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Customs and Excise lists things to know for Hajj pilgrims
The year proved to be a special year, as the border reopens for the Muslims who hope to be able to go on their pilgrimage to Mecca
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T
he year proved to be a special year, as the border reopens for the Muslims who hope to be able to go on their pilgrimage to Mecca. In order to help facilitate and ease their travel, the Customs and Excise agency, one that has authority on the duty of customs inspection of passenger luggage to and from abroad, is committed to providing optimal service to pilgrims departing from and returning to Indonesia.
"Don't let the solemnity of worship be disturbed just because of the pilgrims' ignorance of the applicable regulations,” said Hatta Wardhana, head of the sub-directorate of Public Relations and Customs Counseling on Monday (27/06) regarding several things that prospective pilgrims need to know before leaving for the holy land regarding customs and excise regulations.
"This causes not all pilgrims to pass customs inspection. However, the luggage of pilgrims may have to go through customs inspection, especially if there are goods whose import or export is prohibited or restricted," he added.
While the baggage may not be physically checked at the time of their departure, inspections will be carried out in the event of suspicion or based on intelligence information regarding prohibited and restricted goods, especially those that are not permitted to be carried or may be carried but are subject to conditions and permits from the relevant agencies.
At the time of arrival, the conditions for arriving hajj pilgrims are the same as other international air passengers. This means that the items that are allowed to be brought inside the country are mainly personal necessities, provisions for the pilgrims and souvenirs during the pilgrimage, which are not restricted items with a maximum value of US$500.
The excess of the aforementioned value will be subject to state levies in the form of import duties and taxes in the context of imports in accordance with the provisions regarding passenger luggage, as written in PMK 203/PMK.04/2017.
Hatta has said that the agency has made efforts to intensively publicized the regulation to the public. The Madura Customs, for one, collaborated with a talk show on Karimata FM Radio to bring to light the rules on the carrying of cash for pilgrims and other travelers.
"For the amount of cash or other payment instruments that are equivalent to money, which are allowed to be carried by pilgrims, the provisions apply to a maximum of Rp 100 million [US$6,764.41] or other currency equivalent in value. To carry more than that amount, if you leave the territory of Indonesia, you must first obtain permission from Bank Indonesia and if it enters Indonesian territory, it must first report and check the money to the Customs and Excise officer at the place of arrival," explained Hatta.
Moreover, travelers must also abide by rules in place regarding electronics purchased abroad, such as cellphones, computers and tablets. For those specific items, the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) notification or registration procedure must be applied according to PER-13/BC/2021.
"IMEI registration is done by filling out and submitting an application form electronically to Customs through the website beacukai.go.id or through the Mobile Beacukai application on Playstore. Then, proof of filling out the electronic form in the form of a QR Code is submitted to customs officers upon arrival in Indonesia, with passports, boarding passes, invoices and other supporting identities. If the passenger has left the arrival terminal, proof of the QR Code is submitted to the nearest customs office," he added.
In the hopes that all hajj pilgrimage will run smoothly, Hatta said that all levels of Customs and Excise are actively trying to optimize their services and supervision, from the socialization of customs and excise regulations, checking transportation facilities, to supervising hajj pilgrims' luggage. In Banjarmasin and Juanda, the Customs have gone as far as escorting the departure of local pilgrims’ embarkation, since early June 2022.
For more information about passenger luggage, pilgrims can contact the Bravo Customs Service contact 1500225 at https://linktr.ee/bravobeacukai. The procedure for registering IMEI HKT can be read in its entirety at bit.ly/FAQ-IMEI.
