A giant in the making, Indonesia is a vast archipelago of 17,000 islands. Representing 40% of GDP in South-East Asia, the country has established itself as a key player in the region. Its economy is based on dynamic domestic consumption and natural resources that allow it to differentiate itself, such as gas, copper, rubber and palm oil. The Indonesian government has also drawn up a Master Plan to support the main investment sectors and grow its economy to be 10th in the world by 2030.

Good to know

Language Spoken: Indonesian (Bahasa indonesia)
Local Currency: Rupiah (IDR)
Capital: Jakarta

The conditions for undertaking a Business France V.I.E assignment in Indonesia

Do you meet the eligibility criteria for the V.I.E program and think you have the right profile?

Then take a look at the assignment conditions imposed by this country:

The conditions for undertaking a Business France V.I.A assignment in Indonesia

To go to Indonesia as a V.I.A young talent, you must fulfil the access conditions to the V.I.A program.
The administration that is recruiting you is responsible for your residence permit. 

Still have questions? Feel free to contact us.  

Cultural work codes in Indonesia

Indonesia is truly the land of cultural diversity! To find your way around the country’s ethnic complexities, you need to find out about local customs and avoid clichés!  Some basic cultural principles - respect your elders and the concept of status, encourage co-operation and avoid direct confrontation so as not to cause your contacts to lose face.

When planning your professional meetings, the following time slots are preferred: 9 a.m. to 12 noon or 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Fridays, because of prayers, Indonesians prefer appointments in the morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. To make a good impression, plan ahead to arrive on time - watch out for traffic jams ! - and dress quite formally.

To greet the other person, shake hands, never kiss them on the cheek. Men are generally addressed using “Bapak” (pronounced Bapa) followed by the name and women are addressed as “Ibu” (pronounced “eeboo”). Finally, to introduce yourself, you will need to master the art of exchanging business cards - start with the most important person and always receive a card with both hands.

Things that may surprise you in Indonesia

- In Indonesia, the best way to initiate contact is via Whatsapp!  This is the preferred means of communication for Indonesians, which is all the more useful as your contacts are not always in their offices. In contrast to this modernity, you will discover that faxes are still used to communicate in small companies.

- You will certainly be surprised by the relaxed attitude of Indonesians to time. We talk about Jam Karet in Bahasa Indonesia, i.e. rubber time, to describe this flexibility. Be careful, this does not mean that punctuality doesn’t matter - for a meeting, plan to arrive 5 minutes early, but no more !

- To communicate with Indonesians, you need to learn to decode a wide variety of verbal, non-verbal and para-verbal signs. A “yes” does not always mean that the other person agrees with what you are saying. It may also mean “Yes, I understand but I don’t agree”. Similarly, nodding and interjecting “Ok” and “Yes” are not always guarantees of agreement. Evasive answers and systematically changing subject should be a warning signal !