Guide
Registering your phone's IMEI in Indonesia
By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026
Which devices need registering
Indonesia's customs authority, Bea Cukai, runs IMEI registration for telecommunication devices brought in by passengers. Its FAQ defines the devices that must be registered as:
- mobile phones
- cellular-based handheld computers
- cellular-based tablets
There is no maximum number of devices a passenger may bring, according to the FAQ, but they must be personal belongings — not for sale or commercial use. One exception: imports into a Free Zone are limited to two units per person, per arrival, within one year.
You can check a device's IMEI status, and register, through the IMEI section of the Bea Cukai website.
Source: Bea Cukai (Directorate General of Customs and Excise) — IMEI, read 7 October 2026. Regulations cited by Bea Cukai: PER-13/BC/2021 jo. PER-7/BC/2023; Permendag 16/2025; PMK 203/PMK.04/2017 jo. PMK 34/2025.
What it costs
Bea Cukai is clear that there is no fee for registering an IMEI. What can apply are the normal customs charges on goods brought in by a passenger:
- import duty of 10%
- VAT of 12%, calculated on a base multiplied by 11/12
Those charges are worked out after an allowance. For a passenger's personal goods, the customs value is reduced by USD 500 — so a phone worth less than that, brought as personal belongings, may owe nothing.
For a typical mover arriving with the phone they already use, the registration is a formality rather than a cost — provided the allowance is claimed properly.
60-second check
Not sure the policy you have meets your destination's written rule? Run it through the policy check now, before you build the rest of the file around it.
Check my policyThe one step not to miss: declare on arrival
Bea Cukai attaches a condition to that USD 500 allowance: you must declare your personal goods to customs when you arrive in Indonesia, through the Electronic Customs Declaration (e-CD), through the All Indonesia declaration, or to a customs officer.
If the goods aren't declared, the FAQ says, the exemption cannot be given.
The registration form asks for your full name, identity number, flight or vessel number, arrival date, tax number (NPWP) if you have one, and the number, type, brand, model and IMEI of each device. Having those details ready — including your phone's IMEI, which most phones show when you dial *#06# — makes the process quick.
Get the moving-paperwork checklist
The month-by-month timeline so the insurance certificate is ready before your appointment, not after.