The short version
Investor KITAS (E28) is a one or two year residence permit linked to your role as a shareholder in a PT PMA. The capital requirement ties back to the PT PMA's paid-up capital (minimum IDR 10 billion for most foreign investment companies) rather than to you personally. Renewable annually, family dependents added through separate Family KITAS applications.
Golden Visa (E28C) is a five or ten year residence permit aimed at individual investors and corporate directors committing substantial personal capital or company investment. Tier 1 for individual investors starts at USD 350,000 in qualifying instruments for a five-year permit, USD 700,000 for ten years. Corporate directors of companies investing USD 25 million (5 year) or USD 50 million (10 year) also qualify.
When Investor KITAS is the right answer
Go with the classic Investor KITAS if any of these apply:
- Your PT PMA has met the IDR 10 billion paid-up capital threshold but you are not personally committing anywhere near USD 350,000 in additional liquid instruments.
- You want to keep the residence permit tied to the business rather than to a personal capital pool.
- You are comfortable with the annual renewal cycle.
- Your family will travel on Family KITAS dependents rather than needing inclusion on a single document.
For most early-stage PT PMA founders this is still the right path. The Golden Visa only becomes financially sensible once you are already committing capital at that scale.
When Golden Visa is the right answer
Go with the Golden Visa if any of these apply:
- You are committing USD 350k or more in qualifying Indonesian financial instruments (government bonds, listed shares, qualifying funds) in your own name, not just the PT PMA's operational capital.
- You want a single multi-year residence with no annual paperwork cycle.
- You want your family (spouse and dependent children) included on the visa rather than filed separately.
- You want the residence permit to be portable if you change or wind down your PT PMA.
- You are a senior executive of a multinational investing at the USD 25m+ threshold.
What the Golden Visa does not give you
A few things worth knowing before you write the cheque:
- Not citizenship. Golden Visa is a residence permit, not a path to an Indonesian passport.
- Not tax-free status. If you spend more than 183 days a year in Indonesia, you are an Indonesian tax resident regardless of which visa you hold.
- Not immediate. The Golden Visa still goes through VITAS and biometrics; it is faster once approved, but the approval itself takes similar time to a standard Investor KITAS.
How we pick for clients
Our intake question is blunt: how much personal liquid capital are you actually planning to commit to Indonesia in the next 12 months? If the honest answer is under USD 300k, the Investor KITAS is cleaner. If the answer is USD 350k or more and you want it to sit in Indonesia for at least five years anyway, the Golden Visa gives you a materially better residence package for the same capital.