Indonesian rules that protect you

UU 18/2017: zero placement cost, KP2MI, the reporting duty and the penalties.

Indonesia has its own law on the protection of migrant workers: UU No. 18/2017. It applies to you before you ever reach German law, and its core rules are in your favour.

You may not be charged placement costs

Article 30(1): a migrant worker may not be charged placement costs. Any agent asking you for a placement fee is breaking Indonesian law – whatever the fee is called, and whatever paperwork they show you.

Who may place workers

• Article 49: placement is done by the government, by licensed companies (P3MI), or by a company placing workers in its own operations. Nobody else.
• KP2MI (formerly BP2MI) is the responsible ministry since October 2024. Register through the official channels, such as SISKOP2MI, not through a private middleman's app.
• Article 63: if you arrange your own job abroad (perseorangan), you still have a duty to report it to the authorities. That protects you – it means the state knows where you are.

Penalties

Articles 69 and 81 provide criminal penalties for unlawful placement. Reporting an agent is not a favour you do the state; it is the mechanism the law provides.

Who is not covered

Article 4(2)(b): students and trainees are excluded from the scope of the law. If you go to Berlin to study or for an Ausbildung, these protections do not apply to you – which is exactly why the study and Ausbildung routes attract so many agents. Check everything yourself.

Where to get help

• KP2MI and the official complaint channels in Indonesia.
• The Indonesian Embassy in Berlin – the same office that issued the warning above – once you are in Germany.
• In Berlin, the free advice services listed under Already in Berlin.