Hello and welcome to Happy Ikan Bali. 🌱🐟

If you’re wondering what this is all about – and why on earth we voluntarily decided to wrestle with permits, forms, and stamps in Indonesia – grab a coconut (if you’ve got one), lean back, and keep reading.

I live here in Bali with my husband – yes, exactly: palm trees, temples, scooter chaos, and 24/7 tropical sweat mode. And right in the middle of it all: us. With the brilliant idea to start an aquaponics farm. Fresh fish and crisp veggies for the people here – sustainable, local, healthy. Easy, right?

Spoiler: It wasn’t.

At first, we thought, quite naively: “Hey, let’s just set up a company. After all, we’ve both got plenty of business and project experience from Germany.”
Hahaha. Nope. Not the same thing here.

Step 1: Registering the company.
Sounds harmless. It even works online. In reality, it meant spending weeks figuring out what type of company we’re even allowed to set up (as foreigners). Acronyms flew at us: PT, PMA, notary, BKPM… and, of course, everything in Indonesian. Even though we get by in daily life, Google Translate quickly became our third roommate.

Eventually, our notary pushed through the official registration.

Step 2: The paper war.
Indonesia loves paper. Even more, it loves stamps. From the tax office to the village chief to the chamber of commerce – everyone wants to stamp something. In triplicate. With an original signature. And preferably before noon, because you never know who’s still around after lunch.

To be fair: Indonesia is making big efforts to digitize processes, partly to curb corruption. The catch? You guessed it – internet connection. Official websites are often down for days.

We learned quickly: patience is the key – along with thorough preparation. By now, we know the drill… and which offices you really shouldn’t show up to wearing flip-flops (spoiler: almost none).

Step 3: The culture shock.
Bureaucracy here has its own rhythm. Meetings are happily rescheduled last minute, sometimes the officer just doesn’t show up because a family ceremony is more important. At first, we were frustrated – now we bring coffee and laugh about it.

What we’ve learned?

• Don’t take anything personally.

• Expect the unexpected.

• Smile a lot – and learn a few Balinese words. It works wonders.

• And: coffee always helps. ☕

And now?
Since November 2024, we’re officially registered as Happy Ikan Bali! 🎉
The road here was paved with misunderstandings, head-shaking, and way too many forms – but we couldn’t be prouder.

In the next post, I’ll tell you how we found the land (and what goats had to do with it). Until then: stay tuned, stay green – and keep an eye on your rubber boots. 😉