7. Importation Requirements

Beers, RTDs, Whisky
Indonesia

This section provides information on the importation process (shipment, customs, licenses required, and test requirements). 

7.1 Shipment Declaration

General Food

The product can be imported with the Import Recommendation (Surat Keterangan Import/SKI) from Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM). The requirements to obtain an import Recommendation Letter are: [1,2,3] 

1. Letter of Trading License (Surat Izin Usaha Perdagangan/SIUP)
2. Single Tax Number (Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak/NPWP)
3. Import Referal Number (Angka Pengenal Impor/API) 
4. Letter of submission 
5. Letter of the person in charge 
6. Certificate of Analysis for every batch
7. Invoice and Air Way Bill (AWB) or Bill of Landing 
8. HS Code Number according to substance 
9. Registration approval BPOM Name of product
10. Health Certificate or Certificate of Free Sale for raw materials (to be processed further), verified by Indonesia's local embassy/chamber of commerce. 

Category

Alcoholic drinks

Same as General Food above and also mandatory to have approval/permission from the Ministry of Trade: [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] 

• Permit for Registered Importer of alcoholic beverages (Importir Terdaftar Minuman Beralkohol/IT-MB) – one-time application 
• Importation Approval for alcoholic beverages (Persetujuan Impor Menteri Perdagangan) – on an annual basis 

To get an IT-MB permit, the company must submit an application to the Minister electronically through http://inatrade.kemendag.go.id by attaching scans of the original documents: 

1. Import Referal Number (Angka Pengenal Impor/API); 
2. Company Registration Certificate (Tanda Daftar Perusahaan/TDP); 
3. Permanent Trading Business License (SIUP-MB) for distributors that shows that the applicant company has experience as an alcoholic beverage distributor for at least 3 consecutive years. 
4. Single Tax Number (Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak/NPWP); 
5. Identity Number (Nomor Induk Kependudukan/NIK); 
6. Letter of Appointment from at least 20 (twenty) principals of brand holders/overseas factories originating from at least 5 (five) countries for the purchase of at least 3000 (three thousand) cartons per brand per year, by presenting the original letter of appointment signed by a Notary Public and Trade Attaché or diplomatic/consular official in the field of economy in the origin country; 
7. Certificate from the origin factory explaining that the principal of the brand holder/representative of the brand holder is authorized to appoint Distributors abroad which is signed by the Trade Attaché or diplomatic/consular official in the field of economy in the origin country; and
8. Letter of appointment of distributors in at least 6 (six) provincial regions in Indonesia.

Issuance of IT-MB no later than 5 (five) working days from the submission of the complete and correct application. No tariff is applied for this approval process. 

To get Importation Approval from the Ministry of Trade, the company must submit an application to the Minister electronically through http://inatrade.kemendag.go.id by attaching scans of the original documents: 

1. IT-MB
2. Import planning as a supply commitment of duty band from The Customs, Ministry of Finance
3. Distribution planning
4. For duty non-paid alcoholic beverages, only handled by an Indonesian state-owned enterprise (Badan Usaha Milik Negara/BUMN) and registered the distribution plan to sell in duty-free stores only. 

Issuance of Importation Approval no later than 5 (five) working days from the complete and correct application. 

No tariff is applied for this approval process. 

Product

1) Beer

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

2) Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

3) Whisky

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

7.2 Customs Procedure

General Food

For releasing imported products, Custom will require an importer to show an Import Recommendation Letter (explained under 'Other notes or requirements for importation') from BPOM [1,2,3]. 

To get an Import Recommendation Letter, the importer can follow the process as follows: 

• One-time Account Registration at https://e-bpom.pom.go.id/ (including submitting required documents). Estimated timeline: 2 working days. 
• For every shipment, product import data submission and payment (cost IDR 50,000 (~USD 3.25) for raw materials and IDR 100,000 (~USD 6.5) for food products). Estimated process timeline: 6 hours (in working days) if the documents are completed and correct. 

Category

Alcoholic drinks

Same as General Food above and should comply with: [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12] 

• Classification (Class A/B/C) and types of alcoholic beverages listed in Annex I of the Ministry of Trade Decree regarding Alcoholic Beverages.
• HS Code and types of alcoholic beverages products listed in Annex II of the Ministry of Trade Decree regarding Alcoholic Beverages.
• Duty tariff on alcoholic beverage products that are regulated by the Ministry of Finance. [12] 

Product

1) Beer

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

2) Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

3) Whisky

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

7.3 Manufacturing License

General Food

Not required.  

Category

Alcoholic drinks

Not required, but requires approval/permission from the Ministry of Trade for the importer permit (see Section 7.1 above)

Product

1) Beer

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

2) Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

3) Whisky

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

7.4 Test for Importation

General Food

The safety parameters need to be shown through a Certificate of Analysis, and this is one of the requirements to obtain an Import Recommendation Letter [1,2,3]. For the safety parameters, please refer to Section 8 of this guidebook.  

Category

Alcoholic drinks

See Section 8 with the addition of food-grade ethanol specification and methanol in Section 3.2. 

Product

1) Beer

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

2) Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

3) Whisky

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

7.5 Other Notes or Requirements for Importation

General Food

The minimum expiry date of the product is 2/3 of the total shelf-life. 

Category

Alcoholic drinks

Same as General Food above on minimum 2/3 shelf-life requirement applying to alcoholic beverages containing up to 7% alcohol content. Import realization must be 80% of import quantity planned and submitted in the Importation Approval of alcoholic beverages. [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11] 

Product

1) Beer

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

2) Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

3) Whisky

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

7.6 Overview Flowchart for Importation Process

General Food

Excerpt from BPOM User Manual Guideline Book for Importation [1]

English translation:

*INSW refers to Indonesia's National Single Window.

Category

Alcoholic drinks

Same as General Food above with the addition of IT-IMB and Importation Approval [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11].

Product

1) Beer

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

2) Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

3) Whisky

Same as "Category" (alcoholic drinks) above.

7.7 References

1. BPOM User Manual Guideline Book for Importation

https://e-bpom.pom.go.id/etc/doc/User-Manual_Importir.pdf

2. BPOM Decree No. 27 Year 2022 on Supervision of the Import of Food and Drugs into Indonesian Territory 

https://jdih.pom.go.id/download/rule/1431/27/2022/Peraturan%20Badan%20Pengawas%20Obat%20dan%20Makanan%20Nomor%2027%20Tahun%202022%20tentang%20Pengawasan%20Pemasukan%20Obat%20dan%20Makanan%20ke%20dalam%20Wilayah%20Indonesia

3. BPOM Decree No. 28 Year 2023 on Amendment of Regulation of Supervision of the Import of Food and Drugs into Indonesian Territory

https://jdih.pom.go.id/download/rule/1535/28/2023/Peraturan%20Badan%20Pengawas%20Obat%20dan%20Makanan%20Nomor%2028%20Tahun%202023%20tentang%20Perubahan%20atas%20Peraturan%20Badan%20Pengawas%20Obat%20dan%20Makanan%20Nomor%2027%20Tahun%202022%20tentang%20Pengawasan%20Pemasukan%20Obat%20dan%20Makanan%20ke%20dalam%20Wilayah%20Indonesia

4. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 20/M-DAG/PER/4/2014 Year 2014 on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages 

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/129077/permendag-no-20mdagper42014tahun2014

5. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 72/M-DAG/PER/10/2014 Year 2014 on First Amendment of Regulation on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/129144/permendag-no-72m-dagper102014-tahun-2014

6. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 06/M-DAG/PER/1/2015 Year 2015 on Second Amendment of Regulation on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/128929/permendag-no-06m-dagper12015-tahun-2015

7. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 32/M-DAG/PER/5/2016 Year 2016 on Third Amendment of Regulation on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages 

https://peraturan.go.id/id/permendag-no-32-m-dag-per-5-2016-tahun-2016

8. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 47 Year 2018 on Fourth Amendment of Regulation on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages 

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/128386/permendag-no-47-tahun-2018

9. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 120 Year 2018 on Fifth Amendment of Regulation on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages 

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/128506/permendag-no-120-tahun-2018

10. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 25 Year 2019 on Sixth Amendment of Regulation on Control and Supervision of The Supply, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages 

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/128581/permendag-no-25-tahun-2019

11. The Ministry of Trade Decree No. 20 Year 2021 on Policy and Regulation of Importation 

https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/204857/permendag-no-20-tahun-2021

12. The Ministry of Finance Decree No.160 Year 2023 on Duty Tariffs on Ethyl Alcohol, Beverages Containing Ethyl Alcohol, and Concentrates Containing Ethyl Alcohol 

https://jdih.kemenkeu.go.id/download/fa52d458-cdd7-4554-aed2-7a649331bb40/2023pmkeuangan160.pdf