In short. A foreign phone works with an Indonesian SIM card for 90 days after entry: the operator registers it with your passport when you buy the SIM, and you do not need to go to customs. If you stay longer than three months, you register the IMEI at customs on arrival, at the Bea Cukai counter at the airport: it is free within the duty-free allowance of 500 dollars, for no more than two devices per person, it takes a few minutes, and you need the arrival card QR code, your passport and the phone. Later, registration goes through a customs office, already with duty. A phone with two SIM slots has two IMEI numbers, so write both down.
What the issue is. Indonesia lets only phones with a registered IMEI into its mobile networks. A phone bought in Indonesia is registered at the factory. One brought from another country is not, so a local SIM card works in it for a limited time and then the network disappears. Wi-Fi is not affected.
Tourists, up to 90 days. When you buy a SIM card, the operator registers the phone with your passport for 90 days. That is enough for a visa on arrival with an extension. You do not need to go to customs separately.
If you stay longer. Those who live on a D12, a KITAS or simply stay longer than three months need to register the IMEI at customs. The rule is simple: register on arrival, at the airport, while the phone is with you. Then for a personal phone it is free within the duty-free allowance per passenger. If you realise later, you have to register at the nearest customs office no later than 60 days after arrival and with duty and taxes: according to the Ngurah Rai customs page that is 10 % duty on the customs value, 11 % VAT and 10 % income tax with an NPWP or 20 % without one. In both cases it is no more than two devices per passenger; after registration the network appears within two days, and you check the status at beacukai.go.id/cek-imei. A tourist who uses their home SIM card on roaming does not register an IMEI.
How to register on arrival, step by step.
- Before you fly, in the customs part of the All Indonesia arrival card, mark the phone and other electronics you plan to use in Indonesia. We have a separate guide on the arrival card.
- Find out the IMEI in advance: dial *#06# on the phone or look in settings, in the "About device" section. A phone with two SIM slots has two IMEI numbers, so write both down.
- After passport control and baggage collection, find the Bea Cukai customs counter in the arrivals area and show the arrival card QR code, your passport and the phone. Registration takes a few minutes.
- You can check the status on the customs website in the Cek IMEI section using the IMEI number.
If the phone is already blocked. If the network disappeared on day 91, the phone has to be registered at a customs office, with duty. The second route, for those who are here only briefly, is temporary registration through the mobile operator with your passport, which is done in operator offices and at the airport. Operators have their own conditions.
Common mistakes. Putting registration off "for later" and ending up paying duty. Writing down one IMEI out of two. Buying a phone in Bali second-hand without a receipt: it may also turn out to be unregistered.
What this means for you. If you are flying in for a long stay, register the phone right at the airport: it is free and takes ten minutes. If you are staying a month or two, a SIM card from an official operator and its registration with your passport is enough.