Asia Pacific

Shipping from China to Makassar

China → Makassar · via UPG air / Makassar sea · clearance by Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai)

Cargo handling on the China–Makassar lane.

We move freight cargo from South China into Makassar through UPG air / Makassar sea. Makassar is eastern Indonesia distribution gateway, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.

The clearing authority is Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai). Historical dwell on this gateway is around 4–10 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.

What you will pay on arrival in Indonesia

Imports into Indonesia are cleared by Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai). The headline position is: VAT 11%; duty 0–150%, with a 7.5% flat rate applied to many consumer parcels, plus income-tax prepayment (PPh) of 0.5–10%. The de-minimis threshold is USD 3 FOB — one of the lowest thresholds in the world.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: SNI mandatory standard for a long list of products; import license (API-U/API-P) held by the consignee; Permendag restricted-goods rules for textiles, footwear, electronics and toys. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Indonesia: Goods on the lartas restricted list need a license issued before the vessel arrives; retro-fixing after arrival is expensive. Used goods are broadly banned. Cosmetics and food need BPOM registration held locally.

Routing and transit on this lane

Indonesia is the most paperwork-heavy market in ASEAN. The USD 3 de-minimis means practically every shipment is dutiable, and Permendag import restrictions cover exactly the categories most China buyers ship — textiles, footwear, electronics, toys and cosmetics. Plan the license position before booking, not after arrival.

Air gateways used	CGK (Jakarta), SUB (Surabaya), DPS (Denpasar)
Air transit, China to gateway	3–5 business days
Sea gateways used	Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya), Belawan (Medan)
Sea transit, China to gateway	6–11 calendar days
Gateway serving Makassar	UPG air / Makassar sea
Inland leg to Makassar	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	4–10 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Makassar (Indonesia) freight lane — Handling on the UPG air / Makassar sea routing serving Makassar.

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
Confirm the consignee in Makassar can act as importer of record — Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
Get the conformity paperwork moving early: SNI mandatory standard for a long list of products; import license (API-U/API-P) held by the consignee; Permendag restricted-goods rules for textiles, footwear, electronics and toys.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.

Air, sea or overland into Makassar?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	3–5 business days	time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight	6–11 calendar days	volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Indonesia gateway and excludes the +1 day inland leg to Makassar and 4–10 days of clearance.

Mode guides for Makassar

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Makassar take?

China to the Indonesia gateway is 3–5 business days by air, 6–11 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 4–10 days of clearance with Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) and a +1 day inland leg to Makassar.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Makassar?

Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) applies: VAT 11%; duty 0–150%, with a 7.5% flat rate applied to many consumer parcels, plus income-tax prepayment (PPh) of 0.5–10%. The de-minimis position is USD 3 FOB — one of the lowest thresholds in the world. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Makassar.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Makassar?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via CGK (Jakarta), SUB (Surabaya), DPS (Denpasar). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

When is the busiest time on the China–Indonesia lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.

What certification do I need for Indonesia?

For regulated goods, plan for: SNI mandatory standard for a long list of products; import license (API-U/API-P) held by the consignee; Permendag restricted-goods rules for textiles, footwear, electronics and toys. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Makassar?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.

Other delivery cities in Indonesia

All Indonesia freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Indonesia change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: 10 月 2026.

Shipping by industry

This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.

All 60 industry guides →

Checking the Indonesia duty position yourself

Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Indonesian Directorate General of Customs and Excise sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.

If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.

For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.

On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.

For a wider view of how importing into Indonesia actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Indonesia customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for Makassar. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Sea Freight Shipping Process for Beginners: Complete Factory-to-Door Guide (Every Step Explained) — Vixnk - English. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.

Get a rate for Makassar

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a rate card: the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we price it properly.

Answer these and you get a real price, not a range. These are the exact figures a carrier needs before it will quote. Fill them in once and we can price your cargo the same day — leave them out and we have to come back and ask, which is what turns an hour into a week.

What are you shipping?*

Destination*

Weight*

Cartons*

ctn

Carton sizeoptional

× × cm

Total volumeopt

m³

Containeropt

How manyopt

ctr

Built-in battery?* Lithium cells are dangerous goods.

Yes No

Someone else's brand?* Logos you are not authorised to ship.

Yes No

Magnetic product?* Speakers, motors, magnets.

Yes No

Why these three decide everything

They determine whether your cargo can fly, and on which service. A declared battery changes the price; an undeclared one grounds the shipment at the airport and you pay storage while it sits. Unauthorised brands are seized at customs and the freight is lost with them. Magnetic goods need a field test — routine, but it has to be booked ahead. Telling us now costs a click; telling us later costs the shipment.

Sea or air?*

Sea freight Air freight

Tick both and we quote both.

When should it move?optional

Not before Not after

Your name

Email*

Phone / WhatsApp

Photographs of the goodsoptional

Add images PNG or JPG · up to 5 · 10 MB each

Your details are used to prepare this quotation and nothing else.

See the Indonesia route page →

Customs clearance in Indonesia

Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.

Indonesia clearance requirements →

Shipping from China to Makassar

What you will pay on arrival in Indonesia

Routing and transit on this lane

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

Air, sea or overland into Makassar?

Mode guides for Makassar

Frequently asked questions

Other delivery cities in Indonesia

References & official sources

Shipping by industry

Checking the Indonesia duty position yourself

Watch: the process behind this route

Get a rate for Makassar

Got it — your enquiry is in.

Freight Rates to Indonesia

Customs clearance in Indonesia

Priced routes to Indonesia

Got it — your enquiry is in.