Moving from Paris to Jakarta (2026): Costs, Visas & Complete Guide

Moving from Paris to Jakarta (2026): Costs, Visas & Complete Guide

Moving from Paris to Jakarta is a dramatic change of pace: from an elegant, walkable European capital to a sprawling South-East Asian megacity of more than ten million people — humid year-round, famously congested, and remarkably affordable once you have settled in. This guide takes French and Paris-based movers through the practical realities in 2026: how your belongings travel, what drives the cost, how Indonesian customs (Bea Cukai) treats used household goods, the visa routes that make the move legal, and where international families choose to live.

Key takeaways

• Two shipping routes: sea freight to Tanjung Priok, Jakarta’s main port, typically takes around five to seven weeks door-to-door from Paris; air freight is much faster but suits only a small, urgent shipment.
• Customs relief is tied to your visa: duty and tax exemption on used household goods is generally available only to holders of a valid KITAS with at least twelve months of stay, filed through Indonesia’s PIBK declaration system.
• Visa first, always: most movers arrive on a work-sponsored KITAS; investors and retirees may use the second-home or Golden Visa (E33) route. Your re-entry permit (MERP) is now built into the multiple-exit KITAS.
• Pets are genuinely difficult: Indonesia is rabies-controlled. Jakarta requires a Ministry of Agriculture import permit, and Bali is effectively closed to direct pet imports. Plan this early or not at all.
• Jakarta is cheap but slow: rents, dining and domestic help cost a fraction of Paris, but traffic is severe — location relative to your office or school matters more than almost anything else.

1. The route: Paris to Jakarta

Jakarta sits on the north-west coast of Java, and almost all household shipments arrive by sea at Tanjung Priok, the country’s busiest container port, on the northern edge of the city. From Paris, goods are collected, packed and loaded into a container at a European hub — freight typically moves overland to a northern European or French Atlantic port such as Le Havre for loading — then routed via the major Asian transhipment ports before final discharge and customs clearance at Tanjung Priok. Allow roughly five to seven weeks door-to-door for a full or shared container, depending on sailing schedules, transhipment connections and how quickly clearance is completed.

You can ship a dedicated full container (typically a 20ft or 40ft) if you are moving a whole household, or take a shared (groupage) container to save money on a smaller load — the trade-off is a longer, less predictable timeline because the container waits to fill. Air freight into Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is the fast alternative, usually a matter of days in transit, but the per-kilo cost is high enough that it makes sense only for essentials you need immediately: a few boxes, a laptop, clothing and children’s items rather than furniture.

2. What the move costs (the general drivers)

Rather than a single headline figure, think in terms of the factors that move the price up or down. The main cost drivers for a Paris-to-Jakarta relocation are:

• Volume and container type — the single biggest lever. A studio’s worth of belongings in a shared container costs far less than a family home filling a 40ft unit.
• Access at both ends — narrow Paris streets, Haussmannian buildings with tight staircases and small or absent lifts, and long carries all add packing and labour time in France; the same applies at your Jakarta residence.
• Packing and materials — full professional packing protects fragile items over a long sea journey but adds cost versus packing yourself.
• Insurance — marine transit cover is priced as a percentage of declared value and is strongly recommended for a multi-week ocean route.
• Destination charges — port handling, customs clearance, quarantine inspection where applicable, and final delivery and unpacking in Jakarta.
• Season and timing — booking ahead of peak periods and avoiding last-minute bookings helps control price.

The reassuring news is that day-to-day life in Jakarta is inexpensive by Paris standards — housing, eating out and domestic help in particular — so the shipping cost is often a one-off outlay against much lower ongoing living costs.

3. Indonesian customs: Bea Cukai and the KITAS condition

Indonesian customs is administered by Bea Cukai (the Directorate General of Customs and Excise). Used household goods can be imported with relief from import duty and taxes, but that relief is conditional. Under the framework in force in 2026 (regulation PMK-25/2025), duty- and tax-free relocation benefits are generally available to foreign nationals holding a valid KITAS with a stay period of at least twelve months, covering used furniture, kitchenware, books and reasonable quantities of electronics.

Declarations are filed through the PIBK (Pemberitahuan Impor Barang Khusus) system, which is designed to give a clearer, more predictable process and fewer disputes at the port. In practice this means your shipment should be linked to the KITAS holder, accompanied by a detailed itemised inventory and the supporting documents customs expects. New items, alcohol, and certain restricted or prohibited goods are treated differently and can attract duty or be refused, so declare accurately and avoid packing anything questionable. Because rules and thresholds are applied at the officer’s discretion at the port, a clear, honest inventory is your best protection against delay.

4. Living in Jakarta

Jakarta is a vast, polycentric city, and expatriate life clusters in a handful of well-established areas. Choosing where to live is really a choice about commute time, because the city’s traffic is legendary and distances that look short on a map can take an hour or more.

• Menteng — the historic, leafy diplomatic quarter in central Jakarta, with embassies, older colonial-era villas and a settled, established feel.
• Kemang — the long-standing expat hub in South Jakarta, known for its restaurants, bars, cafés and international crowd; lively and social.
• Pondok Indah — a spacious, greener enclave popular with families, close to several international schools and with large houses and malls.
• SCBD / Sudirman — the Sudirman Central Business District and the Sudirman corridor, the modern high-rise heart of corporate Jakarta, favoured by professionals who want to live near the office in serviced apartments and towers.
• Kebayoran Baru — a well-planned, established residential area in the south, a comfortable middle ground between central bustle and suburban space.

Housing splits broadly into compound and apartment living. Modern apartment towers in SCBD, Sudirman and Pondok Indah offer security, pools, gyms and a lock-up-and-leave lifestyle; landed houses, often in gated compounds, give families more space and gardens. Whichever you choose, factor the traffic in before anything else — living within a reasonable drive of your workplace or your children’s school will do more for your quality of life than any single feature of the property. Against Paris, the cost of housing, dining out and hiring domestic help is strikingly low, which is a large part of Jakarta’s appeal for relocating families.

5. Visas, healthcare, driving and pets

KITAS and the Golden Visa. The standard route for working expatriates is the KITAS, a limited-stay permit that is normally sponsored by an employer. Investors, business owners and financially independent movers may instead use the second-home or Golden Visa route (the E33 investor category and related sub-classes), which grants longer-stay rights without an employer sponsor. Your re-entry permit (MERP) — historically a separate stamp — is now generally integrated into the multiple-exit KITAS, so you can leave and return to Indonesia during the permit’s validity. Immigration matters are handled by the Directorate General of Immigration (imigrasi.go.id), and you should confirm the current category and requirements before you travel.

Healthcare. Jakarta has excellent private international hospitals used by the expatriate community, and comprehensive private health insurance is standard for internationals. Indonesia also runs a national scheme, BPJS Kesehatan, which resident permit holders may be required to join; most expatriates rely primarily on private cover and international hospitals for quality and language.

Driving. Many newcomers, given the traffic, choose to hire a driver rather than drive themselves. If you do drive, you will need to convert to an Indonesian licence (SIM) after arrival; an international driving permit is useful only for a short initial period.

Pets — read this carefully. Bringing a pet to Indonesia is genuinely difficult and must be planned months ahead. Indonesia is a rabies-controlled country. Dogs and cats require an import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture (the Directorate of Livestock Services and Animal Health), secured before travel and specifying the entry port and dates. Animals need an ISO microchip, a current rabies vaccination, a rabies antibody titre test at or above 0.5 IU/ml, other core vaccinations and parasite treatments, and a government-endorsed veterinary health certificate. Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport is the main approved entry point. Critically, several rabies-free regions restrict or ban animal imports, and Bali is effectively closed to direct pet imports — you cannot legally fly a pet straight into Denpasar, and even routing via Jakarta and then onward to Bali can be refused. If you are moving with a pet, engage a specialist pet shipper early and get the destination’s stance in writing.

6. Timeline: how the move unfolds

• 3–4 months before: secure your visa route (KITAS sponsorship or Golden Visa application), begin any pet import process, and request a survey and quote for the shipment.
• 6–8 weeks before: confirm your container booking and sailing, arrange marine insurance, and start decluttering.
• Moving week: professional packing and collection in Paris, container loading and departure.
• In transit (roughly 5–7 weeks): ocean voyage via Asian transhipment hubs to Tanjung Priok.
• On arrival: Bea Cukai clearance under your KITAS via the PIBK system, port handling, and final delivery and unpacking at your Jakarta home.

How Flyto handles your move

Flyto manages relocations from Europe to Indonesia end to end. Because we operate our own European hubs and ship worldwide, we can collect and pack in Paris, consolidate at our own facility, and coordinate the sea (or air) leg to Tanjung Priok with clearance and final delivery in Jakarta — a single point of contact from your Paris home to your Jakarta home. We help you line up the customs paperwork against your KITAS, advise on inventory and insurance, and flag the complex pieces (like pet import) early so nothing derails the timeline.

Get a personalised moving plan and quote from a Flyto advisor

Frequently asked questions

Related moves

• Moving from London to Jakarta
• Moving from Amsterdam to Jakarta
• Moving to Jakarta from Abroad

Sources

• Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) — beacukai.go.id
• Directorate General of Immigration — imigrasi.go.id
• France Diplomatie — conseils aux voyageurs, Indonésie (diplomatie.gouv.fr)
• Customs Declaration in Indonesia: 2026 Regulation Updates (PMK-25/2025)
• Indonesia Pet Import Requirements — PetTravel.com

Hiring an international mover? See our full International removals to Indonesia service — Flyto’s own European hubs, vetted local partners and one English-speaking coordinator, door to door.