Brief of Import to Indonesia


Importation of goods into Indonesia must be declared to the customs authority using an Import declaration form (PIB = persetujuan import barang). To be able to fulfill customs obligations, the importer must be registered to the Indonesia trade department to obtain a customs identification number (NIK).

Any goods coming from overseas into the Indonesian customs territory are treated as import and are generally subject to customs duty. All importation of goods into Indonesia should verified first before release into importer. Verification of documentation and physical inspection of goods is needed to ensure that all is as per Indonesia import procedure.

Import taxes and customs duty should be settled first before the goods are released from the customs area at port of discharges. If the deadline is not met, the customs duty payable is subject to an administrative penalty of 10% from the customs duty payable or base on current tariff.

Customs will not and never release the goods to importer if all the Indonesia import procedure has not complete yet. 

General Information on Indonesian Customs

Indonesian Customs Law (ICL)
Indonesian Customs is governed under Law Number 17 of 2006 as the amendment of Law Number 10 of 1995 on Customs. The amended of it has been in effect since 15 November 2006.

Indonesian Customs Territory
The Indonesian Customs Territory is defined as the entire territory of Indonesia, covering the land and waters and the air space over them and specified localities in the exclusive economic zone (ZEE) and the continental shelf in which the ICL applies in full.
The Indonesian ZEE is the outer strip bordering the Indonesian territorial sea as determined by the law applicable to the Indonesian waters, covering the seabed, the subsoil thereof, and the water above it with an outermost limit of two hundred (200) nautical miles, measured from the baseline of the Indonesian territorial sea.

Customs Area
A Customs Area is an area with certain borders at a harbor, airport, or other place designated for flow of goods, which is fully under the monitoring of the Indonesian Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGCE). 
 

Indonesia Import Procedure

Indonesia Import Procedure Explained

Indonesia ImportProcedure Explained for any goods coming from overseas into the Indonesian customs territory are treated as “import” and are generally subject to customs duty. Indonesia Import Procedure  of goods into Indonesia is subject to customs verification, i.e. verification of documentation and physical inspection of goods.

Importation of goods into Indonesia must be declared to the Customs Authority using an Import Declaration Form (PIB). To be able to fulfill customs obligations, the importer must register with the DGCE to obtain a Customs Identification Number (NIK). Customs duty and import taxes payable should be settled first before the goods are released from the customs area (airports and harbors). If the deadline is not met, the customs duty payable is subject to an administrative penalty of 10% from the customs duty payable.

Requirement for Indonesia import procedure
An importer can be a person or company, whether it has legal entity status or not. An importer must have a Customs Identification Number (Nomor Identitas Kepabeanan, NIK) and an Importer Identification Number (Angka Pengenal Impor, API). Importation of certain products requires the importer to have a Special Importer Identification Number (Nomor Pengenal Importir Khusus, NPIK) or Registered Importer Number (Importir Terdaftar Produk Tertentu, ITPT). All importer must have these license to completing the Indonesia import procedure

Customs Identification Number (NIK) to completing Indonesia import procedure
NIK must be obtained from the DGCE and will remain valid unless it is cancelled by the DGCE.

Importer Identification Number (API)
All importers must have an API. Currently there are two types of API as summarized in the table below:













The API is valid for five years and can be extended. It is applicable for the entire Indonesian customs territory.

Starting January 2011, API-P holders may also import finished goods to support their business activities, subject to certain criteria or requirements.

Importation without an API can only be done after obtaining approval from the Indonesian Minister of Trade (MoT) and only for infrequent importation of self-consumed goods (not for trading purposes).

Special Importer Identity Number (NPIK) other requirement for Indonesia import procedure
NPIK should be obtained by companies that import certain commodities such as rice, electronic products, sugar, corn, soybeans, toys, footwear, and textiles. The NPIK can be obtained from the Ministry of Trade by an importer that already has an API, and is valid for five years.

An importer that holds an NPIK should file a written report regarding its import realization to the Ministry of Trade on.the 15th of every month.

Registered Importer Number (ITPT) other requirements for Indonesia import procedure
Certain products can only be imported by a Registered Importer of Certain Products (Importir Terdaftar Produk Tertentu, ITPT). The current list of certain products that can only be imported by ITPT is as follows:
-       electronic products;
-       ready-made garments
-       toys
-       footwear
-       food and drink products
-       cosmetic products; and
-       traditional and herbal medicines

Customs Declaration Forms
1.    The Importer must prepare a Customs Declaration Form (PIB) upon the importation of goods.
2.    The customs declaration should be accompanied by supporting documents, i.e. commercial invoice, airway bill (AWB) or bill of lading (B/L), packing list (P/L), insurance letter, etc.
3.    Revision of an import declaration can be done under certain circumstances. Revision can be made to an import declaration, provided the imported goods have not been released from the temporary customs area, the error was not discovered by the customs officials, and no assessment has been issued.
4.    The type of import declaration form depends on the purpose of the importation, as follows:
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General Procedure of Importation
The procedures of importation are as follows:
1.    Arrival of transportation vehicle (ship, airplane, etc.)
    Before the arrival of a transportation vehicle from outside the customs territory, the carrier  must notify the Customs Office of the planned arrival of the vehicle.
2.    Arrival of Import Goods
    Upon the vehicle's arrival, the carrier must submit a customs declaration, i.e. manifest, to the Head of the Customs Office within 24 hours after the arrival of the ship (eight hours for aircraft; immediately for land transport), in Indonesian or English, signed by the carrier.
3.    Discharge of Import Goods
    The import goods shall be discharged at the customs area or other place after receiving approval from the Head of Investigation or authorized officer. The carrier shall provide a list of the containers or break bulk amount which has been discharged to the authorized officer at the Customs Office, either manually or electronically, this is part of Indonesia import procedure
4.    Procedure for Clearance / Release of Import Goods from Customs Area.
-    The importer shall complete and submit the PIB, compute the customs duty and import taxes, and make payment to the depository bank;
-    The PIB and its attachments, such as commercial invoice, P/L, B/L / AWB, customs duty and import taxes payment evidence, etc., are submitted to the Customs Authority for approval;
-    The import goods can be released from the customs area after approval by the Customs Authority.

5.    Computation of Customs duty and import taxes
-  Customs Duty = Customs duty tariff x CIF Value (Cost, Insurance and Freight) If the insurance and freight are unknown, the DGCE provides guidance to calculate the deemed amount based on a percentage.
-    Value Added Tax = 10% x [CIF Value plus customs duty]
-    Article 22 Income Tax = Tariff x [CIF plus customs duty]
-    The tariff of article 22 income tax is 2.5% for API holder and 7.5% for non-API holder.
-    Luxury Goods Sales Tax (LGST) = Tariff x [CIF Value plus customs duty] LGST is only imposed on certain goods that are defined as luxury goods.

All above explanations are some requirements of Indonesia import procedure.