Free business email in Indonesia: set up name@yourbusiness.id

Indonesian UMKM sell on Tokopedia, Shopee and Instagram, take payment by QRIS and talk to customers on WhatsApp, and most still use a Gmail for anything formal. If you are ready to supply a corporate buyer, a hotel in Bali or an export customer, here is how to get name@yourbusiness.id (or .co.id) running with free mailboxes.

Quick answer

Register a .id (open to anyone) or a .co.id (requires Indonesian company documents), create a free OquMail workspace, add the domain, paste four DNS records, create mailboxes. The email is free with no card, so you pay only the domain, which Indonesian registrars accept via bank transfer, QRIS or e-wallet.

Domain choice: .id, .co.id or .com

Indonesian domains are managed by PANDI. A direct .id can be registered by anyone with no documents and has become the popular choice for brands and startups. The .co.id ending is reserved for Indonesian legal entities and requires documents such as an NIB or company deed, which makes it a strong trust signal for corporate buyers. Registrars include Niagahoster, Rumahweb, IDwebhost and Domainesia. A .com is also very common.

• .id: open to anyone; short; the modern choice for Indonesian brands
• .co.id: legal entities only, with document checks; the strongest signal for corporate and government clients
• .my.id and .biz.id: inexpensive options for individuals and small sellers
• .com: standard for exporters and tourism businesses in Bali and Lombok

Why Indonesian buyers trust a domain address

Corporate procurement in Jakarta, hotel purchasing in Bali, export buyers in Singapore and Japan, and banks opening business accounts all expect a company email. A quotation from sales@yourbusiness.co.id is treated as coming from a PT or CV; a Gmail quotation gets a WhatsApp message asking whether the company is real. For UMKM moving from marketplace sales to B2B, this is often the first thing a buyer checks after the NIB.

Step by step

1. Register the domain with an Indonesian registrar. For .co.id, upload your NIB or company documents; for .id, no documents are needed.
2. Create a free OquMail workspace at oqumail.com. No card.
3. Add the domain in the dashboard and copy the four DNS records.
4. In the registrar’s DNS panel (most use cPanel Zone Editor or a custom DNS manager) add the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
5. Click Verify. The live DNS check shows which record still needs fixing.
6. Create mailboxes: info@, sales@, finance@ and one per person, up to 15.
7. Send a test from webmail and add the account to Outlook or the phone mail app with the settings below.

The four DNS records OquMail needs

Indonesian hosts bundle email and pre-set an MX records (the settings that tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain); remove it before adding OquMail's. If your DNS is on Cloudflare, leave MX and TXT records unproxied.

• MX — host @, value mail.oqumail.com, priority 10
• SPF (TXT at @) — v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all
• DKIM (TXT at your selector ._domainkey) — v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… (the exact key is shown in your OquMail dashboard)
• DMARC (TXT at _dmarc) — v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

OquMail connection settings

• Incoming (IMAP): mail.oqumail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
• Outgoing (SMTP): mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS
• Username: your full email address (you@yourdomain.com)
• Password: the same password you use for OquMail webmail

Paying for it

The domain is a yearly fee, and Indonesian registrars accept bank transfer, QRIS, GoPay, OVO and virtual accounts. The email is free: OquMail's free plan has no card step and includes 15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, delivery logs and a send API. Many Indonesian debit cards are not enabled for foreign online subscriptions, which is why a free plan without a card is the practical choice.

Pitfalls specific to Indonesia

• Bundled hosting email with no DKIM: your quotation to a Singapore buyer lands in spam. Check the delivery log in OquMail.
• Telkomsel, Indosat and many fibre connections block outbound port 25. Use port 587 with STARTTLS.
• Choosing SSL on port 587. It must be STARTTLS.
• Leaving the Gmail on your Tokopedia seller profile and Google Business Profile after the domain is live.
• Registering .id and .co.id but only configuring one. Add both to one OquMail workspace.

Common questions

Do I need .co.id or is .id enough?

For UMKM and startups, .id is enough and needs no documents. Register .co.id when you have a PT or CV and want the strongest signal for corporate buyers.

Can I use it in the Gmail app?

Yes. Add an IMAP account with the settings above, using your full address as the username.

What are the limits?

15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, with no expiry.