The State News Agency Antara reports that Indonesia is maintaining a ban on the import and sale of iPhone 16s due to the failure of Apple’s CEO Tim Cook to honor pledges made to then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo during Cook’s visit to Indonesia in April of 2024.
Those promises by Cook concerned giving Indonesia a more significant role in manufacturing and assembling iPhone 16s and enlarging the Republic’s research and development (R&D) activities. Part of the promise for more R&D activities includes opening a Bali Apple Developer Academy in Bali.
Apple Developer Academies operate in Tangerang, Sidoarjo, and Batam, Indonesia.
Once Apple produces more Indonesian-made components for the iPhone 16s sold in Indonesia, this would then fulfill the domestic component level certificate (TKDN) requirements of Indonesia needed to be allowed to import the phones.
The prohibition on iPhone 16s sales does not prohibit visitors or Indonesian nationals from hand-carrying, personally importing the phones, or sending iPhones by parcel post destined for Indonesia.
Customs officials deem Phones imported this way to be intended for personal use and cannot be commercially traded.
According to current regulations, iPhones sent by post must not exceed two units and cannot be commercially traded.
The government estimates that between August and October 2024, some nine thousand iPhone 16s were hand-carried or mailed to Indonesia after paying the applicable import duties and taxes.
Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Indonesia’s Minister of Industry, insists that Apple must fulfill its remaining investment commitment of Rp240 billion, from a total of Rp1.71 trillion (approximately US$109 million), to qualify for the TKDN Certification required to import the latest Apple iPhone into Indonesia.
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