You are not ready to incorporate a company in Bali. You also are not just on holiday. You want time on the ground to visit sites, meet partners, and test whether a PT PMA is worth the capital. That is the gap the D12 Pre-Investment Visa is built for.
D12 is Indonesia's visit visa for pre-investment and early business exploration. It is not a work permit, not a digital nomad visa, and not a residence card. Used correctly, it lets you scout legally before you commit money. Used as a loophole for local work or remote invoicing, it can get you into the same trouble as any other mismatched visa.
This guide explains who D12 fits, how long you can stay, what Immigration actually allows, and how it sits next to D1/D2, E33G, and a full PT PMA path. For the wider map, start with the complete Bali visa guide and moving to Bali long-term.
What D12 is, in Immigration's words
On the official D12 visa page, Immigration describes it as a visit visa for pre-investment or starting a business, including field surveys and feasibility studies. You can also travel as a tourist and visit friends or family on the same visa.
It is a multiple-entry visit visa. You can enter and leave Indonesia more than once while the visa is valid. Each arrival gives you a stay of up to 180 days, counted from the date you enter, not from the date the e-visa was issued.
That last point matters. A D12 approved in March does not start your 180-day clock until you land.
What you can do on D12
Typical lawful uses, matching both Immigration and Bali Visa Hub's D12 service:
- Site visits, factory or office inspections, and land or villa walk-throughs
- Market research and written feasibility work
- Meetings with potential partners, suppliers, lawyers, and notaries
- Reviewing contracts you have not yet signed as a local operating company
- Tourism and family visits in the same trip
If the trip is really about inspecting villas or land, remember the visa does not decide how you hold property. Read Can Foreigners Buy Property in Bali? before you pay a deposit.
What you cannot do on D12
Immigration is explicit: holders must not sell goods or services, or receive wages, fees, or similar compensation from an individual or company in Indonesia.
That rules out:
- A paid job in a Bali cafe, villa, agency, or clinic
- Local freelance invoices to Indonesian clients
- Running the finished business as if the PT PMA already exists
- Treating D12 as E33G remote work for an overseas laptop job (that is a different index)
If you will be employed by an Indonesian company, you need a Working KITAS, not D12. If customers and payroll stay abroad, compare PT PMA vs Digital Nomad Visa before you apply.
How long can you stay?
Keep two clocks separate.
Visa validity (1 year or 2 years). This is the window in which you may enter Indonesia more than once. Immigration counts validity from the issue date. If you never use it in time, you apply again.
Stay per arrival (up to 180 days). Each entry starts a new stay period from the day you arrive.
One extension. Immigration currently says the stay can be extended once for another 180 days. In practice that can take a continuous visit toward about 12 months, subject to approval. A 2-year D12 does not mean two years on the island without leaving. It means a longer multiple-entry window.
After a long continuous stay, you usually need to exit (then you can return on the same visa if it is still valid). Overstay is billed per day. Check the overstay calculator and 2026 overstay fines if your dates are tight.
Who D12 is for
D12 fits if you:
- Are a foreign founder or investor not ready to incorporate
- Need months (not a 60-day meeting hop) for due diligence in Bali or elsewhere in Indonesia
- Plan a PT PMA later and want time to check KBLI, partners, and locations
- Will travel in and out over a 1-year or 2-year period
Choose something else if you:
- Only need short, repeat meetings: look at D1/D2 business visit visas (typically 60 days per entry)
- Are purely on holiday: B1/B2, C1, or VOA
- Will live in Bali on overseas income without a local company: E33G
- Already have (or are about to have) a local employer or qualifying shareholding: Investor or Working KITAS
Documents and how to apply
Immigration currently lists D12 as not requiring a sponsor for the visa itself. You still need a proper file. Special supporting documents include a letter, invitation, or correspondence from a government agency or private institution that explains your relationship and purpose.
Typical documents from the official list and Bali Visa Hub's checklist:
- Passport valid at least 6 months (see passport validity rules)
- Proof of living funds: last 3 months of bank statements in your name, at least USD 5,000 (or equivalent)
- Recent colour photo
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Travel itinerary
- Invitation or correspondence as above
- Birth certificate if a child under 18 is applying with you
Apply through evisa.imigrasi.go.id while you are outside Indonesia. Official processing is described as about five working days after the visa payment is received. Weak photos, thin bank evidence, and a vague "business in Bali" story are common reasons files bounce. See Indonesia visa rejection: common reasons.
If you would rather not assemble the eVisa file yourself, Bali Visa Hub handles document checks and submission.
What it costs
Government PNBP on the official D12 page (confirm before you pay):
- 1-year stay option: IDR 5,000,000 (visa fee plus verification)
- 2-year stay option: IDR 7,000,000
Bali Visa Hub packages (service, document prep, and processing support; fees can change):
- 1-year regular: IDR 12,500,000 (up to 14 business days)
- 1-year extra fast: IDR 15,000,000 (about 2 to 3 business days)
- 2-year regular: IDR 16,000,000
- 2-year extra fast: IDR 21,000,000
Those agency figures are not the same as the government tariff. Ask for a current quote for your nationality and whether you need 1-year or 2-year validity.
D12 vs the visas people confuse it with
D12 vs D1/D2. Both are visit visas for business-related trips. D1/D2 is the meetings-and-negotiations path, usually 60 days per entry. D12 is the pre-investment / feasibility path, with 180 days per entry. If you only fly in for a board meeting, D12 is usually more visa than you need. If you need a season in Canggu to stress-test a cafe or clinic idea, D1/D2 is usually too short.
D12 vs tourist visas. A tourist category is for tourism and permitted social visits. Structured due diligence, factory tours, and investment meetings belong on a visit index that matches that purpose.
D12 vs E33G. E33G is for remote work paid from outside Indonesia. D12 is for scouting a local investment. You should not use D12 as a cheaper nomad visa, and you should not use E33G to run a Bali company.
D12 vs PT PMA / KITAS. D12 does not create a company. A PT PMA does not create a visa. Immigration currently states that D12 stay cannot be converted into a limited stay permit (KITAS). After the company exists, Investor or Working KITAS is a separate application. Do not assume you can switch indexes in-country. Read Can You Switch Visa Types While in Indonesia? and, if a gap appears, bridging visas.
After D12: the usual sequence
A clean path for many founders looks like this:
- Scout on D12 (sites, partners, KBLI, capital reality)
- Incorporate a PT PMA when you are ready to operate locally
- Apply for Investor KITAS or Working KITAS based on shareholding and role
- Keep tourism, remote work, and local operations on the index that actually matches them
Skipping step 1 and incorporating "just to get a visa" is expensive. Skipping steps 2 and 3 and operating on D12 is the other common mistake.
Common mistakes
- Using D12 to take a salary or issue local invoices
- Confusing a 2-year visa with two years of uninterrupted stay
- Applying from inside Indonesia when the file needs to be lodged offshore
- Bank statements under USD 5,000, or not in your name
- No invitation or correspondence that explains the pre-investment purpose
- Buying property and assuming that equals an investor visa
- Planning a silent "conversion" to KITAS that Immigration does not allow on this index
- Letting the 180-day clock run out. Extensions are not automatic.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a local sponsor for D12?
Immigration currently says no sponsor is required for the D12 visa application. You still need supporting correspondence from a government body or private institution, plus the standard identity and funds file. An agent can still prepare and lodge that file.
Can I convert D12 into a KITAS?
Not as a simple upgrade of the same permit. Official wording is that D12 stay cannot be transferred into limited stay (KITAS). Once a PT PMA exists, you start a new Investor or Working KITAS process with the right shareholding or employment papers.
Does the 180 days start when the visa is issued?
No. Immigration counts from the date of arrival. Visa validity (1 or 2 years) is a separate clock from issue date.
Can my spouse and children use my D12?
Each person applies on their own file. Family members often need a matching visit category or, later, a dependent permit tied to a KITAS. They do not automatically ride on your D12.
Can I work remotely for my foreign company while scouting?
D12 is not designed as a remote-work permit. If the main activity is overseas employment, look at E33G. Mixing "I'm just checking email" with a six-month scouting stay is how people end up in a grey area. Be honest about the primary purpose.
What if my extension is refused?
You must leave within the stay you still have. Do not wait at the airport to argue it. Unlawful extra days trigger overstay fines.
Ready to scout Bali before you invest?
If your next six months are about due diligence, not a job and not a holiday, D12 is usually the right conversation. Share your nationality, whether you need 1-year or 2-year multiple entry, and whether a PT PMA is likely this year.
Contact Bali Visa Hub with that outline, or start on the D12 Pre-Investment Visa page. We can check the file against current Immigration rules and coordinate company setup when you are ready to stop scouting and start operating.
This article is general information, not legal, tax, or investment advice. Visa indexes, PNBP fees, and stay rules can change. Confirm current requirements on imigrasi.go.id and with a qualified adviser before you apply or wire capital.
