Moving from the UK to Indonesia (2026): Complete Guide

Relocating from the United Kingdom to Indonesia means clearing two separate customs regimes — the UK’s export side, run by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Border Force, and Indonesia’s import side, run by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC, Bea Cukai) alongside the Directorate General of Immigration (Ditjen Imigrasi). This guide is written for a UK resident — whether British or a long-term expat — moving household goods, a pet, or a family to Indonesia, and covers what to sort out before you leave Great Britain, what happens at the Indonesian border, and a short note on moving back the other way.

Key takeaways

• Your Indonesian visa/stay-permit category (KITAS) determines whether your household goods qualify for duty-free import — this is decided before the shipment even leaves the UK (Ditjen Imigrasi, Bea Cukai).
• Exporters need a GB EORI number and must clear an export declaration with HMRC before goods leave Great Britain, regardless of shipment value (gov.uk/export-goods).
• Tell HMRC you’re leaving via the P85 process — this does not by itself make you UK tax non-resident; that’s governed separately by the Statutory Residence Test (gov.uk P85 guidance, gov.uk tax if you leave the UK).
• Indonesia’s household-goods duty exemption ("barang pindahan") requires goods to arrive within 90 days before or after you do, and excludes all motor vehicles and vessels (Bea Cukai, PMK 25/2025).
• Since 1 October 2025, all arrivals must file the single digital "All Indonesia" arrival card (immigration + customs + quarantine combined) up to 72 hours before landing (allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id).
• Carrying IDR 100 million or more in cash (or the foreign-currency equivalent) into or out of Indonesia must be declared to Indonesian customs on form BC 3.2 (Bea Cukai e-CD portal).
• Cats and dogs need an import permit, rabies vaccination and antibody titer test, and health certification from Indonesia’s quarantine agency, Badan Karantina Indonesia — rules and quarantine periods vary by destination province, so check before booking travel (Badan Karantina Indonesia).
• Declare £10,000 or more in cash when crossing the UK border in either direction (gov.uk cash declaration).

1. Why your Indonesian visa status comes first

Indonesian customs treats your shipment differently depending on who you are on arrival. Duty-free "barang pindahan" (transferred household goods) status is available to Indonesian citizens who have lived abroad at least 12 consecutive months, and to foreign nationals holding a qualifying limited-stay permit (KITAS) issued for work, study, or family sponsorship (Bea Cukai). The KITAS itself is issued by the Directorate General of Immigration (Ditjen Imigrasi), typically via an employer’s RPTKA approval for a work permit or a family-sponsorship application, converted from a limited-stay visa (VITAS) into an ITAS/KITAS card within 30 days of arrival (Ditjen Imigrasi). Sort your visa category before booking your shipment: without a qualifying permit, your goods are treated as ordinary commercial imports and face full duty and tax, not the transfer-of-residence exemption.

2. The UK export side

Customs authority: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) administers UK export declarations and customs duty; Border Force carries out physical checks at ports and airports.

Before you go — notify HMRC: If you were taxed under PAYE and are leaving the UK to live or work abroad long-term, file a P85 with HMRC, either online or by post (gov.uk P85 guidance). Note that submitting a P85 is not the same as becoming non-UK-resident for tax purposes — HMRC assesses that separately under the Statutory Residence Test, and may ask follow-up questions (gov.uk tax if you leave the UK to live abroad). Also tell your local council your departure date so Council Tax liability ends correctly — each local authority handles this directly (gov.uk Council Tax).

Export declaration: To move goods permanently out of Great Britain you need an EORI number starting "GB", and you must make an export declaration and get the goods cleared by UK customs before they leave — there’s no minimum-value exemption for this requirement (gov.uk/export-goods). Certain goods need extra licences or certificates, and you should check the duty and customs procedure that applies to your specific shipment (gov.uk check duties and customs procedures for exporting). In practice, an international mover or customs agent files this declaration on your behalf as part of the shipping process — but you remain responsible for the accuracy of your inventory and paperwork.

Cash: If you’re carrying £10,000 or more (cash, traveller’s cheques, or equivalent bearer instruments) out of Great Britain, you must declare it to Border Force before you travel, either online up to 72 hours in advance or via form C9011 at the border (gov.uk bringing cash into/out of the UK).

3. Ports & transit — freight-industry estimates

The UK’s main container gateways for outbound sea freight are Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway, and Tilbury; air freight typically routes through London Heathrow. On the Indonesian side, sea shipments land at Tanjung Priok (Jakarta) or Tanjung Perak (Surabaya), and air shipments at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Jakarta) or Ngurah Rai (Bali).

These are freight-industry planning estimates, not official government transit times, and will vary by carrier, season, and transshipment routing (most sailings connect via Singapore, Colombo, or the Suez Canal):

• Sea freight (FCL/LCL), UK to Tanjung Priok: roughly 6–9 weeks transit, plus 1–3 weeks for Indonesian customs clearance and delivery.
• Air freight, UK to Jakarta/Bali: roughly 5–10 days transit, plus customs clearance, typically faster door-to-door but considerably more expensive per cubic metre.

4. The Indonesia import side

Since 1 October 2025, every international arrival — Indonesian and foreign — must complete the "All Indonesia" digital arrival card, which merges the former immigration arrival card, the customs e-CD, and quarantine/health declarations into one online form, submitted up to 72 hours before landing and presented as a QR code on arrival (allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id).

For your household shipment (barang pindahan), the operative rule since 27 June 2025 is Ministry of Finance Regulation PMK No. 25/2025 on customs provisions for transferred goods, which replaced the older 2008 regulation (PMK 25/2025, JDIH Kemenkeu). Under this rule, personal household items — furniture, clothing, books, personal electronics — brought by a qualifying WNI (an Indonesian citizen returning after 12+ months abroad) or WNA (a foreigner on a qualifying work, study, or family-sponsorship KITAS) are exempt from import duty, though other import taxes such as VAT and income tax may still apply (Bea Cukai barang pindahan). Your goods must land either together with you or within 90 days before or after your own arrival, and Indonesian customs excludes cars, motorcycles, watercraft, and aircraft — along with their spare parts — from this exemption entirely. Documentation required generally includes your passport/visa copies, a relocation/transfer-of-residence letter, and an inventory.

Passenger allowances (for what you carry with you, separate from the shipment) include duty-free goods up to USD 500 in customs value per person, and mobile devices intended to stay longer than 90 days require IMEI registration — both handled through the arrival-declaration process (allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id).

5. Pets — both ends

Leaving the UK: To take a dog, cat, or ferret out of Great Britain to a non-EU destination like Indonesia, you’ll usually need an Export Health Certificate (EHC), completed by an official (APHA-authorised) vet — requirements and lead times vary by destination, so contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) early (gov.uk taking your pet abroad).

Entering Indonesia: Cats, dogs, and other rabies-vector species require an import permit, an ISO-compliant microchip, rabies vaccination, a rabies antibody titer test, and a veterinary health certificate from the country of origin, applied for online in advance and administered under Indonesia’s quarantine system by Badan Karantina Indonesia (Barantin). On arrival, animals undergo document and physical inspection and are typically held for a period of observation at an approved quarantine facility. Indonesia also designates some provinces with a rabies-free status subject to tighter entry controls, so exact requirements and quarantine length can vary by destination — check directly with Barantin before booking a pet’s travel, particularly if you’re moving to Bali or another specific province (Badan Karantina Indonesia).

6. Vehicles, money, and things people forget

Vehicles: Don’t plan to ship your UK car or motorbike as part of your household move — motor vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft (plus their parts) are explicitly excluded from Indonesia’s barang pindahan duty exemption, meaning full import duty and taxes apply regardless of your visa status (Bea Cukai / PMK 25/2025). Most relocating expats sell in the UK and buy or lease locally instead.

Money: Declare £10,000+ leaving the UK (gov.uk), and separately declare IDR 100 million or more (or the foreign-currency equivalent) in cash on form BC 3.2 when entering or leaving Indonesia — bringing rupiah cash specifically also requires prior authorisation from Bank Indonesia (Bea Cukai e-CD portal).

Easy to forget: Notifying your council of your move-out date so Council Tax stops correctly (gov.uk); confirming your KITAS category is actually eligible for the barang pindahan exemption before your shipment sails, not after; and building in the 90-day arrival window on the Indonesian side so your goods and your own arrival date line up.

Reverse direction — Indonesia to the UK: If you later return to Great Britain, HMRC’s Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief lets you bring personal belongings back in without paying import VAT or customs duty, provided the UK becomes your main home again and you (in most cases) apply for approval on form ToR1 before or shortly after the goods arrive; items generally need to have been owned and used for at least six months, and you typically need to have lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months (gov.uk transfer of residence to Great Britain).

How Flyto handles your UK to Indonesia move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, vehicles, and moving teams across Northern, Central, and Southern Europe, so the UK collection, packing, and export handling on this corridor is largely in-house. For the ocean or air leg to Indonesia and the barang pindahan clearance on arrival, we work through a carefully chosen network of shipping partners and trusted local agents in Indonesia who handle customs, quarantine coordination for pets, and last-mile delivery — so you get one point of contact throughout, even though multiple specialists are involved behind the scenes.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an EORI number to send my personal belongings to Indonesia?
Yes — anyone exporting goods permanently out of Great Britain needs a GB EORI number to make the required export declaration, regardless of the shipment’s value (gov.uk).

Does filing a P85 make me non-resident for UK tax purposes?
No. The P85 tells HMRC you’re leaving and triggers an initial review, but your actual tax residence status is determined under the Statutory Residence Test, which HMRC may assess separately (gov.uk).

Can I bring my car to Indonesia as part of my move?
No. Motor vehicles are explicitly excluded from the barang pindahan household-goods duty exemption, so a car would face full import duty and tax as a standalone commercial import (Bea Cukai).

How long do I have to get my shipment into Indonesia relative to my own arrival?
Your goods must arrive together with you or within a 90-day window either side of your arrival date to qualify for the duty exemption (Bea Cukai).

Can I bring my dog to Bali?
Possibly, but Bali applies its own strict entry controls for rabies-vector pets — import permit, vaccination and titer-test records, and a period of quarantine — and requirements can differ from the rest of Indonesia. Confirm the current rules with Badan Karantina Indonesia (Barantin) before finalising a move there with a pet (Badan Karantina Indonesia).

What’s the single arrival form I need to fill in for Indonesia?
The "All Indonesia" digital arrival card, which since 1 October 2025 combines immigration, customs, and quarantine declarations into one online submission made up to 72 hours before landing (allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id).

Sources

• gov.uk – Export goods from the UK: step by step
• gov.uk – Check duties and customs procedures for exporting goods
• gov.uk – Get your Income Tax right if you’re leaving the UK (P85)
• gov.uk – Tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
• gov.uk – Take cash in and out of the UK
• gov.uk – Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: help and support
• gov.uk – Council Tax
• gov.uk – Transfer of residence to Great Britain
• Bea Cukai (Indonesian Directorate General of Customs and Excise) – Barang Pindahan
• Bea Cukai – Indonesian Customs Declaration (e-CD) portal
• JDIH Kementerian Keuangan – PMK 25 Tahun 2025
• All Indonesia – Official arrival card portal
• Ditjen Imigrasi (Directorate General of Immigration) – Izin Tinggal FAQ
• Badan Karantina Indonesia (Barantin) – official site