Custom values for bringing phone from outside the country

erhizzle

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Joined
Feb 7, 2022
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15
Hello, I heard there is a maximum $500 USD value allowed for phones being brought inside the country before additional duties are added.

What about phones that are already in use? i.e. not new. How does it get valued?
My wife bought an Iphone 12 in December, and we are planning to move to Indonesia in July. Would the full value of the new phone be applied, or can it use salvage value instead?

Thank you
 
Hello, I heard there is a maximum $500 USD value allowed for phones being brought inside the country before additional duties are added.

What about phones that are already in use? i.e. not new. How does it get valued?
My wife bought an Iphone 12 in December, and we are planning to move to Indonesia in July. Would the full value of the new phone be applied, or can it use salvage value instead?

Thank you
While I can't say what they will do with 100% certainty. Customs has always hit me up for the most they can get away with. They won't take your word or even an invoice as evidence. They will research the cost on the internet and charge you what they want. Once they make up their mind, there really is no recourse. Best of luck to you.
 
Hello, I heard there is a maximum $500 USD value allowed for phones being brought inside the country before additional duties are added.

What about phones that are already in use? i.e. not new. How does it get valued?
My wife bought an Iphone 12 in December, and we are planning to move to Indonesia in July. Would the full value of the new phone be applied, or can it use salvage value instead?

Thank you
When you arrive in Jakarta you have 60 days to register your IMEI of your phone. You can do that online. After that you recieve a QR-code. With that code you have to go to a tax office at the airport (Soekaro Hatta or Halim) to pay bea cukai. The tax is around 40% (10% +10% +20% in total) of the price you paid for the phone in yoyr country. See the photo's.
 

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Both my phones were blocked the minute after I arrived. Of course the hassle is if you do not get it sorted while your coming into Indonesia from airside then you have to attend one of the not many customs offices. You have to register the details of your phone/s online . When I got out of quarantine I went to the only office outside the arrival area at CGK in terminal 3. There was a long queue. I got number 120 something and they were up to 87.. took 2 hours to get dealt with. The actual face to face with the customs officer was quick and after 3 hours or so my phones were unblocked.
 
I gave my in-law a printout from ebay showing the price (under $500). The phone is clearly not new. That seemed to work, but your result may vary. Like a lot of things in Indonesian bureaucracy, it depends on the officer and her mood that day.

IMHO if the officer is honest, he will accept the invoice as long as the value makes sense. If the going rate for a used iPhone 11 Pro is around $550 and your invoice says $490, then in a good day it may slide. If you bring an iPhone 12 Pro worth around $750 and shows an invoice for $400, it’s not gonna fly.

Bear in mind that many Indonesians are not beyond doctoring the invoice, so Customs always treats it with suspicion.
 
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