Government Simplifies Foreign Worker Permit Procedures
The government is simplifying the permit process for foreign workers. These permits will be processed through a single gateway, with a maximum resolution time of five days.
This policy was agreed upon through the signing of two Joint Decrees (SKB) by the Minister of Manpower, Yassierli; the Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services, Agus Andrianto; and the Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Head of BKPM, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani.
The two Joint Decrees serve as the legal basis for unifying foreign worker permit services across ministries.
“The government aims for a maximum completion of five days once the Online Single Submission (OSS) service is integrated as the primary access point for foreign worker permits,” said Rosan, as quoted on Wednesday (9/9/2026).
Under this connected scheme, business actors will eventually be able to submit all stages through a single system without needing to switch between various ministerial platforms. The implementation of this integration is scheduled to begin in late September 2026.
According to Rosan, the simplification of permit procedures provides time certainty for investors.
“This [foreign worker permit] will take approximately four to five days, which is in accordance with Government Regulation (PP) 28. I am confident it will be completed within five days; once that is done, the permit will automatically be issued. Therefore, this will provide certainty that five days means five days,” he asserted.
Through cross-ministerial cooperation, the government is integrating three service systems that have previously been used in the foreign worker permit process.
The OSS, under the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming/BKPM, will be linked with the Manpower Service Information and Application System (SIAPkerja) owned by the Ministry of Manpower.
Both will also be integrated with the All Indonesia Application under the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services.
To ensure implementation, the government has formed an Integration Technical Team tasked with overseeing the unification of the systems.
Rosan explained that accelerating foreign worker permits provides certainty to investors who require foreign expertise to support business operations in Indonesia.
The need for foreign workers, the Head of BKPM stated, still exists in several industrial sectors and is expected to simultaneously encourage the transfer of knowledge and technology to Indonesian human resources.
With a shorter and more interconnected workflow, the government hopes the investment climate will become increasingly attractive to foreign investors who require business certainty in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Manpower, Yassierli, stated that the integration of OSS services is a form of collaboration between three ministries to improve public services while supporting national investment growth.
In addition to simplifying the process for business actors, the unification of data will benefit the government in monitoring ongoing investments.
Through this integration, the government can access information regarding investment projections and the distribution of the Foreign Worker Utilisation Plan (RPTKA) that has been authorised.