Registration
NIB through OSS, API-U as the general importer licence, NIK for customs access.
OSS / Customs
Indonesia import licences: NIB, API-U and NIK
NIB, API-U and NIK decide whether goods clear customs. Certification alone does not make a shipment importable.
At a glance
Three registrations decide whether goods move
NIB is the business identification number issued through OSS. API-U is the general importer licence for goods imported for trade. NIK is what gives the entity access to the customs system.
Missing any one of the three stops a shipment, however well certified the product is.
- Core registrations
- NIB, API-U and NIK
- System
- OSS, plus customs registration for clearance
- Applies to
- Any entity importing goods for trade
- Our role
- Registration, permits and clearance readiness
Does this apply to you
Approvals give the right to sell. Licences get you through the port.
Most delays we see are not certification failures. They are missing importer registrations, or product permits that were never scoped in the first place.
- First-time importers setting up registrations
- Companies switching from a distributor to their own import channel
- Products requiring a specific import permit alongside certification
- Businesses whose shipments have been held at the border
- Groups consolidating import activity into a new entity
Photo: port operations or container handling
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What we handle
The scope of work on our side
Product permits
Identifying whether goods need a specific import approval on top of certification.
Documentation
Aligning invoices, HS codes and certificates so clearance is not queried.
Clearance support
Working with your forwarder when a shipment needs a regulatory answer fast.
Process
From HS classification to first clearance
1
Review
HS classification checked and the licence set identified for your goods.
2
Registration
NIB, API-U and NIK obtained under the importing entity.
3
Permits
Any product-specific import approvals prepared and filed.
4
Shipment
Document pack aligned so the first clearance runs without a hold.
Documents
What you send us
- Company legal documents
- Product list with HS codes
- Supplier invoices and packing lists
- Existing certificates
- Warehouse and address details
- Director identity documents
FAQ
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between API-U and API-P?
API-U covers goods imported for trade — you intend to resell them. API-P covers goods imported for a company's own use or production. Choosing the wrong one blocks the activity you actually intend, so it is settled during scoping rather than discovered later.
Do we need our own import licence?
Not if you sell through an appointed importer. You do if you want to control pricing, stock and the customer relationship directly. It is a commercial decision with a regulatory consequence, and it is worth taking deliberately.
Our shipment is held at the port. Can you help?
Usually. The first step is identifying whether the hold is a document issue, a classification issue or a missing approval — which we can normally assess quickly from the customs notice. Send it over and we will tell you what we see.
Does certification cover import approval?
No. They are separate obligations. A fully certified product still needs the importer registrations and, in some categories, a specific import permit before it can be cleared.
How important is the HS code?
More than most exporters expect. The HS classification drives duty, which permits apply, and whether the goods are queried at all. A wrong code is one of the quieter causes of repeated holds, so we check it before the first shipment rather than after.
Often needed alongside
Most products need two or three schemes, not one
01
SDPPI / Postel / DJID
Type Approval (SDPPI)
Certification for radio, wireless and telecom equipment — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular and NFC.
Read more
02
BSN / LSPro
SNI Certification
Mandatory Indonesian National Standard certification for product groups where SNI applies to imports.
Read more
03
BPOM
BPOM Registration
Product registration for cosmetics, food, supplements and medical devices before they can legally be sold.
Read more
Tell us the product. We will tell you what Indonesia requires.
The applicable schemes, the documents required, the testing route and a realistic timeline — in writing, at no cost.
Last reviewed . Indonesian requirements change; we confirm the current position in every assessment.