Why Can’t I Use My Phone in Indonesia? IMEI Registration in Indonesia for Foreigners

If you travel loads, you know the drill. Go to a new country, either use roaming, or if you stay longer, buy a local SIM card to use locally. I’m Indonesian, and this has been what I did in Indonesia for years. Until one day in 2020 when it stopped working.

Can I use a foreign mobile phone in Indonesia?

Yes, you can – with a slight caveat. You can’t use a local SIM card that everybody in Indonesia uses. You either need a tourist SIM card, like this one from Telkomsel (a premium SIM card brand – expensive but good signal), or an eSIM. If you want to use local SIM card instead of a tourist SIM card, or you are staying more than 90 days, you have to register your phone IMEI to the Indonesian customs.

What happens if IMEI is not registered?

A lot of people say that you can use your foreign mobile phone for up to 90 days, then it stopped working, but it was not the case for me, my sister, my mum and my dad (basically, my entire family). So I don’t know how they did that.

Why can’t I use my phone in Indonesia?

I know – it’s a real inconvenience. A few reasons I can gather:

• Earn money through tax (Ministry of Industry, 2019)
• Encourage people to buy local phones (Ministry of Industry, 2019)
• Watch out against illegal devices (Pajak.com)

A lot of people buy phones abroad, since buying phones in Indonesia are quite expensive due to high tax on luxury items. It’s cheaper to buy abroad from Singapore or other neighbouring countries, especially if people are on holidays anyway. If not, plane ticket to Singapore to Jakarta is quite often cheap and even including the flight ticket, the phone is still cheaper. For example iPhone 15 128GB is IDR 16.5M, while in Singapore it’s around SGD 1,300 which is around IDR 14.6M. For 2 million rupiah, you can definitely get a return flight to Singapore! In fact, you can get it quite easily for IDR 1.4 million!

Do tourists need to register IMEI in Indonesia?

According to Indonesian customs website, foreign tourists don’t need to register if:

• you use roaming to use your phone (SIM card from your home country), or
• you use tourist SIM card for a maximum of 90 days.

If you are Indonesian local who are planning to use your phone long term in Indonesia, you definitely need to register IMEI. If you are foreigners who plan to use your phone in Indonesia for more than 90 days, you should also register your IMEI.

That sounds like a pain. Any solution?

There are 3 solutions if you are in Indonesia for less than 90 days as a lot of tourists do. You can either 1) use tourist SIM card, 2) use eSIM like Airalo 3) register your IMEI for free. I had a discount code for Airalo, so the tourist SIM card was more expensive for me. I also don’t use that much data. So I decided to use Airalo and had good experience with them in Bali and even in Komodo Island where it was remote. They use Indosat network which is quite strong or 3, which is a bit weaker but I had zero issues with them.

Price wise, Telkomsel tourist SIM card, at the time of writing, is IDR 150,000 which is roughly 10 USD (9.21 to be exact). You do get a lot of data (25GB) and 25 minutes of voice call. Airalo for 15 days and 2GB is 8 USD, or 3GB is 11 USD. I didn’t need that much data as I mostly use the Wi-Fi from the hotel anyways, and it saved me the inconvenience of having to get a SIM card. Plus I can use Airalo eSIM literally as the plane landed, so I chose to go with Airalo instead.

How to Register for IMEI in Indonesia for Foreigners (less than 90 days)

You can go to local SIM Card store (choose official stores/outlet – not the small random stall off the street) to register thankfully. Bring a copy of a passport and your phone and fill the paperwork. Apparently the registration fee is waived if you buy local SIM card.

Um.. by the way, What’s an IMEI?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It’s a unique 15-digit number assigned to every mobile device with a SIM card, used to identify it on a network.

Help – How do I Find my IMEI?

Not too worry! You can check your phone’s IMEI by dialling *#06# on most devices.

How to Register for IMEI in Indonesia(>90 days stay)

Firstly, I apologise for the pain you’re about to go through.

• Pre-Arrival Registration: Before arriving, complete the IMEI registration form from Customs: https://www.beacukai.go.id/register-imei.html (don’t worry it’s in Indonesian + English). After submission, you’ll receive a QR code and Registration ID.
• At the Point of Entry: Present the QR code to Customs officers upon arrival, along with your passport, boarding pass, and device. If the device’s value exceeds USD 500, you’ll be subject to import duties and taxes. Each individual is granted a tax exemption for devices valued up to USD 500; any amount above this is taxed..

Important: I HIGHLY recommend to register at the airport, because if you missed the registration, the USD 500 exemption is not valid. You do have 60 days after arrival to register your IMEI and you can do it in the nearest customs office. But yeah. Don’t do this. Also, each individual can register up to two devices.

How much is the Tax for Foreign Phones in Indonesia?

Firstly, I’m not a legal person or a tax person, so do your research and take this with a grain of salt. I assume no responsibility for any mistake. But from what I think I worked out from Kompas (Indonesian newspaper):

1. Import Duty: 10% of the customs value (the phone’s value minus the USD 500 exemption).
2. Value-Added Tax (VAT): 11% of the import value (customs value plus import duty).
3. Income Tax (PPh): 10% of the import value if you have an Indonesian Tax Identification Number (NPWP); 20% if you do not.

Example:

Assuming you purchase a phone abroad for USD 800:

1. Customs Value: USD 800 (phone price) – USD 500 (exemption) = USD 300.
2. Import Duty: 10% of USD 300 = USD 30.
3. Import Value: USD 300 (customs value) + USD 30 (import duty) = USD 330.
4. VAT: 11% of USD 330 = USD 36.30.

(Yeah, that’s a lot).

Hope that helps! Please comment for any question and let me know if the above guide helps. Or anything I missed. If you’re going to Bali it’s your first time to Bali – read this for any questions about Bali you may be afraid to ask, and check out my 14 days itinerary! (Or maybe 10, or 5 days). Hope you have a good time in Indonesia!

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