR, the zoning conformity approval, confirms your land use matches the spatial plan. It has to be in hand before the PBG.
- An environmental approval, usually an SPPL or UKL-UPL for a single villa, may be required depending on the scale of the build.
- The PBG approves the plans so construction can begin.
- The SLF certifies the finished building, and it cannot be issued without the PBG.
Because the PBG depends on the steps before it and gates the steps after it, it makes sense to plan the whole chain together. Our building permits guide lays out the full sequence.
Who applies
Foreigners apply through a PT PMA
A foreigner cannot apply for a PBG in their own name. The applicant has to be the party that holds the land rights, which for a foreign owner means a PT PMA holding the land under an HGB title. A leasehold on its own is not enough to apply, so the usual route is for the PT PMA to take an HGB over the leased land and apply as the company.
The company has to be in place first. Because the PBG is filed by the entity that holds the land rights, the PT PMA and the HGB title come before the permit. We set those up first, then apply for the PBG on the company's behalf.
What you need
The documents a PBG application needs
A complete package up front keeps the application out of revision cycles.
Land rights
Proof of the land title the build sits on, an HGB held by your PT PMA, or the lease it is built over.
Company documents
Your PT PMA deed, business number (NIB), and tax number (NPWP), consistent across OSS and SIMBG.
KKPR zoning approval
The zoning conformity approval confirming the land use matches the spatial plan.
Certified drawings
Architectural and structural plans signed off by a certified Indonesian architect (IAI) and engineer (SKA). Sketches are not accepted.
Environmental document
An SPPL or UKL-UPL, depending on the size of the project, covering its environmental impact.
Translations
Any foreign documents translated into Bahasa Indonesia, so the file is accepted without query.
How it works
How the PBG application works
The whole process runs through the SIMBG portal, in six stages.
Register on SIMBGFirst
Submit the applicationThen
We upload the land title, company documents, KKPR, certified drawings, and environmental document as one complete package.
Planning consultationNext
Your architect and the officials confirm the design meets the technical and spatial rules, and clear any questions.
Technical verificationReview
The building department checks the plans against safety, zoning, and environmental standards.
Pay the retributionPayment
Once the plans pass, the permit fee is issued and paid, and the proof is uploaded.
Receive the PBGIssued
The approval is issued through SIMBG, along with your building ownership certificate (SBKBG), and construction can begin.
Timeline and cost
How long it takes and what it costs
A complete PBG application is usually issued within 28 working days of submission, the statutory turnaround under PP 16/2021. The realistic end-to-end is six to eight weeks once you count the time to assemble certified drawings and get the KKPR in hand.
The cost has two parts. The government retribution scales with the building's area, function, and complexity, calculated by formula. On top of that sit professional fees: the certified architect and engineer (whose signatures the application requires), and the agent who runs the portal and the consultations. We quote our fee per project once we know the building footprint and the activity codes.
Common questions
PBG FAQs
Specific questions about the PBG application in Bali.
What is the difference between the PBG and the old IMB?
The IMB was a one-off permit to build, issued once and not revisited. The PBG, introduced by Government Regulation 16/2021, is tied to a technical standard the building has to keep meeting. Applications are now filed through the SIMBG portal, with satellite zoning checks against the spatial plan. IMBs issued before 2021 remain valid for the original build, but any new build or major change uses the PBG.
Can I apply for a PBG without a PT PMA?
Only if you're an Indonesian citizen applying for your own property. As a foreigner, the PBG applicant has to be a legal entity that holds land rights — which means a PT PMA holding an HGB title. A lease alone is not enough; the PT PMA usually takes an HGB over the leased land, and the company applies for the PBG.
How long does a PBG take?
The statutory turnaround is 28 working days from a complete submission, under PP 16/2021. End-to-end is usually six to eight weeks once you count the time to assemble certified drawings and get the KKPR zoning approval in hand. Anything that delays the file — missing translations, drawings that need a revision — extends the clock.
What does a PBG cost?
The government retribution scales with the building's area, function, and complexity, calculated by formula. On top sit the certified architect and engineer fees (their signatures are required on the drawings), and the agent fee. We quote our part per project once we know the footprint and the activity codes — there is no flat number that applies to every villa.
What happens if I build without a PBG?
A building without a PBG cannot get an SLF, which means it cannot be legally occupied or rented. The local government can issue a stop-work order, fines, and in serious cases an order to demolish. The rental platforms now check the SLF before a listing goes live, so the practical consequence is that the property either never starts earning or is removed from the platforms once the gap is spotted.
What if my villa is already built and there is no PBG?
You apply for the PBG and the SLF retrospectively. This is common with older Bali villas, and there is a path — provided the building can be brought up to current standards. Where it cannot, the first step is an honest assessment of what needs to be put right before it can pass. The cost is higher than a permit applied for from the start, but it is fixable, not a dead end.
Need a PBG for a Bali build?
Talk to our Bali team
A free, no-obligation consultation: thirty minutes with our Bali team to walk through the KKPR, the certified drawings, the SIMBG process, and how the PBG sits with the rest of the permit chain.
Emailbali@emerhub.com
Phone+62 812 3659 9997
OfficePertokoan Sunset Indah, Sanur Kaja
Jl. Sunset Road Kavling 4
Kuta, Badung Regency
Bali 80361, Indonesia
Jl. Sunset Road Kavling 4
Kuta, Badung Regency
Bali 80361, Indonesia