How to check if an Indonesian company is real: AHU, OSS and NIB explained

Published 2026-11-15

Before you send money, ship goods or sign a contract with a company in Indonesia, it helps to confirm that the company exists, that it is registered to do what it says it does, and that the person you are talking to is connected to it. Indonesia has several official systems for this. This guide explains the main ones by name, what each tells you, and what each does not.

Rules, portals and fees change. Where this guide names a system, check the current official portal before you rely on it.

Step 1: the company registration (AHU)

The most common form for trading companies is the Perseroan Terbatas (PT), a limited liability company. A standard PT is established by a notarial deed and approved by the Ministry of Law (Kementerian Hukum). A PT Perorangan (single founder, micro or small business) is registered in AHU by an electronic statement of establishment, without a notary.

What an AHU record can show:

• The company name and legal form.
• The establishment deed and any approval or registration number.
• The registered address.
• Company officers such as directors and commissioners, and later changes to them, as recorded.

What it does not confirm:

• That the company is operating today.
• That the person you are dealing with is a director or has authority to sign.
• That the company is financially sound.

Ask the company for its deed numbers and the ministry's approval or registration number, then compare them with what the official system shows. If the company cannot or will not share them, note that as a fact in your file.

Step 2: the business identification number (NIB) and OSS

Businesses in Indonesia generally register for a Nomor Induk Berusaha (NIB), the business identification number, through the OSS system (Online Single Submission, run by the government investment and licensing authorities). The NIB works as the business's identity for licensing purposes, and depending on the activity it may sit alongside further licences or permits.

What the NIB and OSS data can show:

• That the business registered through OSS and holds a number.
• The business activities registered, listed by KBLI codes.
• Which licences or permits are attached, where the system shows them.

KBLI (Klasifikasi Baku Lapangan Usaha Indonesia) is the standard classification of business activities. Compare the KBLI codes with what the company says it does. A company that sells chemicals but has registered activities that have nothing to do with chemicals is worth a question. It is not proof of anything. Companies often register broad activities, and the codes are updated from time to time, so check the current KBLI edition and the current OSS portal.

What it does not confirm: that the company has the stock, staff or capacity to deliver, or that the licences are enough for your specific deal.

Step 3: tax registration (NPWP)

Companies are also registered with the tax office and receive a Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak (NPWP). Ask for the company's NPWP and check that the name and address on the tax registration match the legal name and address in AHU and OSS. The tax authority offers official ways to check an NPWP, and these have changed over the years, so use the current official channel.

What a matching NPWP shows: the company is registered as a taxpayer under that name. What it does not show: that taxes are paid up. Do not ask for, and do not store, more tax information than your check needs.

Step 4: compare the documents with each other

Real companies leave a consistent trail. Put the documents side by side:

• Is the legal name spelled the same in the deed, AHU, OSS and NPWP, including "PT" and any punctuation?
• Does the address match, or is there a documented reason it differs?
• Do the names on the contract and invoice match the registered name exactly?
• Is the person signing listed as a director, or do you hold a written authorisation?

Differences are not proof of a problem. They are the questions to ask before you proceed.

Red flags worth a question

• The company will not share registration numbers, or the numbers do not match the official system.
• The company name on the invoice or bank account differs from the registered name.
• The registered activities (KBLI codes) have no connection to the goods or services offered.
• The only contact is a messaging app, a free email address or a number you cannot tie to the company.
• Pressure to pay quickly, or to pay a different company or a personal account.
• A very recent registration for a company that claims a long track record. Compare the establishment date in the deed with the claimed history.
• Documents that look edited, or copies you cannot match to an official record.

What registration does not tell you

Registration shows that a company exists on paper. It does not tell you how it behaves. For that you look at other records: court cases and bankruptcy or debt-suspension (PKPU) filings, tender and procurement history, news, and how the company has dealt with other businesses. Our checklist article covers those.

Match scale to size

For a small first order, confirming the AHU record, the NIB and the bank account name may be enough. For a larger or longer commitment, add more checks and involve your own legal and financial advisers. VerifyExact provides information, not legal or financial advice.

If a company has too little on record to check at all, treat that as a gap in your information, not as a clean result.

VerifyExact provides information, not legal or financial advice. For larger transactions, involve your own legal and financial advisers.