Phone Import Info Please

Markit

There doesn't seem to be any up to date information on the net (at least not where I can find it) so thought I'd ask here for some: Am looking to buy a new phone (Oneplus 7 pro) from China AliExpress because they are built there and priced at about half of what you pay here from some really dodgy sellers. Main issue is what kind of import duties am I looking at? (phone should be under the $500 level). AND is it a bitch to get registered here - clearly I already have my old phone registers and I would only be swapping them out. Thanks for any help and advise particularly on stuff I haven't thought of. P.S. I have bought from AliExpress in the past and know the procedure for paying (bank transfer) for the customs charges but not since the new regulations (2 years ago now!) came into effect.

Mark

Unlike for inbound travellers, there is no personal tax exemption for importing by mail, so I believe taxes on the phone would be 40% customs duties plus 10% PPN based on the price of the phone plus shipping costs. Getting the phone's IMEI registered for use here will probably require your personal appearance at customs with proof showing that you paid the relevant import fees. Also, the phone may not be serviceable. My wife recently had her Chinese brand phone repaired and while in the service centre in Denpasar observed another person being denied service because the phone was not sold through the authorised dealer in Indonesia, ie it was either purchased abroad or was an overseas model bought from a third party seller on Tokopedia, etc. The service centre claimed they didn't have the correct parts since the phone was assembled in China and not in Indonesia like the official, locally sold version. Side note - I had an iPhone that I used here in Indonesia for a couple of years but only with a foreign sim card. Earlier this year I gave the phone to a relative in Jakarta and he was unable to use it with a local sim card. When we contacted the relevant authorities, we were told that in order for it to be registered for use with a local sim, it needed to be formally 'imported' and proof of this (eg, boarding pass or import purchase invoice), along with paying the taxes, was required. I haven't travelled abroad since Covid so this was a nonstarter. Needless to say, the government has intentionally made this issue a huge pain in the ass, so reluctantly I now buy my phones here.

wepro

You should read it. There are all informations https://baliscoop.com/register-imei-number-indonesia/

Markit

A bit fecking dire aint it? Thank you both for the information and website. Will report how I get on with screwing the system if possible, cause aint paying that kind of dosh just to talk with the missus.

Fred2

.looks like the governments idea works.

Balifrog

Markit wrote Will report how I get on with screwing the system if possible, cause aint paying that kind of dosh just to talk with the missus.

Don't need a 500$ phone to talk to the Missus... A basic second hand Motorola will do ! And BTW, if you live together ?

Markit

Balifrog wrote Don't need a 500$ phone to talk to the Missus... [COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Excellent point! Any recommendations for a decent (and cheap) local phone? [/COLOR] A basic second hand Motorola will do ! And BTW, if you live together ?

It's a long story and I don't shine in it - in short there's more than one "missus"

Balifrog

Markit wrote It's a long story and I don't shine in it - in short there's more than one "missus"

Hahaha, I have abandonned those "complications" since a few years. Sorry, no idea about a cheap phone, but dozens of phone shops everywhere, so it should be easy to find ?

britoo

So get your arse back into civilisation and go check out the mall or something like cellular world. For as little as 2.5 jt you can bung something like a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 or 10 in your pocket or a lower model for maybe just 1.5 jt (assuming you are after WhatsApp else just get a Nokia brick for a few hundred k). + For this though you'll get pretty decent hardware spec and a big screen and battery giving you maybe 2 days + You get dual sim so you can have separate SIMs and numbers for each of the laydeez on the same phone + You get "dual app" features so you can run the same app using different accounts simultaneously so you can catfish all day long. The catch . . . . . well is the obvious one - they got caught with their pants down spying on their users with all their dinky apps but then again they are kind of just in the queue behind FaceAche and Google anyhow so you pays your money and takes your chances.

Markit

britoo wrote So get your arse back into civilisation and go check out the mall or something like cellular world. For as little as 2.5 jt you can bung something like a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 or 10 in your pocket or a lower model for maybe just 1.5 jt (assuming you are after WhatsApp else just get a Nokia brick for a few hundred k). + For this though you'll get pretty decent hardware spec and a big screen and battery giving you maybe 2 days + You get dual sim so you can have separate SIMs and numbers for each of the laydeez on the same phone + You get "dual app" features so you can run the same app using different accounts simultaneously so you can catfish all day long. The catch . . . . . well is the obvious one - they got caught with their pants down spying on their users with all their dinky apps but then again they are kind of just in the queue behind FaceAche and Google anyhow so you pays your money and takes your chances.

I'm so behind the times here in the jungle I had to look up the Urban Dictionary for "Catfish" - funny! I Thanks for this!! I loved my Apple for a number of year until they got too up themselves with everything fecking Apple and stupid high prices. Switched then to Oneplus because it has/had a super spec for not much money. But now those have zoomed up in price and there's no outlet or support here on Bali, at least - not sure about Jakarta, but aint going there for a phone. So will have a good look at the one(s) you've suggested, again thanks! Any other phone suggestions will be gladly viewed!

hca

I don't know any thing about phones, except they are only safe to have around with the battery pulled out of them. But Ali express I have used a lot over the years mainly electronic bits and pieces. Used to be 3 weeks maybe 4 to arrive. Never had anything not show up or wrong. A bee suit took 3 months to show up, but as it was over delivery time allowed the money was refunded to the card. But it still arrived a few weeks later. I can't be sure how the seller would describe a phone, but declarations were pretty general at a low price. Never had anything arrive with a customs bill. I cant speak to what arrival times are now the UN NWO are taking over most places, most planes are parked up or chopped up. Most stuff was post by air. I don't know if it even still runs.

Juggler

Markit wrote It's a long story and I don't shine in it - in short there's more than one "missus"

I somehow think that there might be more than one hubby also ;).......wot ya think Mr Karangasan....

Markit

Juggler wrote I somehow think that there might be more than one hubby also ;).......wot ya think Mr Karangasan....

I'm too old for that lark. My eyes don't work well enough anymore to keep one on the babe and one on the back and front exits. And frankly there's enough single, tasty, willing (not to mention pushy) local brown babes around for anyone's tastes.