Frequently Asked Questions: #resident-director-requirement-pma

As a matter of company law, no — Indonesia does not impose a nationality requirement on directors of a PT PMA. A company needs at least one director and one commissioner; both may be foreigners, and the commissioner may reside abroad.

As a matter of practice, the question is really about residence and presence, not nationality:

• A director who actively manages the company from within Indonesia needs proper stay status and work authorisation — foreign or not
• Day-to-day administration assumes someone locally available: bank account mandates, tax administration (the Coretax person-in-charge), receiving official correspondence, signing where electronic signature will not do
• Certain regulated activities and licences expect an identifiable, reachable management presence

This is why many foreign-owned companies appoint a resident director — Indonesian or a foreigner with a KITAS — alongside, or instead of, principals who remain abroad. Powers of attorney cover some functions; they do not substitute for management presence across the board, and government systems increasingly assume a locally-registered individual.

Related questions we are often asked:

• Can director, commissioner and shareholder be the same people? The same person cannot be both director and commissioner (the roles supervise each other), but a shareholder can hold either office.
• Can Okusi provide the director? Okusi provides professional officeholder services under strict conditions, including full compliance oversight — this is a supervised arrangement, not a rubber stamp. Ask us for the conditions before assuming it fits.

#PMAcompany   #foreignDirectors   #foreignCommissioners   #corporateGovernance