Recently, the issue of inactive or dormant bank accounts has become a serious concern, especially following proactive measures from Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK). If your company’s account has been affected, don’t panic. This article provides a comprehensive guide based on the latest information in 2025.

We will explain the difference between a PPATK freeze and a bank deactivation, why this is happening, and the detailed steps to reactivate your company’s account.

Why Are Dormant Accounts a Target for PPATK?

A dormant account is one that has no transaction activity for a certain period. Under the latest policy, PPATK is now targeting accounts that have been inactive for as little as 3 months, which is a much shorter timeframe than a bank’s typical policy.

The primary reason for PPATK’s temporary freeze is to prevent the misuse of these accounts for illegal activities such as money laundering, terrorism financing, or online gambling. PPATK has found many dormant accounts being used by irresponsible parties, so this freeze is a preventive measure to safeguard the national financial system.

It’s important to note that a PPATK freeze is different from a bank deactivation. A PPATK freeze is a temporary legal step for an investigation, while a bank deactivation is an operational procedure carried out by banks to manage inactive accounts.

Dormant Period and Bank Policies (2025)

Even though PPATK can freeze accounts within 3 months, each bank’s policy for classifying an account as dormant still varies:

• Bank BNI: An account becomes passive if there are no transactions for 6 consecutive months.
• Bank Mandiri: An account becomes passive if there are no transactions for 6 consecutive months.
• Bank UOB: An account becomes dormant after 18 months of inactivity.
• Bank OCBC NISP: An account becomes dormant after 6 months of no activity.

How to Reactivate a Frozen or Deactivated Account

There are two main scenarios you need to understand, each with a different process:

Scenario 1: Account Deactivated by the Bank (Not Frozen by PPATK)

This is the standard, more common process. If your company’s account was deactivated due to a lack of transactions over the bank’s specified period, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Bank Branch: Go to the branch where the company’s account was opened.
2. Bring Complete Documents: Prepare the necessary documents, such as a Letter of Request for Reactivation, the company’s Articles of Association, the company’s NPWP (Tax ID), the original ID cards (KTP) of the Directors or authorized representatives, and the passbook/ATM card.
3. Perform a Transaction: Make a cash deposit or another transaction to reactivate the account.
4. Verification and Activation: The bank will verify the documents and process the activation. Once successful, the account will be active again.

Scenario 2: Account Temporarily Frozen by PPATK

This is the new procedure as of 2025. If you receive a notification that your account has been frozen by PPATK, the steps are slightly different and involve more bureaucracy:

1. File an Objection with PPATK: The customer whose account has been frozen must submit an objection form through the PPATK website (http://bit.ly/FormHensem).
2. Verification Process: PPATK and the relevant bank will review your request. This process is expected to take up to 5 business days but could be extended to 20 business days depending on the completeness of the data.
3. Activation After the Freeze is Lifted: After the freeze is lifted by PPATK, you can reactivate the account at the relevant bank branch by bringing your ID card and making an initial deposit (for example, IDR 100,000 at Bank BNI).

• Your Funds Are Safe: PPATK has guaranteed that the funds in a frozen account will not be lost and remain the property of the customer.
• Administrative Fees: Even while frozen, the bank’s monthly administrative fees will still be charged. This could cause the account balance to decrease over time.

Conclusion:

PPATK’s 2025 policy to freeze dormant accounts is an important step to maintain the integrity of the financial system. To ensure your company’s operations run smoothly, it is crucial to keep your accounts active. If your account has been deactivated or frozen, understand the correct procedure and prepare all the necessary documents to get it back up and running. Taking proactive action is key to avoiding financial disruptions in the future.