Import guide
Importing a used injection molding machine into Indonesia
The used capital goods route: who may import, the approval, the pre-shipment inspection, and the documents that all have to agree with one another.
The shape of the rule
Indonesia treats used capital goods — barang modal tidak baru, usually abbreviated BMTB — as a controlled import category. Two features define it: the importer generally has to be an entity that will use the machine in its own production (or a recognised remanufacturer or supplier), and the import generally requires an approval from the Ministry of Trade together with a pre-shipment inspection (verifikasi atau penelusuran teknis) carried out by an appointed surveyor at the port of loading.
The permit comes first. The approval and the surveyor’s report are expected before the machine ships. A container that arrives without them is a container that sits.
What is typically required
- Importer identity documents — company registration, importer identification number and the customs registration your broker will name.
- Ministry approval for the import of used capital goods, applied for with the machine specification and intended use.
- Pre-shipment inspection report from an appointed surveyor, carried out on the actual machine at origin.
- Technical specification and photographs of the machine, matching the plate.
- Standard commercial documents — invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin.
- A statement of intended use, since the route is aimed at production equipment for the importer’s own use.
Age treatment for used capital goods has varied over time and by category, so do not assume either that there is no limit or that there is one. Ask your broker to confirm the position for HS 8477.10 in writing before you commit money.
A realistic sequence
- Confirm with a licensed Indonesian customs broker that your company can import used capital goods, and under which scheme.
- Get the machine specification and year fixed in the contract, because the approval application refers to them.
- Apply for the approval early — this is the long pole, not the shipping.
- Arrange the pre-shipment inspection with the appointed surveyor at origin, on the actual machine.
- Check that the surveyor’s report, the approval, the invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading all describe the same machine in the same words.
- Ship only once the approval and the report are in hand.
Transit from South China to Jakarta or Surabaya is short. Almost all of the elapsed time on an Indonesian import is permitting, so start it the day the contract is signed.
Questions
Common questions
Can a trading company import a used machine into Indonesia?
The used capital goods route is oriented towards end users importing equipment for their own production, with defined categories for remanufacturers and approved suppliers. If you are a trader, this is the first thing to resolve with your broker — before you look at machines, not after.
Who carries out the pre-shipment inspection?
A surveyor appointed for the purpose, at the port of loading. Your broker will name who is currently appointed. The inspection is on the physical machine, so the seller has to make it available — agree that in the contract.
What happens if the machine arrives without the approval?
It cannot be cleared under the intended route, and you are into storage charges, a re-export decision, or an administrative process with an uncertain outcome. This is the single most expensive mistake on Indonesian machinery imports and it is entirely avoidable by sequencing the permit first.
Before you rely on any of this
Import rules change and are enforced by your own customs authority, not by the seller. Everything on this page is a starting point for a conversation with your licensed customs broker — confirm the current requirement in writing before you pay a deposit.
Keep reading
Related guides
Importing into Indonesia?
Tell us your timeline. We will hold the machine while your approval is processed and make it available to the appointed surveyor.