AN Indonesian citizen (WNI) working in Germany with the initials A, 32, experienced an incident with Customs officers upon arrival at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Monday (11/3). This incident was the result of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 36 of 2023 which was only implemented the day before.
A told this incident to his friend, I, who was still in Germany. I said that A brought personal items that he had bought long ago in Germany and would reuse in Indonesia. However, Customs officers checked all the items in his suitcase in detail and asked for an explanation. According to I, this is normal because it is an airport procedure.
I also revealed that A said another officer suddenly took a photo of his passport and the items in his suitcase. Then A asked the officer regarding this and the officer stated that A had to pay excess customs duty because the value of the goods he brought exceeded US$500.
With this incident, I felt that A was emotional because the items A brought were items he had bought a long time ago and not new items. Even though A showed proof of the time frame for purchasing the bag, this situation still caused discomfort.
Luckily, this story went viral following I shared the story experienced by A on X’s personal social media. Due to the viral story, Customs and Excise immediately provided an explanation to A via Direct Message and apologized. They stated that the inspection was in accordance with the Procedure for Minister of Finance Regulation Number 23 of 2017. Customs and Excise also explained that in the end A was asked to leave without any request for additional money.
Just so you know, Customs and Excise has established new regulations that will take effect from March 10 2024 regarding goods from abroad. This regulation refers to the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 36 of 2023 concerning import regulations and policies.
With this regulation, every passenger who buys imported goods without an import permit from the Ministry of Trade will be restricted. Therefore, this rule will have an impact on the perpetrators of jastip or entrustment services. Meanwhile, there are several types of luggage that are restricted, including electronic devices, footwear, textile items, bags and shoes. (Z-2)
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