Thread: Visa for running restaurant or similar business

I was thinking of starting a restaurant/cafe in Indonesia with my Indonesian GF and want to know what visa options I have.

Also any advice on how I can set up the company would be great.

Check back in the stack and your question has been answered (many, many times).

Give the money to your girlfriend to invest for you if she is still around after a year, marry her cause she is either a good restaurant manager or she loves you truly - either is pretty good, both unlikely :(

Where there's money, there aint no love. Where there's love, you don't need money. Old Texan proverb :lol:

Where there is too simple reasoning, mistakes are likely made, misunderstanding is common.

Come on Markit.

The guy wants to start a restaurant with his GF...

I somewhat see the humor of Markit's first post here, and from my personal experience the old texan proverb, has become true(too many times) for me.
That doesn't mean it will also be that way for spicyayam... Maybe he and his GF already have went through up & downs together, an are together for a long time.
So me personally would like to wish him and his girl, luck and fortune in the future.

Spicyayam, you do seem to cut a few corner's or lacking in giving more info, about the plan to start a resto/cafe. Your GF being Indonesian, she would probably know there's a difference, like light and day between a 'cafe' and a restaurant. I am not pointing to obvious difference that the cafe runs on drinks and a resto on food :wink: . Btw, where are you wanting to start that business, Bali or in some other part of Indonesia. Because I don't know if that difference is also applicable in for let's say Manado or Surabaya.
But depending on what kind of relation you have with your GF, you could put everything in her name, and her business, depending on size and investment, could hire you as a manager.
That would allow you to work and stay in Indonesia for a year, and that 'Visa' can be extended per year, to a total stay of 5 years (I thought). After two years you can also apply for a resident permit, but I don't know the ins and outs on that. There are more options, which you can find on the forum, or by pressing the link below the page "Bali IDE". It would contain you doing visa-runs abroad every 6 months and legaly you're not allowed to work.
Another suggestion I would give you, is try to take over an existing business, which already has all the licenses to operate, saves you alot of applications and bureaucrac(z)y.
Whatever you do...don't rush things. Hope you will keep us informed of your decisions made, and or progress of your situation.
Friendly greetings........Gilbert.

Ok Bert you are a very nice guy - seriously, I do mean that.

You know what, so am I! We just go at it differently.

You see someone with adventure and hope with (possibly) his new love trying to make a future for themselves in the wonderful paradise that is the home you love. Am I close?

I see all the restaurants that are owned by Balinese (and have been for many years) that are lucky to have 1 table full per night and are doing everything short of selling their daughters to keep their heads above water and survive until the next tourist season. That is the very last thing I would recommend for someone to do.

Most people think that opening a restaurant is easy. It aint, it some of the most soul destroying work you can do, with the longest hours and just because everybody has to eat it don't mean they have to eat at your place.

Bali needs another restaurant like it needs another Hindu ceremony.

You know yourself how difficult mixed relationships are, don't you?

So I stand by my cynical but true advice - give her the money to open the restaurant and if she is still around after a year then marry her. :?

There is always room for better ideas.

Some of them strand in lack of persistence or understanding.

Or hope.

Thanks for the replies, at least the positive ones :) I am in Indonesia now, but not Bali. My question was more of a general nature. I don't plan on going into the restaurant business right away. My idea was to have a place that has decent free wifi. I work on the internet so I know the importance of places with decent free wifi.