Customs Seizes 3,500 US Dollar Bills in Thai National's Luggage
Customs and Excise at Soekarno-Hatta Airport successfully thwarted a violation involving the carrying of a large amount of Foreign Banknotes (UKA) without official permission at Terminal 2F International Arrivals. The enforcement action took place on Monday (22/6/2026). Soekarno-Hatta Customs officers secured foreign currency in the form of US dollar cash, totalling 3,500 notes of USD 100 denomination, with a total value reaching US$350,000 or equivalent to Rp6.3 billion.
Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Customs Office, Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang, accompanied by the Head of Enforcement and Investigation, I Putu Agus Arjaya, stated that this enforcement stemmed from a risk-based profiling system applied to international passengers. The chronology began when officers paid attention to luggage belonging to a foreign national with the initials RR arriving from Thailand. Through an X-ray scan, officers detected a suspicious density image indicating a stack of cash.
After persuasive measures, a physical examination in a special room proved the passenger was carrying a large amount of cash that had not been declared in the Customs Declaration document and was not accompanied by a permit document from Bank Indonesia. Currently, the seized items have been secured at the Soekarno-Hatta Customs Office, and the perpetrator is undergoing further customs research to investigate the related corporate financial administration compliance.
In response to this case, inter-agency collaboration consisting of Soekarno-Hatta Customs officials together with leaders and representatives from Bank Indonesia and PPATK provided in-depth education for the public and international travellers to always comply with applicable regulations in order to maintain national economic stability.
The rules that every passenger must understand include the Cross-Border Reporting Obligation based on the Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Prevention of Terrorism Financing Law. Article 34 of Law No. 8 of 2010 mandates that anyone carrying cash or other payment instruments of at least Rp100,000,000 into or out of the Indonesian customs area must report it to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, with the data forwarded to PPATK to prevent money laundering. Article 21 of Law No. 9 of 2013 grants full authority to Customs officials to conduct surveillance and inspection of cash carriers listed as suspected terrorists or terrorist organisations.
Furthermore, regulations on the restriction of carrying Foreign Banknotes prohibit individuals and non-bank corporations from carrying UKA with a value equivalent to or exceeding Rp1 billion. Carriage above that nominal amount may only be conducted by licensed business entities that have obtained official permission and a UKA Carriage Approval from Bank Indonesia. Administrative sanctions in the form of fines are specified according to the type of violation. If the cash is not reported, a fine of 10% of the total amount carried, up to a maximum of Rp300 million, is imposed. If the cash lacks a permit, a fine of 10% of the total UKA carried, up to a maximum of Rp300 million, is imposed. If both violations occur simultaneously, the fines are applied cumulatively, with a maximum total administrative fine of Rp600 million, which will be deducted directly from the seized cash for deposit into the State Treasury.
This enforcement action and the imposition of administrative sanctions against the carrying of Foreign Banknotes without declaration or permit represent a concrete step in maintaining the stability of the rupiah and controlling the flow of cash in and out of Indonesia. In addition to preventing cross-border money laundering, this firmness aims to provide a deterrent effect while increasing compliance among travellers.