Faster Gates, Tighter Oversight
The signing of a Joint Decree by three ministries on 9 September 2026 marks an important change in the management of foreign labour in Indonesia.
The Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry/BKPM, the Ministry of Manpower, and the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services agreed to integrate three systems: Online Single Submission (OSS), SIAPkerja and All Indonesia.
Previously, the three systems operated on their own separate tracks. Now, they are all connected into a single service chain to cut bureaucracy, provide certainty for investors, and strengthen oversight of foreign workers (TKA).
OSS becomes the single entry point for businesses. Applications to employ foreign workers are forwarded to SIAPkerja for examination and the issuance of the Foreign Manpower Utilisation Plan (RPTKA).
Once the manpower requirements are met, the process continues through All Indonesia for verification and the issuance of visas and stay permits in accordance with the regulations.
Under this model, applicants no longer have to move from one office to another repeatedly. It is the government systems that communicate and exchange data.
The government targets the entire process to be completed within a maximum of five working days. For the business world, this time certainty is crucial. It affects project schedules, investment costs, the mobilisation of experts, and production planning.
An integrated procedure can also reduce face-to-face meetings, narrow the space for brokers, and suppress unofficial levies.
However, from the immigration side, this integration must not be read merely as a service acceleration agenda.
Immigration is not simply an issuer of visas and stay permits. Immigration is the gatekeeper of the nation. Every ease of entry must be balanced with a stronger capacity for supervision.
The faster the gate is opened, the more carefully the state must recognise who is entering.
Every foreign worker carries important data: identity, nationality, expertise, travel history, the sponsoring company, position, workplace location, and contract duration. This data must be connected from the moment the application is submitted until the foreign worker leaves Indonesia.
RPTKA data must match the visa and stay permit. The approved position must be the same as the work actually carried out. The workplace location must match the documents. The sponsoring company must also genuinely operate and be accountable.
The system also needs to issue alerts when a stay permit is nearing expiry, when a foreign worker changes companies, works in a different location, or carries out activities not in accordance with the permit.