Indonesia vs Thailand

Foreign investors typically set up a PT PMA (foreign-investment limited company), registered via the OSS system; sectors and minimum investment follow the investment 'positive list'. The company enables work-permit sponsorship.

Companies register with the Department of Business Development (DBD); a Thai limited company is common. The Foreign Business Act restricts foreign majority ownership in many sectors, though BOI promotion or the US Treaty of Amity can allow more.

Indonesian banking is modern with strong QR payments (QRIS). Foreigners generally need a valid KITAS/KITAP residency permit, proof of local address and an Indonesian phone number; a tax number (NPWP) is not required for a basic account but is increasingly requested. The OJK and Bank Indonesia regulate banks.

Thai banks are supervised by the Bank of Thailand. Foreigners can open accounts, but requirements vary widely by bank and visa type; a work permit or long-stay visa makes it much easier. PromptPay powers local instant payments.

Indonesia attracts foreign investment through the Ministry of Investment (BKPM / Invest Indonesia). The Positive Investment List sets which sectors are open, conditional or closed; most are open to foreign ownership. You set up a PT PMA (foreign-investment company) via the OSS system, and incentives include tax holidays and allowances.

Thailand attracts foreign investment through the Board of Investment (BOI), which grants incentives and can lift foreign-ownership limits. The Foreign Business Act restricts many services to minority foreign ownership unless BOI-promoted or licensed. Capital and profits repatriate through banks under Bank of Thailand rules; BOI projects enjoy tax holidays.

Indonesia's taxes are run by the Directorate General of Taxes: personal income tax, corporate tax and VAT. Tax residents (183+ days) are taxed on worldwide income, with some relief for new expatriate residents.

Thailand's taxes are run by the Revenue Department: personal income tax, corporate tax and VAT. Tax residence (180+ days) affects how foreign income is taxed, and recent rules changed the treatment of remitted foreign income.

Foreigners need a work permit (via employer sponsorship of a foreign-worker plan, RPTKA) and a limited-stay permit (KITAS) to work in Indonesia. Immigration and the Ministry of Manpower administer the process; investor and second-home routes also exist.

Foreigners need a non-immigrant visa plus a work permit to work in Thailand; the Immigration Bureau handles visas and the Department of Employment issues work permits. The LTR (Long-Term Resident) visa suits qualifying professionals and remote workers.

Indonesian student stays use education-related visa and limited-stay categories, commonly grouped under E30 subcategories covering basic and secondary education, higher education and exchange study. The school or university and the immigration basis must be aligned before travel. Sponsors or guarantors, admission letters, funds and passport validity vary by category and institution. Work rights are not automatic — verify the specific permission before any paid work.

International students in Thailand use the Non-Immigrant ED visa, based on acceptance by an accredited educational institution which supplies the supporting documents. Apply via the Thai e-Visa system or a Thai embassy. The part that trips people up is after entry: students extend their stay and report to immigration periodically. The visa is for study, not employment.

Entry to Indonesia depends on nationality, purpose, passport validity and which route you use — visa exemption, visa on arrival, e-visa or a visit visa category. The Directorate General of Immigration publishes the official country lists for exemption, visa on arrival and calling-visa handling, and the eVisa portal is the official online channel. Tourism permission does not authorise local employment or selling goods and services.

Many nationalities enter Thailand for tourism under a visa exemption or visa on arrival for short stays; others apply for a tourist visa, increasingly through the official Thai e-Visa system. All arriving travellers may also need to complete the digital arrival card. Tourist entry does not permit work.

Indonesia grants the permanent stay permit (KITAP) after generally holding a limited-stay permit (KITAS) for a few consecutive years, or directly for spouses of Indonesians and certain investors/retirees. It lasts 5 years and is renewable, lets you live and work per its basis, and eases banking and property matters.

Thailand offers permanent residence under a small annual quota (capped per nationality), open to foreigners who have held consecutive one-year visa extensions for at least 3 years, on work, investment, family or expert grounds. Alternatives for long stays include the Long-Term Resident (LTR) and Thailand Privilege (Elite) visas.

Naturalization in Indonesia requires at least 5 consecutive years of residence (or 10 years in total), Indonesian-language ability, acceptance of the state ideology (Pancasila), and a clean record. Indonesia does not allow dual nationality for adults, so you must renounce your former citizenship. Applications go through the Ministry of Law & Human Rights and are decided by the President.

Naturalization in Thailand is points-based and selective: you generally need permanent residence and about 5 years of continuous residence, proof of income and tax, and the ability to speak and sing in Thai (including the national and royal anthems). Applications are decided by the Ministry of the Interior with the Minister's approval.

Indonesian employment under the Manpower Law (as amended by the Job Creation Law) sets provincial minimum wages, a 40-hour week, 12 days' annual leave, and a religious-holiday allowance (THR). Severance follows a statutory formula; BPJS covers health and employment insurance, and disputes go to the Industrial Relations Court.

Thai employment under the Labour Protection Act sets province-based daily minimum wages, a maximum work week, at least six days' annual leave after a year, and severance pay that rises with length of service. Social security is compulsory, and disputes go to the Labour Court.

Indonesian trade clears through Customs (Bea Cukai) via the Indonesia National Single Window. Importers need an importer identification number (API) and customs access; goods are classified under the BTKI tariff for import duty plus import VAT (11%) and a PPh 22 prepaid income tax. Many goods are restricted (Lartas) and need permits.

Thai trade clears through the Customs Department's e-Customs system and the National Single Window. You register for a paperless customs account, classify goods under the ASEAN Harmonised Tariff for duty, and pay 7% VAT on imports. Controlled goods need agency permits; ASEAN and other free-trade agreements can cut duty.

Indonesian trademarks are registered with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP). Indonesia is first-to-file, so registering early matters. You file under Nice classes; the mark is published for a two-month opposition period, then substantively examined. An Indonesian trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; Indonesia is a Madrid Protocol member.

Thai trademarks are registered with the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and after examination the mark is published for a 60-day opposition period before registration. A Thai trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; Thailand is a Madrid Protocol member, and DIP also handles patents and designs.

Indonesian hiring runs through private employers, local networks and sector recruiters, with the manpower ministry providing labour information and workforce-data services rather than a dominant job board. The structural point for foreign candidates is that a contract is only one of three layers: the employer's foreign-worker utilisation plan and your immigration category both have to line up with it before the work is lawful. A second practical point is geographic — pay, language expectations and permit practice in the large cities differ sharply from smaller provinces, so advice about Jakarta does not transfer everywhere.

Working in Thailand as a foreigner normally takes two documents from two different places: a non-immigrant visa, and a work permit issued by the Department of Employment. Before either matters, though, there is a prior question — certain occupations are reserved for Thai nationals, so the first thing to establish is whether your occupation is open at all. A third variable is the employer: businesses promoted by the investment board operate under eased conditions, so the same job at two companies can involve different processes.

Indonesian salary planning has to be local: there is no single national minimum-wage figure to benchmark payroll against. Minimums are set through provincial and city or regency frameworks — UMP at provincial level and UMK at district or city level — which means Jakarta's rate cannot be treated as the national one, a substitution that is easy to make and wrong. For foreign hires, gross compensation should be coordinated with the visa basis, BPJS, withholding tax and any role-specific allowances.

Thailand's minimum wage combines two things at once: it is a daily rate, and it varies by province — so both the unit and the location have to be right before a figure means anything. It is decided by a tripartite wage committee under the Ministry of Labour, and some skilled occupations have separate, higher minimum standards on top. Pay is quoted gross, with personal income tax and social-security contributions applying, and official figures come from the Ministry of Labour and the National Statistical Office.

Indonesia's main scholarships for foreigners are the KNB Scholarship (the Developing Countries Partnership scholarship, for degree study) and Darmasiswa (a non-degree program for Indonesian language, arts and culture), alongside university awards; LPDP funding is mostly for Indonesians. Explore the KNB, Darmasiswa and university sites and apply by the deadline.

Thailand offers scholarships to international students through the Thai government and the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA, for students from developing countries), the postgraduate Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and individual university scholarships (such as at Chulalongkorn and Mahidol). Explore these routes and apply by the deadline.

To study in Indonesia you apply to the university, which helps arrange your study permit; you then receive a limited-stay visa (VITAS) and, after arrival, a limited-stay permit (KITAS) through immigration, with the institution as sponsor. Some programs are in English. Explore the university sites and apply by the deadline.

To study in Thailand you apply to the university, which issues an acceptance letter; you then apply for a Non-Immigrant ED (education) visa at a Thai consulate and, after arrival, report to immigration and extend the stay as needed (with 90-day reporting). Many international programs are in English. Explore the university sites and apply by the deadline.

In Indonesia, foreigners cannot hold freehold title (Hak Milik). Instead, a foreigner with a residence permit can hold a 'right to use' (Hak Pakai) over a house or apartment, or take a long lease; apartments can also be held via strata title within the rules. Purchases are handled by a land-deed official (PPAT) and registered at the land office (BPN). Renting is common and flexible.

In Thailand foreigners cannot own land, but they can own a condominium unit outright, subject to the building's 49% foreign-ownership quota, with the purchase price remitted from abroad in foreign currency. Land and houses are usually taken on a lease (commonly up to 30 years). Renting is easy; condo purchases are registered at the Land Department with a transfer fee.

Indonesia's system centres on JKN, the national health-insurance programme administered by BPJS Kesehatan, alongside public and private providers. The threshold to watch: foreign workers staying and working at least six months should check their BPJS enrolment obligations. The health ministry describes JKN as financial protection for basic health needs through a social-insurance mechanism — that word basic is why private insurance is commonly added for provider choice, evacuation or international coverage.

Thailand splits three ways by status. Thai nationals have universal coverage through the Universal Coverage Scheme and other public schemes. Foreign employees are generally covered by the Social Security system, which includes medical benefits. Everyone else — other foreign residents and visitors — is not covered by the public schemes and relies on private health insurance, which is widely used by expatriates. Note too that some long-stay visas require you to hold health insurance.

Indonesia has two separate BPJS organisations, and confusing them is the main pitfall: BPJS Kesehatan runs JKN health coverage, while BPJS Ketenagakerjaan runs employment social security. The latter lists wage-recipient programmes covering employment injury, death, old-age, pension and job-loss protection. Foreign workers employed for at least six months are specifically referenced in its registration guidance. Private health, life, travel, property and liability policies stay separate, with their own exclusions and claim rules.

Thailand's Social Security system, run by the Social Security Office, gives employees a bundle of five benefits: medical care, maternity, disability, unemployment and old-age pensions — funded by contributions shared with the employer, so the payslip line is your half. Compulsory motor third-party insurance is required for vehicles and is known locally as Por Ror Bor, which is the term you will actually encounter. Insurers are regulated by the Office of Insurance Commission.