iPhone 16 sales still illegal in Indonesia, but travellers can import them

Details: John Tanner; Category: Devices & Platforms; 28 October 2024; 9121 views

Indonesia’s Industry Ministry said on Friday that sales of Apple’s new iPhone 16 in the country remain illegal due to an ongoing certification dispute, but clarified that incoming travellers and air crew who own the devices can still bring them for personal use.

Apple launched the iPhone 16 last month, but the device remains unavailable in Indonesia until it acquires certification of its domestic component level under the government’s Tingkat Komponen Dalam Negeri (TKDN) regulations. TKDN certification requires makers of telecoms products such as mobile phones, tablets and Wi-Fi modems to show that at least 35% of their products’ components originated or were produced in Indonesia.

That process is underway for the iPhone 16, but earlier this month, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in a statement that Apple’s TKDN certification is tied to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s pledge to invest IDR1.71 trillion (US$109 million) in Indonesia, to include establishing a new Apple Academy for app developers in Bali, when he visited Indonesia in April 2024. Apple has previously established three Apple Academies in Tangerang, Sidoarjo, and Batam.

Howevever, Kartasasmita said Apple has fallen IDR230 billion short of its pledge, and that TKDN approval for the iPhone 16 won’t happen until Apple completes its investment.

On Friday, the ministry reiterated that it remains illegal to sell iPhone 16 phones until Apple acquires TKDN certification. However, according to report from state news agency Antara on Saturday, ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arief clarified that it’s legal for people who buy an iPhone 16 overseas to bring it into the country for personal use.

According to government regulations, incoming airline passengers and crew members are allowed to bring up to two iPhone 16s with them, whether in their luggage or via courier, as long as they don’t sell them.

Arief added that 9,000 iPhone 16s have entered Indonesia legally between August and October 2024 via incoming passengers, with appropriate taxes paid, the report said.

The certification delay comes as Indonesia is also wooing Apple to invest in a manufacturing facility in the country. Apple has been looking to diversify its supply chain in Asia after factory lockdowns in China during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted production, and has made investements in India and Vietnam as part of that drive.

Accordingto media reports, Cook said during his April visit to Indonesia that he would consider ways to make supply chain investments in Indonesia, whether via a manufacturing facility or more collaboration with local component suppliers.