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How to Register Your Mobile Phone IMEI Number in Indonesia (Update 2024)

On April 18, 2020, Indonesia implemented a new regulation to restrict circulation of black-market mobile phones and consequently, mobile phones purchased abroad may stop working with SIM cards from Indonesian mobile phone carriers.


Mobile Phone IMEI Registration in Indonesia


In this article, we show step by step on how to register the IMEI of your mobile phone to be able to use it in Indonesia.

Can I still use my mobile phone in Indonesia without registering the IMEI?

The answer is yes, tourists who are going to stay less than 3 months in Indonesia, will be able to acquire a SIM card called Telkomsel PraBayar or Telkomsel Tourist Card, which will work for 3 months and the same company of the telephone company will be able to register the IMEI of your phone

It is important to take into account that these cards must be bought/registered in the official stores of the mobile phone operator that you can find at the airport or in the city, and not in street stalls (because they often will not know how to register it correctly and you will end up acquiring a card that does not work). To register, you need your passport and your mobile phone.

The prices of these cards are around Rs 200,000 / 300,000 depending on the number of gigabytes of data you have. The registration is valid for 90 days, but the data will only be valid for 30 days, if the data runs out you can buy more without any problem.

What should I do to use my mobile phone in Indonesia if I plan to stay more than 3 months in the country?

For all those who are going to stay more than three months in Indonesia and want to continue using the phone (purchased abroad) with an Indonesian SIM card, they must register the IMEI at the Customs office in Jakarta or Bali.

Register mobile IMEI in Indonesia (3)

Information to Register the IMEI of a Mobile Phone in Indonesia

To register the IMEI in Indonesia, you must carry out the registration procedures before you leave the airport and during the 24 hours following your arrival in Indonesia. Things to consider before registering:

  • IMEI registration of mobile phone and tablets values less than 500 USD will be free of charge.
  • Only 2 phones or tablets per person will be allowed.
  • IMEI registration of mobile phone values greater than 500 USD will have a cost of 40% of the remaining value after being discounted of 500 USD. For example: If a mobile phone costs 900 USD, you will have to pay 40% of 400 USD (900 minus 500 USD) and that is, about 160 USD for Customs to register your mobile phone.
  • For all those who have KITAS (residence permit) and an Indonesian tax number ID (NPWP) they would have to pay 30% instead of 40%.

Steps to Follow to Register IMEI of Your Mobile Phone in Indonesia

1- Fill out a form that you will find on this Indonesian Customs website.

There, you will be asked for personal data of the phone owner, details of the flight of arrival in the country, NPWP number (for residents), technical data and price of the phones as well as invoice of the phone purchase if any. Once everything is registered and sent, you will get an image of a QR code (save it on your mobile phone) and you will also receive an email with the same.

2- Now you must go in person to the Customs office (CUSTOMS – BEA CUKAI)

In Jakarta, the office is located in the International Departures Terminal (T3), on the second floor behind the zone 1 counters, at the end of the hall on the left. Keep in mind that there are usually queues, so if you have to take a flight, leave enough time. (I only had 9 people in front of me, and I took almost an hour between my wait and the process, plus another 20 minutes to get to Terminal 2 by shuttle bus for my flight to Bali.)

In Bali, the office is located just in front of the Customs X-Ray area, before leaving the airport.

3- When it is your turn, you must go to the window and they will ask you to show:

  • Mobile phone
  • QR Code Image
  • Passport
  • Boarding pass of the flight with which you arrived in the country – Do not throw it away when you arrive in Indonesia!
  • Phone purchase invoice if any

Then, they will do all the registration and you will receive a confirmation via email. (It usually takes about two or three hours to activate.)

Watch this short explanatory video made by Customs.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mobile Phone Restrictions in Indonesia

I bought my phone in Indonesia, will I have any problems?

No, if you have purchased your phone in Indonesia, you will have your IMEI already active and you will be able to use it without problems. Really, this is a solution to not have to pay the fees of a very expensive phone, being able to use a cheap phone bought in Indonesia to install the most common applications in the country such as; GoJek, Grab, and share internet using Wifi Hotspot to your other phone.

I bought my phone abroad, but I lived in Indonesia and used it in the country before March 2020, will I have to register it?

Not necessary by principles, because it should have been activated only at the time, but you must verify it on this website.

How do I know if my mobile phone is already registered in Indonesia?

If you live in Indonesia since before March 2020, you should have received an SMS saying that your phone has been registered, you can also verify this by putting the IMEI of your phone on this website.

Where can I see the IMEI on my mobile phone?

  • ANDROID: Simply enter *#06# in the phone dialer app, and you’ll automatically be shown your device’s IMEI number on the screen.
  • IPHONE: Go to General Settings > About. Find the serial number. You may need to scroll down to find the IMEI/MEID and ICCID.

Can I use my foreign phone with a foreign SIM card in Indonesia?

You may still be able to use your foreign SIM card, but note that roaming price for calls or data may be quite high.

Can I use my phone with only WIFI without having to register the IMEI?

Yes, you can continue to connect to different free or paid Wifi of hotels and restaurants.

My phone is second-hand/old, how do I consider its value when registering IMEI?

If your phone has recently been purchased second-hand and you still keep the invoice, you must show the invoice so that Customs can consider depending on the value of the invoice.

If you do not have the invoice, the Customs staff will look at the approximate price on the Internet that is in second-hand markets of the model of your phone and charge you based on that price. They will ask you for data such as storage capacity, RAM size, screen size, etc.

Can I register my phone IMEI anywhere other than Bali or Jakarta?

In theory and as I was told in Jakarta, yes you can. It should be possible to do it in any Indonesian Customs office, but the reality is that there are cases of many Customs offices that “do not want” to know about the subject, and tell you that you should have done it in Jakarta or Bali. So my advice is that if you have time, do it in Bali or Jakarta when your entry into the country.

What is an IMEI number?

IMEI number is a unique code used to identify a particular device through the input of a SIM card. It consists of 15 digits number and is assigned to each phone anywhere in the world. There are many use of IMEI number and one of which is to allow the police or network operator to block the device in case of stolen, and may sometimes allow you to locate the phone.

Main source of this article: Ministry of Economy, General Directorate of Customs, Regulation Indonesia. Number: SE-12/BC/2020

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Norberto Rodriguez
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NORBERTO RODRÍGUEZ SÁNCHEZ

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23 Responses
  1. haroonblogger

    hello thanks for sharing it this is a very helpful article I have registered my IMEI on the mobile and am now able to use it in Indonesia

  2. Thanks for sharing this information! I recently moved to Indonesia and was having trouble using my mobile phone here. I didn’t know that I needed to register the IMEI, but now I know how to do it. Will definitely follow these steps and see if it helps me use my phone here more smoothly.

  3. N

    The five day grace period is over. I landed on the 18 Jan but was in a rush so I went back on 21 Jan when I had a free day. The customs officers told me I had to pay tax on the full 600 USD price instead of the 100 USD price (above 500 USD). They said it MUST be done before leaving the airport now.

    I had the receipt for the phone and my KITAS so it was less than it otherwise would have been though!
    Good Luck Everyone!

  4. Alex

    Additional information on current SIM card pricing:
    The tourist SIM cards are heavily promoted at the airport. Currently, they charge 250.000 IDR (approx. 16 EUR) for a 18 GB data plan.
    You can get up to 120 GB for 500k or a bit more.
    All these tourist SIM cards offer data for max 30 days.

  5. Alex

    I registered my phone today on arrival at Ngurah Rai International airport in Denpasar, Bali. You can enter the required information on the same form as the Customs Declaration. It’s a bit tedious to type in a 15 digit IMEI number, especially if you’re using your phone to fill the registration form. It’s certainly easier to do it from home, shortly before flying to Indonesia.
    The officer at the Customs Office (Bea & Cukai) was very friendly and helpful. He explained the purpose of registration like this:
    – If you stay on short term (holidays) you can buy a tourist SIM card that is valid for 90 days for phone calls but only 30 days for Internet.

    – You can use one passport only twice to register a tourist SIM card! So, if you often spend your holidays in Indonesia this might be a problem.

    – If you register your phone you can use whatever Indonesian SIM card you want to use. The phone is registered forever, no need to register again on your next visit. If you change your phone often this will not help you.

    Btw, I didn’t pay anything because my Xiaomi’s original price was less than 500 USD! 😉

    1. Come2Indonesia

      Hello Alex, Thanks for sharing your experience registering your phone upon arrival in Bali. Your advice about doing it from home before your trip is very helpful.

      It’s great to hear that the officer at the Customs Office was friendly and helpful, and it’s essential to understand the purpose of this registration. Your explanation about the limitations and benefits of registration is also very informative for fellow travelers.

      Thanks for sharing your insights and helping other travelers navigate this process!

    1. Come2Indonesia

      Hi Sadhana, If you need to visit the customs office, there are two options you can consider. The first one is located inside the airport itself, and the second one is at an official government building dedicated to customs services. To find the nearest one, you can simply search for “customs office” on Google Maps and check which location is closer to you. I hope this helps.

  6. Selma

    Hi,
    Thanks for the useful information regarding registration of IMEI.
    I would like to add that the 5 day-rule of getting 500 USD discount, was ONLY VALID during COVID TIME when people had to stay in quarantine. At the moment you have to register your IEMI directly at the airport of arrival in Indonesia. Many times this is Jakarta. If you register your devices there you get a discount of 500 USD, otherwise you’ll lose this benefit. The registration has to be done on any old or new phone you’re bringing in if you want to use an Indonesian SIM card. Personally I hadn’t understood this rule and was in the conviction it only regarded newly bought phones, but NOPE, it’s for your own personal old, second-hand phone as well! Maybe it’s possibile to change this information on your blog?

    Registration can be done online but you have to check with a government office in the place there you are staying which link they are using. After that I was very quickly contacted via WhatsApp and in one hour the whole registration was done. After I paid of course the amount. It’s though a lengthy process to fill in the online form because they want a lot of information and a lot of pictures of you, you holding your passport, your phone, your phone and passport and so on.
    My advice: do it straight at the airport in Jakarta!

  7. Frank D

    It’s just another way for the government to scam foreigners, VAT in any other country is around 20%, in indonesia where all people clamp a hp in their hand 24/7 they still consider it a luxury to be taxed 40%. But the worst part of it is that it is politicians or high placed people that evade tax, not the foreigners, they pay maximum price for everything already, my way usually gives me a sign to stay away when she wants to buy something, even when she buys me something to avoid scamming. Oh, and i didn’t see any mentioning of paying an admission ticket, half a million or 35 US$ just to get into the country with a Visa on Arrival.

    1. Alex

      Frank, the Indonesian Visa on Arrival has always been priced at 35 USD or 35 EUR! At least during the last 8 years!

      Before COVID tourists were exempt of paying for a VoA if they entered through certain airports or seaports. This visa exemption was cancelled during COVID and not reinstalled so far.

      A lot of countries charge tourists and businessmen for entering the country. Indonesia now it’s no exception. In Europe, we are just not used to visa and entry payments. Please don’t complain about a fee that is probably around 1% of your total travel costs.

  8. aries

    hi, if i went to indonesia 3 months ago. i asked 1 of indonesia provider (XL) to unlock my phone.
    can i unlock again my phone by using telkomsel tourist card?

    1. come2indonesia

      Hi Aries, you should not have problems using another provider if your IMEI mobile is already registered in the Government system. Thanks!

  9. Nimasha Perera

    Hi. If i staying in Bali only for 20 days;

    1. Do i need to register my IMEI?
    2. Do i need to pay tax (Over $500 value) eventhough i stayed below 20 days

    1. come2indonesia

      Hi Nimasha, dont need, you can buy a tourist sim card that will be activated for 30 days. Have a nice trip!

  10. HAIDA

    Cheater. my phone is less than USD500, and yet I still have to register and pay for for it. I mere Rp1 mil worth of phone, I need to pay Rp91,000 to register the imei. I bought sim telkomsel prabayar, but it doesn’t work until I register the imei.

    This is worse trip I have to another country. It is as if you tried to force people to BUY phone in your country. which is very expensive compares to other countries.

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