With the continuous implementation of Indonesia’s customs supervision reform, traditional manual customs inspection has been gradually replaced by standardized third-party verification conducted by SGS. Currently, Indonesia adopts a strict dual supervision mechanism of pre-shipment inspection and destination port re-verification for imported goods from China. Most civilian products including mechanical and electrical equipment, building materials, textiles, toys and daily chemicals must complete SGS inspection and obtain official LS reports for smooth customs clearance.

Many foreign trade manufacturers, trading companies and freight forwarders frequently encounter issues such as inspection failure, destination port cargo detention, high container demurrage fees and even goods return due to unfamiliarity with Indonesia’s SGS inspection procedures, document specifications and compliance regulations. Based on the latest 2026 trade supervision policies of Indonesia, this article comprehensively elaborates on the full SGS inspection process for Chinese exports to Indonesia, covering inspection types, mandatory product lists, required documents, charging standards and practical risk avoidance tips, serving as a professional compliance operation guide for exports to Indonesia.

SGS services for exports to Indonesia are divided into two independent types with distinct functions, which are the most critical compliance knowledge for foreign trade enterprises:

LS (Laporan Surveyor) inspection is a statutory mandatory inspection item stipulated by the Indonesian Ministry of Trade and Customs. All regulated products must complete this inspection before sea shipment. It verifies the actual name, quantity, specifications, value and HS code of goods to prevent under-declaration, tax evasion and smuggling. Inspection data and reports are synchronized in real time with Indonesia’s official INATrade system. No LS report, no customs clearance.

SNI is the national standard certification of Indonesia, equivalent to China’s CCC compulsory certification, mainly applied to high-risk safety-related imported products. SGS authorized laboratories conduct product safety tests and issue certificates with permanent validity, no repeated testing required for each shipment. It is worth noting that products with valid SNI certificates still need to attach LS inspection reports for each batch to complete customs clearance. Main covered products: home appliances, lamps, tires, building materials, children’s toys, etc.

Indonesian Customs has clearly defined mandatory inspection categories. Only personal samples for self-use, emergency relief supplies and goods circulated in bonded zones are exempted. All commercial bulk export goods require compliant SGS inspection. Detailed categories are as follows:

Textile, Footwear & Bag Products: Garments, fabrics, home textiles, towels, curtains, leather shoes, sneakers, suitcases, leather goods, belts and accessories

Electrical & Electronic Products: Household appliances, LED lamps, switches and sockets, wires and cables, chargers, power adapters, power banks, electric fans, kitchen and bathroom electrical appliances, audio-visual equipment

Building Materials, Hardware & Sanitary Ware: Tiles, sanitary ware, architectural glass, steel materials, pipes, cement products, construction hardware, decorative materials

Automotive & Industrial Parts: Vehicle tires, batteries, brake pads, lubricants, wheel hubs, automotive safety glass

Daily Consumer Goods: Children’s toys, maternal and infant products, cosmetics, daily washing products, food, condiments, food-contact tableware

Special Regulated Products: All used machinery, second-hand production lines and engineering machinery, requiring additional SGS professional appraisal of product condition and service life

LS pre-shipment inspection serves as the core of SGS inspection for exports to Indonesia, featuring standardized procedures, traceable records and official system filing. The standard operation process is as follows:

Local Indonesian importers submit documents including import API license, NPWP tax number, trade contracts and product materials to official cooperative institutions (SGS & Sucofindo). A unique VO verification number will be generated after review. This number is the exclusive certificate for booking domestic SGS inspection, and no inspection can be initiated without a valid VO number.

Chinese suppliers shall book inspection with local SGS branches 3-5 working days in advance. Required documents: commercial invoice, packing list, sales contract, product specification sheet, shipping mark photos, FORM E certificate and corresponding SNI certificates (for regulated products). Confirm factory inspection address, loading time and container type to ensure smooth inspection.

Certified SGS inspectors conduct on-site inspection with full photo and video records in strict accordance with international AQL sampling standards, covering four indispensable verification dimensions:

1. Document Verification: Ensure 100% consistency of all documents, product nameplates and shipping marks without any deviations in text, parameters or models;

2. Quantity & Quality Inspection: Verify total goods quantity, inspect product appearance, material and specifications, and conduct simple power-on function tests for electrical products;

3. Value & HS Code Verification: Adopt SGS global price database to verify fair market value, prevent under-declaration and tax evasion, and confirm accurate HS codes to avoid tariff misclassification;

4. Container Loading & Sealing Supervision: Supervise full container loading, record empty container, loading and full container status, and affix exclusive SGS anti-counterfeit seals with seal numbers filed for record.

For qualified goods, inspectors will file complete images and data records. For unqualified goods with specification discrepancies, quantity shortages, label irregularities or abnormal declared value, a rectification notice will be issued. Enterprises can apply for re-inspection after rectification. Goods that fail rectification will be disqualified and prohibited from shipment.

SGS staff sort on-site photos, inspection records and full sets of documents, then upload all data to Indonesia’s official INATrade system for customs filing. All records are traceable and archived permanently.

Within 1 to 3 working days after inspection, SGS issues electronic and paper LS verification reports, including VO number, container number, seal number, verified goods value, HS code and on-site archived data, which possess legal customs clearance validity.

Enterprises complete domestic customs declaration and sea shipment with valid SGS-LS reports. Shipping companies will refuse goods without qualified LS reports.

With the implementation of Indonesia’s customs reform, SGS inspectors will replace traditional customs officers to conduct container inspection, value re-verification and compliance verification after goods arrival. The final SGS verification result serves as the sole basis for tariff calculation and goods release, featuring stricter and more standardized customs clearance supervision.

SGS inspection fees for exports to Indonesia consist of two parts: Indonesian local VO administrative fees and domestic on-site inspection fees, with clear liability and transparent pricing without hidden charges:

Uniformly charged by Indonesian official authorities at a progressive rate based on FOB goods value with no negotiation space. Pre-payment by local Indonesian importers is a prerequisite for initiating SGS inspection.

Full Container Load (FCL): 20GP: CNY 1,800-2,600 per shipment; 40GP/40HQ: CNY 2,200-3,200 per shipment, covering loading supervision, container sealing, system uploading and full report issuance;

Less than Container Load (LCL): CNY 800-1,500 per shipment for goods within 10CBM; CNY 120-200 per CBM for goods over 10CBM;

Used Equipment: CNY 2,500-4,000 per shipment, including professional appraisal of equipment service life, condition and serial number verification.

Remote area travel fee: CNY 500-1,200; 20%-40% urgent service fee for 48-hour expedited inspection; 50% basic fee for re-inspection of unqualified goods; CNY 300-600 additional fee for batch shipment.

① Strictly prohibit under-declaration of goods value: SGS global real-time price database can automatically identify under-declaration. The official will forcibly adjust the taxable value, resulting in high tariffs and fines, and even enterprise blacklisting in serious cases.

② Ensure full consistency of all documents: The model, parameters and product name on invoices, packing lists, product nameplates and shipping marks must be completely unified. Minor deviations will lead to inspection failure.

③ Truthfully declare used equipment: New goods disguised as used equipment or concealed service life will result in cargo detention and confiscation, damaging enterprise import and export credit.

④ Arrange inspection in advance: Book inspections early in peak logistics seasons to avoid queue congestion and extra losses such as container demurrage and delayed shipment.

⑤ Distinguish LS inspection and SNI certification: SNI is a permanent product safety certificate, while LS is a batch-specific mandatory clearance report. The two are irreplaceable, and both are required for compliant customs clearance.

With the full normalization of SGS third-party verification by Indonesian Customs, export supervision has become more standardized and transparent, and the space for irregular customs clearance has been greatly reduced. For Chinese foreign trade enterprises, proficient mastery of SGS inspection procedures, compliance requirements and charging rules, as well as pre-shipment document preparation and product compliance self-inspection, can effectively avoid cargo detention, fines and goods return risks, greatly improve customs clearance efficiency and trade stability, and realize long-term compliant and stable exports to Indonesia.