Indonesia issues new list of prohibited imports from 1 January 2026
Regulation Permendag No. 47/2025, in force since 1 January 2026, repeals Indonesia's previous rules on prohibited imports and replaces them with a more explicit list. No exemption is provided for a newly established company.
Published · Updated
Indonesia's Ministry of Trade published regulation Permendag No. 47 Tahun 2025, which took effect on 1 January 2026, repealing earlier texts on import prohibitions and replacing them with a framework presented as more explicit and more comprehensive.
The categories listed as covered by this list include sugar and rice, ozone-depleting substances, used clothing, bags and handbags, certain refrigeration equipment, specific pharmaceutical and food materials, hazardous and toxic materials classified as B3, certain registered waste, finished hand tools, and mercury-containing medical devices.
The text applies to all importers without distinction, including in Indonesia's special economic zones within its customs territory, and with no grace period mentioned for newly registered companies.
All importers bringing any of these categories of goods into Indonesia are affected, including when manufactured in China, as are their local distributors.
What it changes for an importer
For an importer preparing an order for Indonesia, it is essential to check, product by product, that the goods do not appear on the Permendag 47/2025 list before confirming production, or the cargo can be blocked on arrival with no last-minute recourse. Sorva can carry out this check upstream, factory by factory and item by item, in coordination with the Indonesian buyer, who remains solely responsible for customs compliance on arrival.
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