Customs Exempts Hajj Pilgrims' Souvenirs from Taxes
The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) of the Ministry of Finance is providing import duty and import tax exemptions for goods carried or mailed by Indonesian Hajj pilgrims during the 2026 Hajj season.
Head of Import Section III of DJBC, Ministry of Finance, Chinde Marjuang Praja, explained that the tax exemption initiative stems from consideration of the high demand for Hajj services from various societal classes.
“Long queues and usually these Hajj pilgrims save for years. So, the condition of Hajj pilgrims in Indonesia is very special, which prompted us to provide better facilities,” said Chinde during a media briefing on Customs Services and Facilities for Hajj Pilgrims held virtually in Jakarta on Thursday, 16 April 2026, as reported by Antara.
The exemption facility applies to goods carried directly or sent via postal operators, as regulated in Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) No. 4 of 2025.
However, this fiscal relaxation only applies to Hajj pilgrims using official quotas, namely regular Hajj pilgrims and special Hajj pilgrims with their respective provisions. Meanwhile, non-quota Hajj pilgrims, commonly known as furoda Hajj, are not entitled to this customs facility because they are not registered in the government system and are considered to have higher economic capacity.
The facility also only applies to personal goods used personally, including souvenirs. Goods on behalf of others or commonly called jastip (proxy service) are not included as recipients of the facility. “So, souvenirs that are indeed from the pilgrims themselves, not proxies. If it’s jastip, it is excluded from this facility,” he clarified.
Regarding the incentive provisions, there are differences in facilities for regular Hajj pilgrims and special Hajj pilgrims in terms of passenger baggage carried directly by the pilgrims.
Regular Hajj pilgrims receive full exemption facilities for all carried goods. Whereas for special Hajj pilgrims, the government sets a maximum customs value or Free on Board (FOB) exemption limit of 2,500 US dollars.
If the carried goods exceed that value, the excess will be subject to import duty collection of 10 percent and Value Added Tax (VAT) as per regulations, while Income Tax (PPh) is excluded.
For mailed goods via postal operators, the government sets a maximum FOB of 3,000 US dollars divided into two shipments, with each shipment maximum 1,500 US dollars.
If the value of goods or shipment frequency exceeds the provisions, DJBC will collect import duty at a flat rate of 7.5 percent and VAT as per regulations. PPh remains excluded in this scheme.
DJBC limits a maximum of one package per shipment with dimensions no larger than 60 cm in length, 60 cm in width, and 80 cm in height. Shipment documents must be notified as soon as possible after the departure date of the first batch and at the latest 30 days after the return of the last batch.
The sender is also required to prove their status as a Hajj pilgrim using a passport number connected to Siskohat.