On this page
- Trade in services
- Legal services overview
- Architectural and engineering services overview
- Digital services overview
- Telecommunication services overview
- Investment
- Temporary movement of natural persons
- Intellectual property
- Provincial and territorial interests
Trade in services
The CEPA will establish greater transparency and predictability in the Indonesia market, resulting in better, more secure and predictable market access in areas of interest to Canada, such as professional services (e.g., architectural and integrated engineering services), construction, and distribution. In 2024, Canada exported $293 million dollars of services to Indonesia and imported $209 million dollars of services. Globally, in 2024, Indonesia has exported $53.5 billion and imported $78.8 billion of total services.
Canadian firms benefit from commitments relating to transparency in licensing and qualifications, simplifying compliance with Indonesia’s regulatory environment. Additionally, the CEPA provides non-discriminatory treatment, allowing Canadian service companies the same rights and protections as their Indonesian counterparts, supporting an equitable business landscape.
Legal services overview
Indonesia’s legal services market is undergoing modernization, with demand increasing for corporate legal advisory, intellectual property protection, and international arbitration. The CEPA enables Canadian legal service providers to offer legal advisory services on home-country law and international business law and arbitration.
Architectural and engineering services overview
Indonesia’s urbanization and infrastructure boom, combined with supportive government policies, incentives, growing environmental awareness, and green-building mandates, drive demand for architectural, construction, and engineering expertise. The CEPA provides Canadian architectural and engineering firms with opportunities in urban planning, sustainable infrastructure development, and green building projects.
Digital services overview
Indonesia’s digital economy exceeded $110.5 billion in 2023, fueled by e-commerce, fintech, and cloud computing innovations. The CEPA promotes good regulatory practices in the digital economy, including for personal information protection and consumer protection, that contribute to fostering a safe digital environment for Canadian firms and consumers. The CEPA also includes commitments to reduce barriers to digital trade, enable trusted cross-border data flows, and protect the source code of Canadian firms. Through these provisions, the CEPA enhances market access for Canadian technology service providers, including in data security and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions.
Telecommunication services overview
With Indonesia’s telecom market expanding rapidly, demand is growing for network optimization, satellite communication, and digital connectivity solutions. The CEPA promotes good regulatory practices in the telecommunications sector, helping ensure Canadian telecom firms benefit from fair competition in Indonesia’s telecom infrastructure projects, supporting 5G deployment, digital payment platforms, and cybersecurity solutions.
Investment
The CEPA provides protection for Canadians investing in key services sectors in Indonesia. The agreement provides a comprehensive set of obligations, including protections against expropriation without compensation and nationality-based discrimination. Additionally, Canadian firms benefit from access to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), which provides an impartial legal recourse in case of investment disputes and helps contribute to a stable investment environment.
Temporary movement of natural persons
The CEPA facilitates business mobility for certain Canadian professionals by increasing the transparency of Indonesia’s entry restrictions. Additionally, executives face fewer barriers when negotiating service contracts and investment opportunities, fostering stronger partnerships and facilitating business growth between Canada and Indonesia.
Intellectual property
The CEPA bolsters protections for Canadian intellectual property rights by requiring effective enforcement mechanisms to enforce patents, copyrights, and trademarks, and legal actions against unauthorized use of protected Canadian technologies, designs, and brands. By affirming international standards and setting out minimum standards for protection and enforcement of intellectual property protection, the CEPA will require that Canadian professionals in fields such as architecture, marketing, and engineering be provided with the means to secure their intangible assets, increasing certainty when commercializing these assets in Indonesia.
The Intellectual Property (IP) chapter in the CEPA promotes cooperation between Canadian and Indonesian authorities to exchange information and share best practices on IP, allowing the federal government to maintain effective lines of communication with the Indonesian government on developments in its IP regime that may affect Canadians operating in this sector.
Provincial and territorial interests
Ontario has a large services economy, which includes professional services, ICT, legal, engineering, and digital media. The CEPA supports Ontario’s firms in expanding into Indonesia’s services market. Ontario’s legal and architectural firms, fintech startups, and engineering consultancies are well-positioned to benefit from CEPA’s commitments on intellectual property protection, trade in services, and temporary mobility.
Quebec’s services sector includes engineering, architecture, legal, telecom, and creative industries, with Montreal serving as a hub for digital services and professional consulting.
British Columbia’s services sector spans ICT, legal, engineering, telecom, and digital media, with the Vancouver area leading in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and sustainable architecture. CEPA’s provisions on digital economy, telecom, services support British Columbia’s export ambitions.
Alberta’s services sector includes engineering, legal, telecom, and digital services, with growing expertise in cloud infrastructure, data analytics, and construction consulting. CEPA’s commitments on telecom infrastructure, engineering services, and ISDS protections support Alberta’s firms in entering Indonesia’s markets.