Indonesia Now Requires Marketplaces to Reject Unlicensed Sellers — What Permendag 19/2026 Means for Foreign Brands

If your brand sells on Shopee, Tokopedia, TikTok Shop, Lazada, Blibli or Bukalapak — or through your own Indonesian storefront — the rules changed this year, and most foreign sellers have not noticed. Marketplaces are now legally obliged to refuse registration to Indonesian sellers who cannot show a business licence, and to cut off transactions for those who do not obtain one in time.

The instrument is Minister of Trade Regulation No. 19 of 2026 on the Conduct of Trade Business Through Electronic Systems (PMSE). This article sets out what it requires, the two transition deadlines that apply to different sellers, and what a foreign seller specifically has to produce. Every article cited below is taken from the official text published by JDIH BPK.

What changed on 8 June 2026

Permendag 19/2026 was enacted in Jakarta on 4 June 2026. Article 76 states that it enters into force on the date of promulgation; the Ministry of Trade confirmed it has been in force since 8 June 2026.

Article 75 revokes Minister of Trade Regulation No. 31 of 2023, the rule that marketplaces had been operating under. Any compliance guidance still referring to Permendag 31/2023 as live law is out of date.

The scope is broad. The business models named in the regulation include Retail Online, Marketplace (Lokapasar), Online Classifieds, Price Comparison Platforms, Daily Deals, Social-Commerce, Ride Hailing and Online Travel Agents. Social commerce and live selling are inside the perimeter, not outside it.

The definition of "Merchant" in Article 1 point 11 makes no distinction by size: a business actor conducting PMSE through its own facilities or through a platform's facilities is a Merchant either way. There is no small-seller carve-out.

Platforms must now refuse unlicensed sellers

Article 4(1) requires business actors to hold a Business Licence for trade-sector activity. Article 4(2) adds that sector-specific licences remain separately required.

The operative provision for sellers is Article 4(4): a platform providing facilities to domestic merchants must refuse a registration request from a domestic merchant that does not yet hold a Business Licence.

Article 4(5) sets the minimum content of that licence:

• a Business Identification Number (NIB) in the trade sector; and
• evidence that applicable standards or technical requirements for the goods or services have been met.

The phrase "in the trade sector" matters. The KBLI classification recorded on the NIB has to cover the goods or services actually being sold. Article 5(1) reinforces this: a merchant selling online uses the Indonesian standard business classification corresponding to what it sells. For merchants selling services, Article 5(2) adds a competency-certificate requirement where the service type calls for one.

If you are still deciding which Indonesian entity will hold that licence, our page on PT PMA company registration sets out the options, and NIB and OSS licensing covers the licence itself.

Two different clocks: 6 months and 18 months

This is where most sellers get it wrong. The regulation sets two different transition periods, and which one applies depends on when you started selling.

Article 74 reads: merchants that were already conducting PMSE on a platform before this regulation entered into force are given a transition period of no more than 18 (eighteen) months to satisfy the licensing obligation under Article 4.

For new sellers the runway is far shorter. A store opened in June 2026 without a licence reaches its six-month limit around December 2026. One opened this month has until roughly March 2027.

These are ceilings, not promises. Platforms carry the sanction risk for admitting unlicensed sellers, so many will tighten verification well before the legal maximum expires.

If you sell from outside Indonesia

Foreign merchants have their own provision. Article 6(1) requires a foreign merchant trading on an Indonesian platform to submit:

• identity — the foreign merchant's name and country of origin;
• the business licence issued by the competent authority in the home country, legalised either by the competent authority in a state party to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (apostille), or by an Indonesian diplomatic officer in the home country where the state is not a party;
• evidence that the required standards or technical requirements for the goods or services have been met; and
• the bank account number used for transactions.

In practice, the apostille step is the one that catches sellers out. It is administrative rather than difficult, but it takes time in the home jurisdiction and cannot be produced retroactively when a platform asks.

The alternative many brands reach for is to stop being a foreign merchant at all — establishing an Indonesian entity so the licence, the product registrations and the bank account all sit locally. That is a commercial decision rather than a compliance one, but it removes the legalisation chain entirely. Some brands start with a virtual office as the registered address while the entity is being set up.

Product proof: halal, SNI, BPOM numbers

Article 15(1) obliges merchants to disclose the origin of goods and evidence that product standards are met, including:

• the product registration number or SNI certificate or other technical requirement, for goods subject to mandatory Indonesian National Standards;
• the halal certificate number, for goods or services required to be halal certified;
• the registration number for goods relating to safety, security, health and the environment (K3L);
• the licence, registration or certificate number for pharmaceutical preparations and food;
• whether the goods are domestically produced or imported; and
• the merchant's country of origin, where the merchant is foreign.

For cosmetics, supplements, food and beverages this is the provision with real teeth: a licence alone will not let you list. The marketing authorisation number has to exist and be displayable. Our page on BPOM registration for imported products explains how that number is obtained.

One risk the regulation does not address but which surfaces constantly on Indonesian marketplaces: if your brand name is not registered in Indonesia, you have no basis to contest a counterfeit listing or a third-party seller using your name. Trademark registration is worth running in parallel with licensing, not after it.

Penalties, and the one that bites first

Article 57(1) lists the provisions whose breach attracts administrative sanctions from the Minister, including Article 4(1), (2), (4) and (6), Article 6, Article 15(1) and (2), and Article 17(1) and (5).

Article 57(2) sets out the sanctions: a written warning; inclusion on a supervision priority list; inclusion on a blacklist; temporary blocking of the platform's services by the competent authority; and/or revocation of the business licence. Enforcement is delegated to the Director General of Consumer Protection and Orderly Commerce (PKTN).

But the sanction that actually reaches a seller first is not a ministerial letter. Article 17 requires platforms to provide a provisional registration feature labelled "Dalam Proses Legalisasi" ("legalisation in progress") for merchants without a licence at registration (Art. 17(3)); those merchants must obtain a licence within six months (Art. 17(4)); and if they do not, the platform must restrict access by halting transactions (Art. 17(5)).

There is a commercial side-effect that is easy to miss. Article 17(2) requires platforms to display each merchant's licensing status on the merchant profile, visible to consumers. A store carrying a "legalisation in progress" label for months is not a neutral signal to buyers.

What to do now

1. Establish which clock you are on. Selling before 8 June 2026 means the 18-month transition. Registering after means six months from your registration date.
2. Check the KBLI on your licence, not just that a licence exists. Trade-sector classification has to match what you actually sell.
3. Map your product obligations — halal, SNI, BPOM, K3L — before a platform asks. These take longer than the licence itself.
4. If you are a foreign merchant, start the apostille or consular legalisation of your home-country licence now; it is the slowest item on the list.
5. Enter the numbers in the platform's seller console so the profile status clears.

IzinBeres has handled licensing for more than 6,000 clients since 2014, including foreign-owned entities and imported-product brands. Our office is at Ruko South Sorrento Square No. 18, Gading Serpong, Kab. Tangerang, Banten 15332. We work in English, Mandarin and Indonesian, 09.00–19.00 WIB, seven days a week.

FAQ

Does this apply to small or individual sellers?

Yes. Article 4(1) applies to business actors generally and the definition of Merchant in Article 1 point 11 does not distinguish by size. Applying for an NIB through the OSS system carries no government fee.

When exactly is my deadline?

It depends on when you started. If your store was already active before 8 June 2026, Article 74 gives a transition period of up to 18 months. If you registered after that date without a licence, Article 17(4) gives six months from your registration date on the platform.

What happens if I miss it?

Article 17(5) requires the platform to restrict your access by halting transactions. Separately, Article 57 provides for administrative sanctions from the Ministry of Trade, ranging from a written warning to revocation of the business licence.

I sell through Instagram and TikTok rather than a marketplace. Am I covered?

Social-Commerce is among the business models named in the regulation, and the definition of Merchant covers selling through facilities the merchant builds and manages itself. The Article 4(1) licensing obligation is not limited to marketplace storefronts.

As a foreign seller, what document is hardest to get?

Usually the legalised home-country business licence under Article 6(1)(b) — apostille where your country is a party to the Convention, or legalisation by an Indonesian diplomatic officer where it is not. Start it early.

Is a licence enough, or do I need product registrations too?

Article 15(1) separately requires disclosure of SNI, halal, K3L and pharmaceutical or food registration numbers where applicable. Which apply depends on your product category.

Sources

• JDIH BPK — Minister of Trade Regulation No. 19 of 2026 on the Conduct of Trade Business Through Electronic Systems (Arts. 1, 4, 5, 6, 15, 17, 57, 59, 73, 74, 75, 76)
• Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia — Press release: Minister urges business actors to obtain an NIB (17 June 2026)
• OSS Institution — oss.go.id