PBG
Also called Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung, building approval, IMB
PBG, or Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung, is Indonesia's building approval, and it replaced the old IMB permit in 2021 as the permission you need before construction starts.
If you are building or substantially altering a structure in Indonesia, you need a PBG. It replaced the IMB, the permit most older guides and a lot of Bali conversation still refer to. If someone offers you a property with a valid IMB, that is a historic document, and what matters now is whether the building is compliant under the current regime.
The important structural point for foreign buyers: a PBG is issued to the party holding the right to build. A foreigner cannot apply in their own name, and a foreigner holding only a lease generally cannot apply directly either. The standard route is a PT PMA holding HGB applying as a company.
PBG is the approval to build. It is separate from the SLF, which is the certificate confirming the finished building is fit to use. A project needs both, at different stages.
Where people get caught
Starting work on the strength of a verbal assurance that the permit is coming. Building without a PBG is how people end up with something they cannot legally let, sell or sometimes keep, and retrofitting approval onto a finished non-compliant building is far harder than getting it in the right order.
Where this comes up
This is general information, not legal advice. Indonesian property law changes, and how it applies depends on your situation, your visa status and the specific plot. Always take advice from a qualified notaris before you commit money. Last checked 2026-07-30.