Ship Document FAQ

Commercial vessels fall under the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub): nationality documents, safety and pollution prevention certificates, port clearance (SPB) through Inaportnet, and a SIUPAL for the sea transport company. Fishing vessels involve two ministries. Kemenhub handles nationality and safety (Surat Ukur, Grosse Akta, Pas Besar or Surat Laut), while the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) handles operating licences such as SIUP, SIPI or SIKPI, the Fishing Vessel Book, SKKP and the SLO before the vessel leaves a fishing port. Because the two sets of requirements depend on each other, one expired document can hold up the rest. Nautinix handles both tracks under one coordinator.

Related service: Fishing Vessel Permits (SIPI, SIUP, SLO)

Yes, renewals are one of our core services. We record the due dates of your vessel and crew documents — safety certificates, survey and endorsement windows, fishing licences and crew certificates — and send reminders well before anything expires. We then prepare the requirements, help schedule inspections where needed and handle the application until the new document is issued. This keeps a vessel from being held in port because port clearance (SPB) cannot be issued with an expired document, and it avoids the longer process that usually follows a lapse.

Related service: Ship Document Monitoring & Renewal

Yes. Most vessel licensing is now processed electronically, and we work routinely with OSS-RBA for business licensing, SILAT for KKP fishing licences, Kemenhub’s SIMKAPEL for ship documents, Inaportnet for commercial port clearance, and TemanSPB at fishing ports. We help prepare company and vessel data, upload documents in the correct format, monitor the status of each application and follow up on correction notes from officials. You receive progress updates at every stage, so you never have to guess where an application stands in the system.

Related service: Commercial Vessel Permits & SIUPAL

Processing time depends on the document type, how complete the requirements are, inspection schedules and queues at the agencies involved, so the figures below are estimates. An electronic Pas Kecil can usually be completed in 1–2 days when the data is complete. Safety certificates that require a physical inspection of the vessel typically take around 2–4 weeks. SIUPAL and fishing business licences can take longer because they depend on company documents and meeting the business requirements. At the start of each consultation we give you a realistic estimate for your case and let you know if an agency changes the schedule.

Not for every stage. Consultations, document collection and many applications can now be handled remotely through WhatsApp, email and government online systems. A physical presence is usually needed only for steps that must happen on site, such as vessel measurement, a BKI survey or seaworthiness inspection, and signing certain documents. When a step like that is required, we tell you well in advance, prepare a list of the original documents to bring and help coordinate the schedule with the officials involved.

Related service: Ship Safety Certification

That is exactly the situation we handle most often. Many clients come to us with incomplete documents, some already expired, or without knowing which documents their vessel should have. We start with a document audit: we compare what you hold with the obligations for your GT, vessel type and operating area, then list the gaps and the most sensible order to resolve them. From there we work through them one by one until the vessel’s documents are complete, including documents that need replacing because they were lost or damaged.

Related service: Maritime Regulatory Consulting

Yes, we serve vessels of every size — from fishing and tourist boats under GT 7 to large commercial fleets. Small vessels still have document obligations, such as the Pas Kecil nationality document, and fishing vessels need licences from KKP or the regional government depending on their size and business status. Small-scale fishers face simpler licensing for some obligations, so we help confirm which documents are actually required and make sure you do not spend time on paperwork you do not need.

Related service: Fishing Vessel Permits (SIPI, SIUP, SLO)

The cost usually has two separate components. The first is PNBP (non-tax state revenue): official government fees whose rates are set by government regulation and paid into the state treasury, for example when a ship document or licence is issued. The second is the Nautinix service fee for the assistance work: the document audit, preparing the file, submitting it, coordinating with agencies and monitoring until the document is issued. Where needed there can also be third-party costs, such as surveys or inspections by the relevant bodies. During the consultation we explain which parts are official state fees and which are our service fee.

The service fee reflects the work involved rather than a single rate for every vessel. The main factors are the type and number of documents, the vessel’s GT and type, the starting condition of the documents (complete, expired or lost), where the vessel is and which agencies are involved, whether physical inspections or surveys are required, and how urgent the job is. Handling several documents as one sequence is also easier to schedule than dealing with them one at a time when they are already urgent. For an exact figure, send us your vessel details and needs through a free consultation and we will give you a quote for your case.

Validity differs by document. The Pas Besar and Surat Laut remain valid as long as the registration details and ownership do not change, but they must be endorsed every year. Safety and convention certificates have their own validity periods, with periodic surveys or endorsements in between. Fishing licences such as the SIPI and SKKP follow the validity stated on the document. For merchant crew, a Certificate of Competency is revalidated at least every 5 years and a seafarer medical certificate is valid for up to 2 years, while port clearance (SPB) covers a single voyage only. We can track all of these dates so nothing is missed.

Related service: Ship Document Monitoring & Renewal

A lost or damaged document can be replaced by the issuing agency, but the process is more than a simple reprint. For a lost document you usually need a police loss report, a copy or the details of the old document if available, and the owner’s identification; for a damaged document the original is normally handed back. For a lost Grosse Akta, the replacement is issued by the ship registrar (Pejabat Pendaftar dan Pencatat Balik Nama Kapal) at the port of registry on the basis of a district court decision, so the process takes longer. Until the replacement is issued, annual endorsements or port clearance applications may be held up, so it is best to act quickly.

Related service: Ship Registration & Nationality Documents

Balik nama is the registration of a change of ownership of an already registered vessel to its new owner. After the sale, the transfer is filed with the ship registrar (Pejabat Pendaftar dan Pencatat Balik Nama Kapal) at the port of registry, with documents such as proof of transfer (for example a deed of sale), the existing Grosse Akta, the Surat Ukur, and the identity or company deeds of seller and buyer. Once the transfer deed is issued, the nationality document (Pas Besar or Surat Laut) must be reissued in the new owner’s name, and other documents that show the owner are updated. If the vessel carries a mortgage (hipotek), check this early because it affects the transfer.

Related service: Ship Registration & Nationality Documents

Yes. Our office is in Central Jakarta, but we serve vessel owners and operators across Indonesia. Most of the work — consultations, document audits, preparing files and submitting through online systems such as OSS-RBA, Inaportnet or the KKP licensing system — can be done remotely. Steps that must happen on site, such as measurement, surveys, seaworthiness inspections or filings at the port office where the vessel is registered or based, are coordinated with the agencies at that port. Tell us where your vessel is during the consultation and we will explain which steps need to happen there.

Every timeline we give is an estimate, because agency processing, survey schedules and requests for corrections can all shift the schedule. Applications are most often delayed by data that does not match across documents (for example the vessel name, dimensions or owner name), supporting documents that have expired, or a vessel that is not ready for inspection. You can speed things up by sending copies of as many documents as possible at the start, making sure the vessel is available for inspection on schedule, and starting renewals well before the due date. We will also tell you if an agency changes the schedule.

Related service: Ship Document Monitoring & Renewal

For the first consultation, basic information is enough: the vessel’s name and type, its GT, its operating area, and photos or copies of the documents you already hold, such as the Surat Ukur, Grosse Akta, Pas Besar or Surat Laut, safety certificates and business licences. If any document is lost or expired, mention it too, because it affects the order of the work. For business licences, company data such as the NIB (business identification number) and deed of establishment is usually needed as well. From this we draw up a list of missing documents and next steps. The first consultation is free and can be done over WhatsApp.

Related service: Maritime Regulatory Consulting

The Harbour Master (Syahbandar) checks that vessel and crew documents are complete and valid before issuing port clearance (SPB), so a single certificate that has expired or missed its endorsement can stop the SPB and keep the vessel in port. For fishing vessels, an invalid document can also block the SLO. Beyond operational delays, breaching document obligations can lead to sanctions under shipping and fisheries regulations. Sorting out a document after it has expired is also often harder, for example because a survey or inspection has to be repeated. That is why we recommend tracking due dates from the start.

Related service: Port Clearance (SPB) Processing

No. Nautinix is a service brand of PT Delvonix Global Indonesia, an independent ship document services company. We are not part of the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Harbour Master’s office or any classification society, and our services do not replace the authority of those agencies. The decision to issue a document always rests with the competent agency. Our role is to help you understand your obligations, prepare the requirements correctly, submit and monitor the application, and coordinate with the agencies so the process runs smoothly to completion.