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Komodo Wellness Komodo Wellness

The paperwork, and how to ask to see it

Operating inside a national park in Indonesia takes a stack of licences and permits. Here is which ones, which authority issues each, and how to verify them before you pay anything.

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In short

A legitimate Komodo operator sits under four separate authorities. You are entitled to ask any operator for current documents from all four, and to be told no is an answer in itself.

  • Tourism business licence — Kemenparekraf
  • Park permits and zoning — Balai Taman Nasional Komodo
  • Vessel seaworthiness — Ditjen Perhubungan Laut
  • Sailing approval per voyage — KSOP Labuan Bajo

Who issues what

Four authorities, four different documents

They are not interchangeable, and an operator holding one is not covered for the others.

Kemenparekraf

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy licenses tour and travel businesses. This is the company licence, not a vessel one.

Balai TN Komodo

The park authority sets entry permits, zoning and conservation fees. Every landing and every dive site inside the park sits under this.

Perhubungan Laut

The Directorate General of Sea Transportation registers vessels and certifies seaworthiness. This is what makes a boat legal to carry you.

KSOP Labuan Bajo

The harbour master issues the sailing approval — the Surat Persetujuan Berlayar — for each voyage. It is per departure, not annual.

Verify it yourself

Four questions worth asking any operator

Including us. The answers should be documents, not reassurance.

  1. 01

    Ask for the company licence

    A tour and travel business licence, current, with the company name matching whoever is invoicing you.

  2. 02

    Ask for the vessel certificate

    Seaworthiness certification for the specific boat you will be on, not a sister ship.

  3. 03

    Ask about the sailing approval

    It is issued per voyage. An operator should be able to explain how theirs is obtained for your dates.

  4. 04

    Ask what insurance covers

    Operator liability is not the same as your travel insurance. Get the limits in writing and arrange your own diving and evacuation cover.

We will send ours on request. Any operator who treats that as an unreasonable question has answered it.

Request the documentation

Ask and we will send the current licences, the vessel certification for your boat, and the insurance limits in writing.

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