What is the Indonesian Golden Visa, and is it worth it?
A long-stay route for investors who commit at defined levels. It buys time and simplicity, not a single property right a cheaper KITAS would not also unlock.
"Golden Visa" is a marketing label, not a legal category. It refers to the five and ten year tiers inside the existing E28 (investor) and E33 (Second Home) families, longer validity in exchange for a materially higher financial commitment.
The most important thing to understand: it is still an ITAS. A long one, but temporary and renewable, not permanent residence. If permanence is the goal, ITAP is a different question.
The two families it sits in
Investor tiers (E28). Some official listings show E28B, E28C and E28D doubling as Golden Visa investor tiers with higher thresholds and 5–10 year validity. This is an area where published sources are not fully consistent, so confirm the current tier structure at the point of filing rather than relying on any summary.
Second Home tiers (E33). E33 and E33A–E33D cover the standard financial-commitment tier plus government-invited experts, specialised-skills collaborations, and internationally recognised figures.
What the ordinary investor route requires
For a standard investor ITAS rather than a Golden tier, the commonly cited minimum personal shareholding for ordinary PT PMA share-based routes is around IDR 10 billion. Verify the current figure, as these are revised periodically.
That is a different number from the company's own paid-up capital requirement. Immigration eligibility and corporate capital rules are separate regimes with separate regulators, and conflating them is a routine error.
Standard investor ITAS ordinarily runs around two years. Golden tiers run five or ten.
What it does not do
| Assumption | Reality |
|---|---|
| "It's a work permit" | No. No E28 sub-index is a blanket work authorisation for other business activity |
| "My property counts as the investment" | No. Property ownership alone does not qualify as a PT PMA investment |
| "It's permanent residence" | No. It is a long ITAS |
| "It covers running the business day to day" | Check. That may need separate RPTKA/manpower authorisation |
That second row matters enormously for the readers of this site. Buying a villa is not an investment basis for an investor visa. The investment has to be a qualifying corporate structure, registered and in good standing on OSS with a live NIB.
Is it worth it
If you already need a PT PMA for a genuine business, the investor route is the natural permit and the longer tiers reduce renewal friction.
If you are buying property to live in and have no operating business, the Second Home route is usually the more honest fit. You are buying residence with a deposit rather than constructing a company to justify a visa.
Building a company purely to obtain a visa, with no real business behind it, is a structure that has to survive scrutiny at OSS, at the tax office, and at renewal. It frequently does not.
Timeline
The visa stage itself is commonly reported at around 5 working days after payment once the file is complete. Company incorporation, OSS/NIB registration and capital evidence are the real timeline, and they come first.
What it is
The Golden Visa is a long-stay residence route for individuals and corporate investors who commit capital at defined levels. In exchange it offers multi-year permits without the sponsorship arrangements a conventional KITAS requires.
The appeal is simplicity and duration rather than any right the cheaper permits do not also confer.
The categories
| Category | Broad basis |
|---|---|
| Individual, non-corporate | Investment in Indonesian government securities or equivalent instruments |
| Individual, corporate | Establishing a company in Indonesia at a defined investment level |
| Corporate investor | Company-level investment, with permits for directors and commissioners |
| Global talent and former citizens | Separate qualifying criteria |
Thresholds vary by category and by validity period, with the longer permits requiring larger commitments. The figures have been revised since launch, so confirm the current tiers before planning.
What it does not do
It is a residence route, not a work permit. What you may do commercially still depends on the underlying structure and on any work authorisation attached to it.
It does not change the property rules. A Golden Visa holder faces the same position as any other foreigner: no freehold, with Hak Pakai, leasehold and PT PMA structures as the available routes.
Is it worth it?
For most property buyers, no. If the objective is residency sufficient to support Hak Pakai, a conventional KITAS achieves that at a fraction of the capital commitment.
The Golden Visa earns its place where the capital is going to be committed anyway, where the buyer wants to avoid company formation and annual sponsorship arrangements, or where the multi-year validity has genuine value against the friction of repeated renewals.
The capital question
Funds committed to qualify are funds not working elsewhere. Assess the opportunity cost honestly against what a KITAS costs to obtain and maintain, and be clear about what the premium is actually buying.
For someone spending part of the year here, the calculation frequently favours the simpler permit. For someone relocating permanently with substantial capital, the arithmetic changes.
Common questions
What is the Indonesia Golden Visa?
It is a long-stay residence route for individuals and corporate investors who commit at defined investment levels, offering multi-year permits without the usual sponsorship requirements.
How much do you need for the Indonesia Golden Visa?
Thresholds vary by category and by whether you establish a company or invest in government securities. The figures are substantial and have been revised, so confirm the current tiers.
Is the Golden Visa worth it?
It buys time and simplicity rather than any property right a cheaper permit would not also unlock. For buyers whose main need is residency to support Hak Pakai, a KITAS is usually the cheaper answer.
Does the Golden Visa let you work in Indonesia?
It is a residence route. What you may do commercially still depends on the underlying structure and any work authorisation attached to it.
Want me to find you the right one?
Tell me what you are looking for and I will come back to you personally. Four questions, about ten seconds, then it opens straight into my WhatsApp.
Kai, Bali property adviser