Import into Indonesia without setting up a local entity. IndoExpress acts as your compliant Importer of Record (licensed API-U/NIB), handling documents, customs clearance, import duties & taxes, and door-to-door delivery. A real freight forwarder with 21 years of operations at Tanjung Priok seaport & Soekarno-Hatta airport, not a middleman.
Importer of record fee: Rp 2.864.000 per shipment. Charged only when you borrow our import licence (API/NIB) because you have no Indonesian entity of your own. Not included: freight, import duty, VAT and income tax, and customs clearance, each quoted separately based on the goods and the lane. If the shipment is routed to the red lane, a surcharge of + Rp 1.790.000 per AWB/BL/box applies. The figure above is taken directly from our app rate data. Check a full estimate in the app → · WhatsApp +62 857-7232-7426
An Importer of Record (IOR) is a locally licensed entity legally responsible for importing goods into Indonesia, managing paperwork, HS classification, duties, taxes, and regulatory compliance. Your goods enter under our license; we file the customs declaration and settle duties & VAT.
2. Why foreign companies need it
To import directly, a foreign company needs a local Indonesian entity with an import license (API). Establishing a PT PMA can take months. IOR lets you ship to Indonesia now, legally, without your own entity or license.
3. What our IOR service covers
Import documents (invoice, packing list, certificate of origin), HS code classification, calculation & payment of import duty, VAT (11%) & PPh, customs clearance via INSW, and final delivery to your consignee.
4. Who uses IOR in Indonesia
Foreign manufacturers, IT/technology & data-center vendors, oil & gas / EPC contractors, exhibition & event equipment, and machinery suppliers shipping to Indonesian buyers or project sites without a local entity.
5. Compliant & legal
We operate IOR formally, written service agreement, valid tax invoices, and customs documents under a registered importer. Fully legal and transparent.
Goods review. You send the product description, technical specs, HS code if known, value and origin. We classify the goods under the Indonesian tariff book, check whether they are restricted (LARTAS) and which permits apply, and confirm whether we can legally act as importer for them.
Quotation. You receive the freight cost plus the customs side: import duty, VAT and income tax withholding, handling, and delivery. Duty and taxes follow the tariff applicable to the classified goods, so the figures are calculated per shipment rather than quoted as a flat percentage.
Documents. Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and a certificate of origin if a preferential rate applies (Form E for China, Form D for ASEAN). We tell your supplier exactly how the documents must be issued, because a mismatch between documents is the most common cause of delay.
Import declaration. We lodge the PIB through INSW under our own importer identity (NIB with import rights), pay duty and taxes, and follow the customs channel assigned to the shipment.
Release and delivery. After SPPB is issued, the cargo is released and delivered to the consignee address in Indonesia. You receive the customs documents for your own records.
What IOR Cannot Do
An importer of record is a compliance service, not a way around Indonesian rules. We cannot import goods that require a permit held by a brand owner or a registered distributor unless that permit exists, we cannot under-declare value or misclassify goods, and we do not handle shipments where the paperwork does not match the cargo. If your product needs BPOM registration, SNI certification or an SDPPI device certificate, that requirement stays whether you import directly or through us. Where the honest answer is that a local entity or a distributor arrangement will serve you better, we say so.
IOR, DDP and Undername
These three terms overlap and are often used loosely. Importer of record describes who is legally the importer. DDP describes a commercial term: the seller delivers with duty paid, so the buyer receives the goods with nothing left to settle. Undername is the Indonesian market term for using another company's import licence, which in practice means that company acts as importer of record. In our service they are usually combined: we act as importer of record and quote the shipment on a DDP all-in basis. See DDP shipping to Indonesia for the pricing side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a foreign company import into Indonesia without a local entity?
Yes, through a compliant Importer of Record (IOR). IndoExpress acts as the legal importer under our API-U/NIB license, so you can ship to Indonesia without establishing a local company.
What does an IOR service include?
Import documentation, HS classification, import duty + VAT (11%) + PPh, customs clearance via INSW, and delivery to the final consignee.
Is IOR legal in Indonesia?
Yes, when done formally with a written agreement, valid tax invoices, and a registered importer, which is how IndoExpress operates.
How is IOR different from just customs clearance?
Customs clearance processes a shipment; IOR additionally makes a licensed local entity the legal importer of record, enabling foreign companies without an Indonesian entity to import.