How to Start a Planning Consultant Firm in Indonesia

A planning consultant firm is a construction services business entity that provides consulting services for the planning phase of construction work, covering studies, design, and technical documentation, as governed by Law No. 2 of 2017 on Construction Services. The scope is broad: architecture, civil engineering, integrated engineering, landscape architecture, and regional planning all fall under this category.

Setting one up involves two legal tracks running in parallel: business entity legality (deed, business classification code, business license) and technical legality (the responsible professional’s work competency certificate, and the firm’s Business Entity Certificate, or SBU). One question comes up more than any other at the early stage: does a planning consultant firm need to lease a physical office, or is a virtual office address enough for domicile and SBU purposes?

What Is a Planning Consultant Firm Under Indonesia’s Construction Services Law?

A planning consultant firm under Indonesia’s construction services law is an individual or business entity appointed by a project owner to carry out construction planning work, from development studies through to the preparation of construction contract documents. Under Law No. 2 of 2017 on Construction Services, this activity falls under the category of Construction Consulting, which covers assessment, planning, design, supervision, and management of a building’s construction.

Law No. 2 of 2017 replaced the earlier Law No. 18 of 1999 on Construction Services, which has been revoked, so any reference still citing the 1999 law needs updating. The general classification for planning consultants spans four sub-fields: Architecture, Engineering, Integrated Engineering, and Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. If your firm is specifically focused on building architecture, the setup process has its own set of details covered in our guide to starting an architecture consulting firm in Indonesia.

What Are the Requirements to Set Up a Planning Consultant Business?

Three layers of requirements run in parallel to set up a planning consultant business: the business entity itself, the qualified professional, and the office domicile. In practice, many founders register the company first and only later discover the SBU cannot be issued without a certified professional already in the corporate structure.

• A PT or CV structure. A PT is more commonly chosen because shareholder liability is limited to the capital contributed, under Law No. 40 of 2007 on Limited Liability Companies. For teams weighing which structure fits, the comparison in 7 signs your business has outgrown its CV and needs a PT covers the trade-offs in full.
• At least one professional holding a Work Competency Certificate (SKK), named as the technical person in charge for the SBU application.
• A domicile address in a recognized commercial zone, since this data is verified by the OSS RBA system before the business license is issued.

How Do You Establish a PT for a Planning Consultant Firm Step by Step?

Five stages, and they have to happen in order. Skip ahead and you’ll end up circling back, because each document depends on the one before it.

1. Line Up Founders and Ownership Structure

A standard PT requires at least two founders under Article 7 of Law No. 40 of 2007. Ideally, at least one founder or director is a certified professional, or the company already has a firm commitment from one to serve as technical lead from the start.

2. Draft the Deed of Establishment with a Notary

The notary prepares a deed listing the company name, business purpose, management structure, and capital structure. The correct KBLI for planning consultant activities should be included at this stage to avoid a costly amendment later.

3. Register the Legal Entity with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights

Once the deed is signed, the notary submits it for legal entity approval through the AHU Online system at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. This step typically clears within a few business days if the documents are complete.

4. Register the Business License Through OSS RBA

The business identification number is issued through Indonesia’s risk-based OSS system once domicile, KBLI, and capital data are verified. As of June 5, 2025, the OSS RBA system operates under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 on Risk-Based Business Licensing, which replaced Government Regulation No. 5 of 2021.

5. Apply for SBU and Complete Professional Certifications

The final stage is applying for the construction planning consulting SBU through an LPJK-accredited certification body, attaching the professional’s Work Competency Certificate.

In practice, this document sequence sends many founders back and forth between the notary, OSS, and LPJK. For those who want the deed, KBLI, and business license aligned from day one, PT establishment services from vOffice support this process from initial consultation through license issuance, including KBLI selection matched to the intended SBU application. This PT package already includes a bonus virtual office at a special price, so you get a legally recognized business address the moment your company is officially established.

Which Business Classification Code Applies to Planning Consultants?

The business classification code for a planning consultant firm depends on its service line. For firms focused on building design, drafting, urban architecture, and landscape architecture, the relevant code is KBLI 71101, Architectural Activities. For firms focused on civil engineering, structural engineering, water resources engineering, or other technical consulting, the relevant code is KBLI 71102, Engineering Activities and Related Technical Consultancy.

Neither code falls under the single purpose category, meaning both can be combined with other codes in the same entity as long as each activity is genuinely carried out. A planning consultant firm offering both architectural and structural engineering services, for example, can register KBLI 71101 and 71102 under a single PT.

What Is an SBU and Why Does a Planning Consultant Firm Need One?

An SBU (Sertifikat Badan Usaha) is an official certificate issued by an LPJK-accredited certification body confirming that a business entity meets the competency and qualification standards required to provide construction services, including planning consultancy. The legal basis includes Government Regulation No. 14 of 2021 amending Government Regulation No. 22 of 2020, along with Regulation of the Minister of Public Works and Housing No. 6 of 2021 on Business Activity and Product Standards for Risk-Based Business Licensing in the Public Works and Housing sector.

Without an SBU, a planning consultant firm can technically still take on small private projects, but is effectively locked out of government tenders and most large corporate contracts that list the SBU as a mandatory bidding document. SBU classification for planning consultants has three qualification tiers: Small, Medium, and Large, which determine the maximum project scale and contract value the firm is eligible to bid on.

When Does a Planning Consultant Firm Need a Physical Office, and When Is a Virtual Office Enough?

A planning consultant firm is not required by regulation to lease a physical office. What regulation requires is a legally recognized domicile that matches its zoning, not a full-time operational workspace. This differs from a construction contractor, which often needs a physical site to store heavy equipment and is subject to direct field verification by industry associations or the certification body during the SBU application.

Because a planning consultant firm is a service business whose output is design documents, studies, and technical drawings rather than physical assets that need on-site storage, a virtual office address generally satisfies the domicile requirement listed in the articles of association and the OSS RBA verification, as long as the location falls within a commercial or office zone consistent with the local Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR).

The real risk to watch for is not whether a physical office is required, but whether the chosen address matches its zoning. A vOffice case study illustrates this pattern clearly: a trading and construction company had already picked an address that looked strategic and was reasonably priced, only to discover during zoning verification that the location sat in a zone inconsistent with its business activity, as detailed in the case study on RDTR zoning for a construction company’s virtual office address.

The same principle applies to other service-based businesses, as discussed in whether IT consultants in Indonesia need a physical office and whether resellers or dropshippers can set up a PT without a physical office.

How Much Capital and Cost Does Setting Up a Planning Consultant PT Require?

Minimum authorized capital for a planning consultant PT follows Article 32 of Law No. 40 of 2007, which is IDR 50,000,000, with at least 25 percent, or roughly IDR 12,500,000, paid up at incorporation. This is the legal floor, not a realistic benchmark for a firm planning to bid on tenders, since some government procurement packages require higher paid-up capital tied to the contract value being pursued.

The base capital is rarely the whole picture. Three costs tend to catch founders off guard:

• Notary and legal entity registration fees, which vary by notary and the complexity of the deed.
• Professional work competency certification fees, processed through the relevant professional association and certification body.
• SBU application fees at the certification body, which differ between accredited bodies and depend on the qualification tier requested.

Check out vOffice’s location options for virtual offices in Indonesia that are legally recognized for business registration:

• Virtual Office Jakarta
• Virtual Office Tangerang
• Virtual Office Bekasi
• Virtual Office Surabaya
• Virtual Office Bali
• Virtual Office Medan
• Virtual Office Bandung
• Virtual Office Batam

For firms specifically in the financial consulting space, or for more detail on certification costs, a similar breakdown is available in requirements to establish a financial consulting firm in Indonesia.