A practical guide for foreign exporters, brands and online sellers whose Indonesian customers cannot, or prefer not to, act as the importer. It explains who is allowed to import into Indonesia, which goods need permits before they ship, why the consignee should be fixed before departure, and the two workable options: your buyer imports under its own licence, or you sell DDP and the goods arrive duties paid.
Indonesian customs expects every commercial import to have a local importer: the company named on the import declaration (PIB), which pays the import duty and taxes and is responsible for the goods. Since the OSS business licensing reform, the importer identification that used to be called API (Angka Pengenal Importir) is part of the company’s business identification number, so today the requirement is usually described as an NIB with import licence. The same registration gives the company access to the customs system.
A foreign company without an Indonesian entity cannot hold that registration. Neither can most individual consumers, and many Indonesian businesses, such as small retailers, contractors, clinics, cafes and online resellers, have an NIB without an import licence. Setting up a foreign-owned company (PT PMA) solves it, but takes time and is rarely worth it for a first order.
If your buyer has no import licence and you ship on ex-works, FOB or CIF terms, the goods can arrive in Jakarta with nobody entitled to clear them. That means storage charges, possible re-export and, in the worst case, a lost customer. The fix is to decide before shipping who the importer will be. Sellers who regularly face this question usually choose to quote their Indonesian customers on DDP terms.
Many products are lartas (larangan dan pembatasan, restricted or controlled goods). For these, an import licence is not enough; the goods also need a specific permit or certificate, and it must exist before the goods leave origin. The most common ones:
Mandatory Indonesian National Standard for products such as toys, many steel products, tyres and various electrical appliances. The product must be certified and marked before import.
A pre-shipment inspection at origin by an appointed surveyor, required for certain goods such as some textiles, footwear and steel. An LS cannot be obtained after the goods arrive in Indonesia.
Food, drugs, supplements and cosmetics need registration or notification with the Indonesian food and drug authority, held by an Indonesian company, plus import clearance per shipment.
Plant, animal and fish products, and some wooden packaging, need health or phytosanitary certificates from origin and inspection on arrival.
Radio and telecom devices, anything with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cellular functions, need SDPPI device certification. Mobile phones also need IMEI registration.
Some goods, for example certain textiles, steel and used goods, need an import approval from the Ministry of Trade issued to the importer before shipment.
Permits are usually tied to a specific Indonesian company: a BPOM registration or import approval held by one company cannot simply be used by another importer. Check our lartas overview (Indonesian), or send us the product details and HS code and we will check it.
The consignee on the bill of lading or air waybill flows into the arrival manifest that customs receives. If the named consignee cannot or will not import, the manifest has to be corrected through customs before anyone else can clear the goods. A manifest correction is slow, needs supporting documents from the carrier and both parties, can carry penalties, and while it runs, port storage and container charges keep adding up. Agree who the importer is, and name the right consignee, before booking.
Your Indonesian buyer holds an NIB with import licence and any permits the goods need. We move the freight with IDX Import Port to Port and clear the goods with IDX Customs Clearance; the buyer pays duty and taxes directly. Suits established importers and regular B2B flows.
You sell on DDP terms and we deliver duties paid to the buyer’s door, importing through a registered Indonesian importer of record arranged by us. IDX Import DTD DDP covers door-to-door shipments (air from 50 kg per air waybill, sea LCL/FCL); IDX Import Drop Point Consol DDP covers smaller lots dropped at our warehouse in origins where we have one, such as Hong Kong.
For DDP, restricted goods are reviewed per shipment and handled when the shipment can be made compliant, which normally means the required permit or certificate exists before departure. We confirm this before you book rather than after the goods arrive. More on the mechanics: importer of record in Indonesia and DDP shipping to Indonesia.
Whoever imports pays three main charges: import duty at the rate for the HS code (a preferential rate may apply with a valid certificate of origin under a trade agreement such as ASEAN–India, ASEAN–China or Indonesia–UAE CEPA), VAT at an effective 11%, and income tax article 22. The exact amounts depend on the HS code and the customs value, so they are calculated per shipment. Under DDP these are included in the quote; under option A the buyer pays them. See Indonesia import duty and tax.
We clear import shipments in Jakarta: at Tanjung Priok for sea cargo and at Soekarno-Hatta for air cargo. Delivery inside Jakarta is part of a DDP quote, and delivery to other Indonesian cities and islands is quoted per shipment. For our customs service in detail, see customs clearance in Indonesia.
Lane-specific DDP pages: DDP from India (door to door, ASEAN–India FTA), DDP from the UAE (door to door, Indonesia–UAE CEPA) and DDP from Hong Kong (drop point from 10 kg or door to door). All other origins: DDP shipping to Indonesia.