Batam has a strategic geographical location as the closest island to Singapore and Malaysia, which strategically located in the international shipping route. As the special zone for multinational trade area, Batam has a special treatment from the Government of Indonesia. This specialization can be seen from the several regulations on Batam status, which are as follows:

1. Batam Island as the business area of Bonded Warehouse regulated in the Presidential Decree of Republic of Indonesia Number 41 of 1978 as amended lastly by the Presidential Decree of Republic of Indonesia Number 25 of 2005.Batam, Rempang and Galang (which also declared as an Industrial area), is developed to serve several main functions, namely: industrial, warehouse, trade, and transshipment.
2. Free Trade and Free Port Zone regulated in the Government Regulation Number 46 of 2007 on the Free Trade Zone and Free Port Zone Batam.Batam has been determined as a Free Trade Zone (“FTZ”) and Free Port Zone (“FPZ”) which it gives the guarantee and the protection for all investors to conduct their business in Batam.
3. Tax liberation regulated in the Government Regulation Number 2 of 2009.Batam was not only determined as place of warehousing, but also for place of processing with the liberation for Import Duties (Bea Masuk), Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai), Value Added Tax (PPN), and Luxury Goods Tax (PPnBM) which can be enjoyed by the entrepreneur who has obtained permission in Batam.
4. Economic Cooperation regulated in Joint Statement by the President of the Republic of Indonesia and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore.On June 25, 2006, the President of Republic of Indonesia and the Prime Minister of Republic of Singapore committed the joint statement of the Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore in the Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

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