An education consulting firm is a business entity that provides non-teaching support services for education, such as study-abroad advising, career and vocational counseling, curriculum evaluation, or student exchange program coordination, rather than an institution that teaches directly like a school or tutoring center. That distinction determines the business classification code, legal entity, and address rules you need to follow from the start.
Key Takeaways
- An education consulting firm is different from a course provider or school. The correct business classification code (KBLI 85699 under the 2025 revision) falls under Other Education Support Activities, not formal or non-formal teaching institutions.
- The business entity must be a PT or CV, with a PT’s minimum authorized capital of IDR 50,000,000, at least 25 percent paid up, under Article 32 of Law No. 40 of 2007.
- An education consultant is not required by regulation to lease a physical office. A virtual office address is enough as long as it sits in a commercial zone consistent with the local RDTR and passes OSS RBA verification.
What Are the Requirements to Set Up an Education Consulting Business?
Setting up an education consulting business in Indonesia runs on three parallel tracks: the legal entity, the business classification code, and the domicile address. All three are cross-checked by the OSS RBA system, so a mistake in one can hold up the entire process.
- 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. The trade-offs are covered in full in 7 signs your business has outgrown its CV and needs a PT.
- A business classification code (KBLI) that matches consulting activity, not one written for formal or non-formal education that involves direct teaching.
- A domicile address consistent with commercial zoning, since this data is verified automatically by the OSS RBA system before a business license (NIB) is issued, under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 on Risk-Based Business Licensing.
Which Business Classification Code Applies to Education Consultants?
The business classification code for an education consulting firm under the 2025 KBLI revision is KBLI 85699, Other Education Support Activities Not Elsewhere Classified. This group covers education consulting services, vocational and career counseling, education evaluation and testing, curriculum development, and student exchange program coordination. It replaces code 85500 under the earlier 2020 KBLI structure.
This group does not cover direct teaching activity, which keeps it distinct from the codes used by course providers, tutoring centers, or private schools. Because migration between KBLI revisions is not always fully synchronized across every government system yet, I would still recommend checking this code directly in the OSS RBA KBLI directory before you register, rather than relying on a single number from this or any other article.
Notes from vOffice Consultants
Education consulting clients most often come to us after picking a course-provider or tutoring-center code by mistake, usually because their service description sounded close enough. That mismatch either holds up the NIB or forces a deed amendment later, both of which take longer and cost more than getting the code right at the notary stage.
Getting the code, deed, and NIB aligned from day one is exactly where founders tend to go back and forth between the notary and OSS. PT establishment services from vOffice support this process from initial consultation through license issuance, including KBLI selection matched to what the business actually does. This PT package already includes a bonus virtual office at a special price, so you have a legally recognized business address the moment the company is officially established.
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How Do You Establish a PT for an Education Consulting Firm Step by Step?
Four stages, in order. Skipping one usually means circling back, since 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. Deciding the shareholding and management structure early avoids a deed amendment later.
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 education consulting activity needs to be included at this stage.
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. 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 (NIB) is issued through Indonesia’s risk-based OSS system once domicile, KBLI, and capital data are verified. As of June 5, 2025, this system operates under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 on Risk-Based Business Licensing, which replaced Government Regulation No. 5 of 2021.
What Is the Legal Basis for an Education Consultant’s Business Domicile?
An education consultant’s business domicile sits on two layers of regulation: the company’s registered seat, and zoning compliance for the location itself. Article 5 of Law No. 40 of 2007 requires every PT to state a valid, verifiable seat of domicile in its articles of association.
On the zoning side, location compliance is now checked automatically by the OSS RBA system against the local Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR), under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025. Virtual offices themselves are recognized as a valid business address under Regulation of the Minister of Finance No. 147/PMK.03/2017, provided the address includes real physical facilities and administrative services rather than existing only on paper.
If an area’s RDTR is not yet integrated into OSS, business owners can apply for a Statement of Conformity for Spatial Utilization Activities (PKKPR) as a manual pathway, though it takes longer than automatic verification. For more on how zoning categories work, see what a virtual office is and its legal basis in Indonesia.
When Does an Education Consultant Need a Physical Office, and When Is a Virtual Office Enough?
An education consulting firm is not required by regulation to lease a physical office. What regulation requires is a legally recognized domicile matching its zoning, not a full-time operational workspace. This differs from a course provider or tutoring center that teaches directly, which typically does need physical classroom space for its actual teaching activity.
Because an education consulting firm is a service business whose output is advice, evaluations, and consulting documents rather than physical assets that need on-site storage, a virtual office address generally satisfies the domicile requirement in the articles of association and OSS RBA verification, as long as the location sits within a commercial or office zone consistent with the local RDTR.
| Condition | Virtual Office Is Enough | Physical Office Is Advisable |
|---|---|---|
| Service format | Study-abroad advising, career counseling, curriculum evaluation, mostly online or at the client’s location | The business also runs direct teaching, such as regular in-person prep classes or workshops |
| Team size | Small team, consultants work remotely or meet clients on-site | Large consulting team needing permanent workstations every day |
| Client meetings | Presentations and consultations handled through a meeting room as needed, or online | Institutional clients (schools, universities, education agencies) regularly need a permanent presentation space |
The real risk to watch for is not whether a physical office is required, but whether the chosen address matches its zoning. The same pattern applies to other consulting professions, as discussed in when a planning consultant firm needs a physical office.
Notes from vOffice Consultants
Prospective education consulting clients are often drawn to a shophouse address because it looks affordable, without first checking whether the zoning matches their KBLI. Mixed-use zones tend to look safe for any kind of business, but they still carry limits, so zoning is best checked before a lease is signed, not after the OSS process is already underway.
Check vOffice’s location options for a virtual office in Indonesia that is legally recognized for your business domicile:
- Virtual Office Jakarta
- Virtual Office Tangerang
- Virtual Office Bekasi
- Virtual Office Surabaya
- Virtual Office Bali
- Virtual Office Medan
- Virtual Office Bandung
- Virtual Office Batam
What Happens If the Business Address Doesn’t Match Its Zoning?
The main risk of an address that doesn’t match its zoning is a rejected or revoked NIB, since the OSS RBA system periodically re-checks location compliance against the RDTR. If a founder’s home address is used and it turns out to sit in a purely residential zone, that address can be rejected from the outset, and once it appears on the NIB, invoices, or a public company profile, it becomes information anyone can look up.
How Much Capital and Cost Does Setting Up an Education Consulting PT Require?
Minimum authorized capital for an education consulting 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. That figure is the legal floor and can be adjusted by agreement among the founders.
Beyond the base capital, a few cost items tend to only become clear once the process is underway: notary and legal entity registration fees, which vary by notary and the complexity of the deed, and domicile costs if a bundled package isn’t used. I can’t give a fixed figure for notary fees since they vary by notary and by city, so it’s worth confirming directly before you commit.
Ready to Set Up Your Education Consulting Firm with Complete Legality?
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- Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia. (2007). Law No. 40 of 2007 on Limited Liability Companies. Retrieved from
https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/39965 - Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia. (2025). Government Regulation No. 28 of 2025 on Risk-Based Business Licensing. Retrieved from
https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/319773/pp-no-28-tahun-2025 - Statistics Indonesia (BPS). (2020). BPS Regulation No. 2 of 2020 on the Indonesian Standard Industrial Classification. Retrieved from
https://bps.go.id/id/regulation/2020/09/30/3/peraturan-bps-nomor-2-tahun-2020.html - Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia. (2017). Regulation of the Minister of Finance No. 147/PMK.03/2017, as referenced in vOffice’s guide on the legal basis of a virtual office in Indonesia.
