How do I check if a villa builder in Bali is legally licensed?

Two separate checks, both free and public. First, the NIB (business registration number) at oss.go.id — this confirms the company legally exists and is registered for construction activity. Second, the SBU (Sertifikat Badan Usaha) at lpjk.pu.go.id — this is the construction-specific licence confirming the company is qualified to build at a given scale. Both take about 5 minutes each. A builder that can't produce both, or whose registry details don't match what they've told you, is not verifiably licensed regardless of marketing claims.

What is the difference between NIB and SBU?

NIB (Nomor Induk Berusaha) is Indonesia's general business registration number — every legal company needs one, regardless of industry. It confirms the company legally exists. SBU (Sertifikat Badan Usaha) is specific to construction — it's the licence confirming the company is qualified to perform construction work, and it comes with a classification and qualification level that limits the scale of project the company can legally undertake. A company can have a valid NIB but no SBU (meaning it's a legal company but not licensed for construction), so checking both matters.

What if the builder's name doesn't match on the registry?

This is one of the most common ways buyers end up contracting with an unlicensed or different entity than the one marketed to them. A builder might market under a trading name or a director's personal brand while the actual signing entity is a different, sometimes unlicensed, company. If the name on the NIB or SBU registry doesn't exactly match the entity name on your draft contract, ask why before signing — and verify the registry details for whatever entity actually appears on the contract, not the marketing name.

Does a valid SBU guarantee the builder can handle my project?

No — check the classification and qualification level, not just whether an SBU exists. SBU classifications are scaled: a licence qualifying a company for small residential renovation work doesn't necessarily cover a large villa, multi-unit development, or hotel-scale build. Ask the builder which classification and scale their SBU covers, then confirm that matches or exceeds your project's scope in the public registry.

Is it rude to ask a builder for their NIB and SBU numbers?

No — these are public registration numbers, not confidential information, and any legitimately operating construction company in Indonesia already discloses them on proposals and contracts as a matter of course. A builder who treats the request as an imposition, delays providing it, or gets defensive is behaving unusually for a routine, standard ask. Treat hesitation itself as information.

PT Paradigma Oase Desain · Uluwatu, Bali

How to Verify a Villa Builder's Licence in Bali

Two public registries, about 10 minutes, zero cost. This is the exact step-by-step to check whether any Bali builder — including us — is legally registered and licensed for construction, before you sign anything.

public registries that together confirm a builder is legal (NIB) and licensed for construction specifically (SBU) — neither alone is sufficient

The step-by-step verification

Do this before signing anything

Get the exact PT name and NIB number

Ask the builder for their full legal company name and NIB (Nomor Induk Berusaha). This is a public number — a legitimate builder provides it without hesitation.

Search the NIB at oss.go.id

Indonesia's Online Single Submission system. Search the company name or NIB number. Confirm the legal name matches, the business classification covers construction, and status shows active.

Get the SBU classification

Ask which SBU (Sertifikat Badan Usaha) classification and qualification level the builder holds — this is the construction-specific licence, separate from the general NIB.

Check the SBU at lpjk.pu.go.id

Indonesia's construction services development board registry. Search the company name or certificate number. Confirm the classification and scale actually covers a project your size.

Cross-check the name matches everywhere

Compare the legal entity name across the NIB registry, SBU registry, your draft contract, and the builder's marketing (website, Instagram, GBP). A mismatch is a warning sign, not a technicality.

If anything doesn't check out, stop

No NIB match, no SBU, or wrong classification are each independently disqualifying — regardless of portfolio, years claimed, or how the sales conversation went.

Why both checks matter, not just one

NIB confirms the company legally exists as a business. It does not confirm construction competency or licensing. SBU confirms construction-specific qualification at a given scale. A company can have a valid NIB (it exists) with no SBU (it's not licensed to build) — this combination is one of the most common gaps buyers miss because they only check one registry.

Red flag: a builder who provides one number readily but stalls, changes the subject, or provides a different name when asked for the other.

The most common way this check gets bypassed

Builders sometimes market under a trading name, a founder's personal brand, or an Instagram handle that differs from the actual legal signing entity. The marketing name might have years of portfolio and testimonials attached to it — but if the contract you actually sign names a different PT, that's the entity whose NIB and SBU you need to verify, not the one on the Instagram bio. Always check the exact name that will appear on your signed contract.

Our own registration, for you to check

Legal entityPT Paradigma Oase Desain

NIB✓ verifiable at oss.go.id

SBU✓ verifiable at lpjk.pu.go.id

LocationPecatu, Uluwatu, Bali

Run the exact steps above on us before you run them on anyone else — it's the same 10 minutes either way, and it's the only way to know for certain rather than take a claim on faith.

Can't find a builder's registration, or the numbers don't match what they told you? Send us what you have — we'll help you interpret what the registry shows, whether or not you build with us.

Message us on WhatsApp →