Relocation guide
🇮🇩 Moving to Indonesia: Language & Your First Week
Moving to Indonesia means learning Indonesian — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are your KITAS stay permit and, once settled, the local SKTT and address registration, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.
Bahasa Indonesia is one of the most approachable languages to start — no tenses, no genders, Latin script. It's the lingua franca across the islands, so what you learn works from Jakarta to Bali, even where local languages like Javanese or Balinese dominate at home.
Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's Indonesian curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →
Do you need to speak Indonesian to move to Indonesia?
Yes — you’ll need practical Indonesian for the essentials. Moving to Indonesia means handling your KITAS stay permit and, once settled, the local SKTT and address registration in Indonesian, plus the doctor, the bank and your landlord. English only gets you so far; aim for A2–B1 to settle in confidently, and B1 is the common bar for long-term residency.
Moving to Indonesia: key facts
| Language you'll need | Indonesian |
| Main registration | your KITAS stay permit and, once settled, the local SKTT and address registration |
| Who needs a visa / permit | Movers typically arrive on a work, investor, retirement or the newer remote-worker visa, sponsored where required, then convert it to a KITAS. |
| Level to aim for | A2–B1 for daily life (B1 for long-term residency) |
| First thing to do | Register your address / residency — your KITAS stay permit and, once settled, the local SKTT and address registration. |
| Free phrasebooks | 8 Indonesian topics |
Which app should you use to learn Indonesian for moving to Indonesia?
Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to Indonesia, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the Indonesian that decides your first months: your KITAS stay permit and, once settled, the local SKTT and address registration, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.
- Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
- Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
- Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 Indonesian pointed at settling in Indonesia, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
- 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.
What to do in your first week in Indonesia?
- Register your address / residency — your KITAS stay permit and, once settled, the local SKTT and address registration.
- Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
- Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
- Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
- Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.
Visa & permits: Movers typically arrive on a work, investor, retirement or the newer remote-worker visa, sponsored where required, then convert it to a KITAS. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.
Indonesian phrasebooks you'll need
What do expats say about language in Indonesia?
- Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet and has no tones — friendly for beginners.
- Plurals are often made by repeating the word: 'buku-buku' = books.
- It's the shared language across 17,000+ islands and 700 local tongues.
- Verbs don't conjugate for tense — time comes from context words.
- It borrowed from Dutch, Arabic, Sanskrit and English.
Land in Indonesia ready.
Language Lab teaches the Indonesian you actually need to settle in — with a live AI tutor. Coming soon.
Join the beta →