Work Visa · Indonesia
Work KITAS in Indonesia (E23)
The E23 Work KITAS lets a foreigner live and work in Indonesia, employed by a local company that sponsors the permit. Hiring into Indonesia without an entity? Our EOR can be the employer.
Index E236 months to 2 yearsIndonesian employer sponsorsFamily included
Overview
What is the Work KITAS?
The Work KITAS, index E23, is the limited stay permit for foreigners employed by an Indonesian company. You hold an employment contract with a local entity — a PT, a PT PMA, or a representative office — and draw your salary from it. It’s the standard route for a job based in Indonesia.
The permit is tied to that employer, your role, and your work location. Changing any of them means a fresh application. The company sponsors you and carries the compliance, which is why a Work KITAS cannot be applied for on your own.
The sponsor
You need an Indonesian company to sponsor you
A Work KITAS rests on an Indonesian employer. The company applies for your work permit, the RPTKA, with the Ministry of Manpower, justifying why the role needs a foreign hire, and pays the monthly foreign-worker levy. Only after that does immigration issue the visa that becomes your KITAS. You cannot sponsor yourself.
If instead you want to run your own company, that’s the investor route — the E28A Investor KITAS, built on a PT PMA you own. And if you work remotely for clients abroad, the route is the E33G remote worker visa, not the Work KITAS.
Hiring in Indonesia without a local entity? A Work KITAS needs an Indonesian entity behind it. Whether you’re a company that wants to put staff on the ground here, or a professional without a sponsor, our Employer of Record becomes the legal employer. We hold the entity, sponsor the work permit and KITAS, and handle payroll, tax, and BPJS — so the hire is compliant without setting up a company.
Eligibility
Who can sponsor, and who qualifies
A Work KITAS has two sides to clear: the company sponsoring the role, and the foreign worker filling it. Both have to meet the rules before immigration issues the permit.
The employer
- A registered Indonesian entity — a PT, a PT PMA, a representative office, or another approved body. A foreign company with no Indonesian entity cannot sponsor directly.
- An approved RPTKA for the role, filed with the Ministry of Manpower, justifying why the position needs a foreign hire.
- The role has to be open to foreigners. Some positions — such as human resources — are closed by regulation.
- A commitment to employ and train Indonesians alongside foreign staff.
- Payment of the monthly foreign-worker levy, around USD 100 per worker.
The employee
- Qualifications and experience that match the role — usually at least five years in the field.
- Education or certification relevant to the job title approved in the RPTKA.
- A position that foreigners are permitted to hold.
- A passport valid for the required period, and a clean immigration record.
When the obstacle is the company side — usually a missing Indonesian entity — an Employer of Record clears it. The EOR is the registered employer that meets the company-side rules and sponsors the KITAS, which is how a foreign business hires staff in Indonesia without setting up its own entity.
What you can do
What a Work KITAS allows
It covers the job you’re sponsored for, and living in Indonesia around it.
Be employed and paid by your Indonesian employer
Enter and exit while your re-entry permit is valid
Bring your family to Indonesia
Travel and visit around the country
Hold investments
A path to a KITAP after several years
What it does not cover. The permit covers one employer and one role. You can’t take other jobs or do work unrelated to your contract, and you can’t sell goods or services unless your role directly requires it. A different job means a new permit under the new employer.
Work permit types
The RPTKA types and how long each lasts
The 2024 reform folded dozens of old work-visa codes into the single E23 for company-sponsored staff. What still varies is the work permit behind it, the RPTKA, which comes in a few types that set the duration and whether the monthly foreign-worker levy applies.
| RPTKA type | Duration | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary | 1 to 6 months | Short assignments, consultants, emergency or technical work |
| Long-term | Over 6 months, usually 1 to 2 years, extendable | The standard route for an ongoing role |
| Non-DKPTKA | Aligned to the role | Levy-exempt roles — director or commissioner who is also a shareholder, certain educational, social, or diplomatic posts |
| Special Economic Zone (KEK) | Up to 5 years | Roles in a KEK; a director or commissioner position can be granted once for as long as it is held |
Your KITAS runs for the same period as the work permit. We advise on which RPTKA type fits the role, and structure it so the duration and the levy work in your favor.
What to prepare
Documents for a Work KITAS
What you provide
- A passport valid for at least six months.
- A recent color photograph.
- Proof of financial means, around USD 2,000.
- Your qualifications and proof of relevant experience, legalised or apostilled.
- Your employment contract with the Indonesian company.
What the employer handles
- The RPTKA approval and the work permit notification.
- The Ministry of Manpower notification, completed within 90 days of arrival.
- The monthly foreign-worker levy.
Where we act as your Employer of Record, the employer-side items are ours to handle, and we prepare your personal set with you.
How it works
The work permit comes first
The employer secures the work permit before the visa is issued. We handle it for your employer, or act as your employer through our EOR.
1
File the RPTKA
The sponsoring company submits the Foreign Worker Utilization Plan to the Ministry of Manpower and justifies why the role needs a foreign hire. We prepare and file it.
2
Work permit and levy
On approval, the employer pays the monthly foreign-worker levy and receives the work permit notification — the basis for the visa.
3
Entry visa
Immigration issues the entry visa tied to the permit, for the role and company stated on it.
4
Arrival and KITAS
You give biometrics on landing and the e-KITAS is issued — valid 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years, matching the work permit.
5
Family and renewals
We arrange dependent permits for your family and handle renewals and the path to a KITAP. The whole process usually takes four to eight weeks.
Hiring into Indonesia? Our EOR sponsors the KITAS for you
If you want to put someone in Indonesia without setting up a PT, our Employer of Record becomes the legal employer in Indonesia, sponsors the work permit and the E23 KITAS, and runs payroll, tax, and BPJS. You direct the work; we carry the compliance.
Common questions
Work KITAS questions
The questions foreign workers and employers ask most.
What is the E23 Work KITAS?
It’s the limited stay permit for a foreigner employed by an Indonesian company. You hold a contract with a local entity, it sponsors your work permit, and the KITAS lets you live in Indonesia and do that job, for 6 months to 2 years.
Can I apply without an Indonesian employer?
No. The Work KITAS needs an Indonesian company to sponsor it, and you cannot apply on your own. If you have no local entity, our Employer of Record can be your legal employer and sponsor the permit. To run your own business instead, the Investor KITAS is the route.
How long is it valid?
6 months, 1 year, or 2 years — matching the work permit — and renewable. After holding it for the qualifying period you can move to a working KITAP for permanent stay.
Can I change employer on the same KITAS?
No. The permit is tied to one employer, role, and location. A new job means a fresh RPTKA and a new KITAS sponsored by the new employer.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. You can sponsor dependent permits for your family for the same period as your KITAS.
What if I work remotely for a foreign company?
Then the Work KITAS isn’t the right one. Working remotely for clients or an employer outside Indonesia is the E33G remote-worker visa. The E23 is for being employed by an Indonesian entity.
Who pays for the Work KITAS?
Usually the sponsoring employer, since the work permit, levy, and KITAS sit with the company. Where we act as your Employer of Record, the costs are built into that arrangement.
How long does a Work KITAS take to issue?
Typically four to eight weeks from when the RPTKA is filed to the e-KITAS being issued on arrival. Most of that sits with the work-permit and entry-visa steps before you fly.
Bringing someone to work in Indonesia?
Talk to our Indonesia team
Tell us whether you have an Indonesian entity in place. If you do, we run the RPTKA, the work permit, and the E23 KITAS through it. If you don’t, our EOR becomes the employer and sponsors the same permit — so the person can be working in Indonesia in four to eight weeks without a PT in the way.
Phone+62 21 2205 7930
OfficeSatrio Tower, Floor 6, Unit 5
RT.7/RW.2, Kuningan
Jakarta 12950, Indonesia
RT.7/RW.2, Kuningan
Jakarta 12950, Indonesia