The Customs Procedures in Indonesia

The Customs Procedures in Indonesia

The process is using electronical methods to reduce the paperwork and interactions between the customs and the importer:

1. The Importer and the Exporter are asked to provide their part of the Customs Declaration to the corresponding Customs Office.
2. All the documents detailed previously must be gathered in a file and sent to the Customs Office.
3. The Importer will pay the duties and taxes (if existing) to the customs, based on his self-assessment.
4. The customs official will verify is the customs declaration and the duties and taxes are entirely given.
5. If everything is concordant with the regulation, the release letter will be issued. It is called the “surat pemberitahuan pengeluaran barang” (SPPB). Then the goods will be freed from custody and delivered to the importer.
6. If it isn’t concordant, the Customs declaration will be cancelled, and both the exporter and importer will have to revise and restart the entire process.

Major ports of Indonesia

Port of Belawan – Medan – Northern Sumatra

Built in 1890, the Port of Belawan is the third largest port of Indonesia today and the biggest in Sumatra Island. It is one of the biggest points of entry and exit for goods on Sumatra Island. In 2014, the total cargo handled there was of 12 billion tonnes.

Port of Tanjung Priok – Jakarta – Western Java

It is the busiest port of Indonesia and also the most technologically advanced and performant. Historically, it is one of the oldest ports in South East Asia also. It is handling half of the flow of goods that is entering and leaving Indonesia. This is explained because of its state-of-the-art infrastructures, and by the technological backwardness of most of the other Indonesian ports. In 2016, the domestic and international cargo flow of the port was at almost 2 million of TEUs.

Port of Tanjung Emas – Semarang – Central Java

Built in the 19th century, it is connecting central Java to other areas. In 2013, it handled 1,7 million of tonnes of cargo. In 2015, 608,984 TEUs were managed. It is also an important port for passenger traffic.

Port of Tanjung Perak – Surabaya – Eastern Java

Tanjung Perak is the port serving the city of Surabaya, both in terms of goods and passengers. In 2014, 3.1 million of TEUs were handled there. Its total capacity is neighbouring the 6 million of TEUs per year.

Minor Ports of Indonesia

Port of Gilimanuk – Gilimanuk – Bali

It is the port linking the islands of Bali and Java, in passenger, Roro and cargo trucks traffic. Other ports like Benoa Harbour in Denpasar, south of Bali are more specialised into fishing and cruising.

Kupang Harbour – Kupang – Pulau Timor

It is used to enter cargo and passengers in the Indonesian part of Timor Island. It is also used for the local fishing economy.

Port of Makassar – Makassar – Southern Sulawesi

With the port of Kendari, they are the two ports where goods are provided to the southern parts of Sulawesi Island. It handled 8 million of tonnes of cargo in 2015, which represented almost 600,000 TEUs in terms of volume.

Port of Bitung – Bitung – Northern Sulawesi

It is the main point of entry to the north of the island. A Roro ferry service is linking directly Bitung to the city of Davao in the Philippines. It will provide to northern Sulawesi products such as construction materials, food and agricultural products.