Indonesian rules for going abroad

Law 18/2017, zero placement cost, reporting duty for direct applicants.

Source: Law No. 18/2017 on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (UU 18/2017).

Zero placement cost

Article 30(1): "Pekerja Migran Indonesia tidak dapat dibebani biaya penempatan". A migrant worker cannot be charged placement costs. Anyone asking you to pay a "placement fee" for a job in Germany should be treated with caution.

Only authorised bodies may place workers

Article 49: placement only by the government agency (BP2MI/KP2MI, including government-to-government programmes), licensed private placement companies (P3MI) or companies recruiting for their own needs. Articles 69 and 81: private persons who place workers face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to Rp 15 billion.

Applying directly ("perseorangan")

The law explicitly provides for workers who go abroad without a placement company (Art. 1 no. 4). Under Article 63 they carry all employment risks themselves and must report to the labour authority and to the Indonesian representation abroad. A P3MI is not required for this route.

Students and trainees

Article 4(2)(b) excludes "students and trainees abroad" from the definition of migrant workers. Whether the law's placement rules apply to Ausbildung participants is our reading and is not officially confirmed.

Note: Since October 2024 the authority is a ministry (KP2MI, formerly BP2MI). Check kp2mi.go.id for current registration requirements.