Asked for a biaya penempatan? What Indonesian law actually says about placement fees

Tips · 2026-10-11 · 7 min read

An Indonesian worker reviews a placement agreement with a recruitment staff member across a desk in a small office.

If someone asks you for a biaya penempatan, a placement fee, before you can take a job abroad, Indonesian law is on your side: Law No. 18 of 2017 (Article 30) says Indonesian migrant workers cannot be charged placement costs at all. Charging you for cost components the employer is supposed to carry is not just unfair, it is a crime, carrying up to five years in prison and a fine of up to Rp15.000.000.000,00 under Articles 72 and 86 of the same law.

What the law actually says

Article 30 of Law No. 18 of 2017 states plainly that Indonesian migrant workers cannot be charged placement costs, written in the law as "tidak dapat dibebani biaya penempatan". This is not a guideline or best practice; it is a legal protection written directly into the law that governs how Indonesians are placed into jobs abroad.

The penalty for overcharging

Articles 72 and 86 of Law No. 18 of 2017 make overcharging a criminal matter. Charging a prospective migrant worker for placement cost components that are already supposed to be borne by the employer carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to Rp15.000.000.000,00. That penalty applies to the person or company doing the charging, not to you for refusing to pay.

Who is legally allowed to place you abroad

Under Article 49 of the same law, only three kinds of organisation can legally place an Indonesian migrant worker abroad: the government placement agency (Badan), a licensed placement company known as a P3MI, or a company placing its own workers for its own business. If whoever is asking you for money does not clearly fall into one of these three categories, that alone is a reason to stop and check.

Going abroad outside these channels has a name, nonprosedural, and real costs: our guide explains the risks of the PMI nonprosedural route and the legal alternatives.

Who can place you	What it is	How to check
Government Agency (Badan)	The state's own placement body	Ask which government office is handling your placement
P3MI (licensed placement company)	A private company holding an official placement licence	Search the SISKOP2MI official list by name and district
Company placing its own workers	An employer placing staff directly for its own business	Confirm the employer and role match what SISKOP2MI or the job ad shows

Checking a P3MI before you pay anything

SISKOP2MI, the government's own system, publishes an official list of P3MI placement companies, searchable by name and district, as well as a separate list of P3MI companies currently under administrative sanctions. Look up the exact company name on the SISKOP2MI P3MI list before you hand over any document or any money, not just the name on a flyer or social media post.

Get the exact legal name of the company or agent asking you for money.
Search that name on SISKOP2MI's P3MI list to confirm it is licensed, and check the sanctions list too.
If it claims to be a government Agency placement, confirm which government office is actually running it.
Confirm in writing what, if anything, you are being asked to pay, and compare it against Article 30's rule that workers cannot be charged placement costs.
If anything does not match, stop and report it before paying or signing anything further.

It is not just Indonesian law: Australia and New Zealand ban it too

The destination country's own rules back this up. In Australia, it is illegal for a person to pay an employer to sponsor them for a visa, including through salary deductions, and doing so can lead to visa refusal or cancellation, fines or imprisonment for the employer. The sponsoring employer must pay all costs of becoming a sponsor and nominating an applicant and cannot pass those costs to the visa holder or their family. In New Zealand, employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. Wherever the pressure to pay is coming from, both ends of the journey say the same thing: a worker should not be the one footing the placement or sponsorship bill.

Already checking job ads? Read the ad carefully too

Real job ads for Australia follow this same rule. When you look at roles such as a boilermaker and metal fabricator job in Perth or jobs on our manufacturing jobs page, nothing in a genuine ad should ask you to pay towards getting hired. If you already have an offer and are weighing the visa route, our guide on getting your Letter of Support ready for the 462 visa ballot is a useful next read, alongside our fuller guide to checking a job offer before you pay anything.

Where to report a problem

If an agent or company asks you for a placement fee, or you are not sure whether a placement company is legitimate, KP2MI's call centre is 08001000 from within Indonesia and +6221-29244800 from abroad, with complaints also taken on WhatsApp at 0811-8080-141. Report before you pay, not after.

Common mistakes workers make

Paying an agent who promises to "fast-track" the placement before confirming the company is a licensed P3MI on SISKOP2MI. Assuming a company is legitimate because it has an office or a Facebook page, rather than checking the official list. Believing that fees described as covering "training" or "processing" are different from a placement cost; the law looks at what is actually being charged, not the label used. Staying quiet about a request for money instead of calling KP2MI's call centre or WhatsApp line.

Frequently asked questions

Can a recruiter legally charge me a placement fee?

No. Law No. 18 of 2017 (Article 30) says Indonesian migrant workers cannot be charged placement costs, full stop.

What happens to someone who charges a worker a placement fee anyway?

Under Articles 72 and 86 of the same law, charging a prospective migrant worker for placement costs the employer should carry can mean up to five years in prison and a fine of up to Rp15.000.000.000,00.

Who is allowed to place me in a job abroad?

Only the government Agency (Badan), a licensed P3MI placement company, or a company placing its own workers for its own business, under Article 49 of Law No. 18 of 2017.

How do I check if a P3MI is really licensed?

Search its exact company name on SISKOP2MI's official P3MI list, which is searchable by name and district, and check the separate list of P3MI companies under administrative sanctions.

Does Australia or New Zealand also ban worker-paid placement or sponsorship costs?

Yes. In Australia, paying an employer for visa sponsorship is illegal and the sponsor must cover all sponsorship costs itself; in New Zealand, employers cannot charge job seekers fees or pass on recruitment costs.

Who do I contact if someone asks me for a placement fee?

Call KP2MI's call centre on 08001000 inside Indonesia, +6221-29244800 from abroad, or message its complaints WhatsApp at 0811-8080-141.

Key takeaways

Law No. 18 of 2017 (Article 30) bans charging Indonesian migrant workers any placement cost.
Overcharging carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to Rp15.000.000.000,00 under Articles 72 and 86.
Only a government Agency, a licensed P3MI, or an employer placing its own workers can legally place you abroad.
Check any P3MI on SISKOP2MI's official list, including its sanctions list, before you pay or sign anything.
Australia and New Zealand both ban employers from passing sponsorship or recruitment costs onto workers too.
Report a suspected placement-fee demand to KP2MI's call centre or WhatsApp line before you pay.

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