---
title: "Overseas electronics tax and IMEI registration"
canonical: https://panduanwarga.org/en/guides/overseas-electronics-customs-imei/
language: en
category: "Passports & travel"
reviewed: 2026-09-23
modified: 2026-09-23
publisher: "Panduan Warga (independent; not a government website)"
reviewed-by: "Kaiser Khan (https://panduanwarga.org/en/about/kaiser-khan/)"
---

# Overseas electronics tax and IMEI registration

**How do I register the IMEI of a phone bought abroad and pay any tax?**

A general passenger’s personal goods can receive up to USD500 customs-value relief per person per arrival when declared as required. Customs lists 10% duty on the excess plus 12% VAT on an 11/12 tax base for non-luxury goods. IMEI registration itself is free, but import taxes may still apply.

## What you need to register the IMEI of a phone bought abroad

- Passport, boarding pass, invoice if available and each device IMEI.
- List of personal goods; declare through All Indonesia or Customs officers.

## How to register the IMEI of a phone bought abroad

1. **Declare on arrival.** Complete All Indonesia for the arrival route and declare devices and goods subject to customs rules.
2. **Prepare QR and evidence.** Complete the Customs IMEI form or Mobile Beacukai where needed; keep QR, passport, boarding pass and purchase evidence.
3. **Complete Customs assessment.** Visit Customs at arrival for valuation and any tax payment.
4. **Check registration status.** Keep registration evidence. If already outside the terminal, follow the customs-office route within the applicable deadline.

## Tax and duty on phones bought abroad

IMEI registration is free. For personal goods exceeding USD500, Customs lists 10% duty on the excess and 12% VAT on an 11/12 base for non-luxury goods; the VAT base may include duty, so do not simply add 10%+11% to the full retail price. Customs makes the final assessment.

## Simple illustration and deadlines

If eligible personal goods total USD800 with no other items, the initial excess is USD300. Indicative duty is 10% of USD300 = USD30; VAT uses the assessed import base, not merely USD300 times 11%. Customs says post-terminal registration may be possible within 60 days, but the USD500 relief can be lost.

- [Bea Cukai: FAQ registrasi IMEI](https://www.beacukai.go.id/faq-impor-registrasi-imei)
- [Bea Cukai: barang penumpang](https://beacukai.go.id/barang-penumpang)

## Short visits, migrant workers and parcels

Customs says a foreign visitor using only overseas roaming does not need Customs IMEI registration; temporary use with an Indonesian SIM may follow operator registration for up to 90 days. Indonesian migrant workers and relocation goods have separate qualifying relief.

Postal or courier shipments are not passenger baggage: the carrier handles IMEI notification and different import rules apply. If your passport and IMEI were recorded at arrival, completing processing at a Customs office within five days may preserve relief under the stated conditions.

- [Customs: IMEI exceptions and routes](https://www.beacukai.go.id/faq-impor-registrasi-imei)

## Things to check carefully

- The USD500 allowance applies to total eligible personal goods, not automatically to each phone.
- Parcels and goods for resale follow different rules.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do citizens and foreign visitors pay an IMEI registration fee?

No. Registration is free, but duty and import tax may be payable depending on value and circumstances.

## Official sources

1. [Bea Cukai: FAQ IMEI dan tarif](https://www.beacukai.go.id/faq-impor-registrasi-imei) (accessed 2026-09-23)
2. [Bea Cukai: barang penumpang](https://beacukai.go.id/barang-penumpang) (accessed 2026-09-23)
3. [PMK 34/2025: perubahan aturan barang penumpang](https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/319329/pmk-no-34-tahun-2025) (accessed 2026-09-23)

## Related guides

- [All Indonesia arrival card: declaration, QR code and costs](https://panduanwarga.org/en/guides/all-indonesia-arrival-card/)
- [Apply for or replace an Indonesian passport with M-Paspor](https://panduanwarga.org/en/guides/indonesian-passport-m-paspor/)
- [Indonesian visa types for foreign nationals](https://panduanwarga.org/en/guides/indonesia-visas-for-foreigners/)

---

Source: Panduan Warga, https://panduanwarga.org/en/guides/overseas-electronics-customs-imei/ (reviewed 2026-09-23). General information, not legal or financial advice; current agency rules take precedence.