INDONESIA: Trainers, Bicycles and Air Conditioning Equipment Face Stricter Import Controls

Prior approval in the form of official permits (Persetujuan Impor/PI) will now be required for the import of a number of consumer items, including sports footwear, bicycles, and air conditioning equipment. According to the Ministry of Trade, the move, which came into effect on 28 August, comes in response to a 70% spike in such imports during May and June this year.

The full list of the affected items and their related HS Codes are as follows:

In addition, the Ministry has said bicycles may only be imported by companies with an official business registration number (Nomor Induk Berusaha/NIB). All such items will also be inspected prior to customs clearance rather than subsequently, as was the former practice.

Furthermore, such goods may now only be imported via certain sea and air entry points. In terms of marine facilities, this entitlement is limited to Belawan in Medan (North Sumatra province), Tanjung Priok in the capital Jakarta, Tanjung Emas in Semarang (Central Java province), Tanjung Perak in Surabaya (East Java province), Soekarno Hatta in Makassar (South Sulawesi province), Dumai (Riau province), Jayapura (Papua province), Tarakan (North Kalimantan province), Krueng Geukueh (Aceh province), Bitung (North Sulawesi), Merak Mas in Cilegon (Banten province), and Kuala Langsa in Langsa (Aceh), as well as the Cikarang Dry Port in Bekasi (West Java province). Among the approved air transit facilities are Kualanamu in Deli Serdang (North Sumatra), Soekarno Hatta in Jakarta, Ahmad Yani in Semarang, Juanda in Surabaya, and Hasanuddin in Makassar.