Passenger Inspected by Customs over Pokemon Cards: Rules for Goods from Abroad

A passenger was intensively inspected by customs officers for bringing Pokemon cards and toys from Guangzhou, China, upon arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, on Wednesday (13/5/2026). Quoted from Warta Kota, the passenger with initials JS (28) said his suitcase was directed to the red line inspection channel because it contained a collection of Pokemon cards, which officers assessed as having a high market value and suspected of no longer falling under the personal use category. JS stated that officers unpacked the suitcase contents, checked the purchase invoice, and compared the prices of items one by one via the internet, doubting the values listed on the purchase receipt. After undergoing an inspection lasting several hours and providing explanations about the carried goods, JS was finally allowed to take all his items home. So, what are the actual rules for passengers’ carried goods from abroad? Those rules have been effective since 6 June 2025 and remain in force until 2026. Under those rules, the government provides import duty exemptions for personal goods or personal use with a maximum Free on Board (FOB) value of $500 per person per arrival. Not only exempt from import duties, personal goods valued below $500 are also not subject to Value Added Tax (VAT), Luxury Goods Sales Tax (PPnBM), or Article 22 import Income Tax (PPh). Meanwhile, for personal goods of passengers valued above $500 FOB, the excess value will be subject to a 10 per cent import duty, said Acting Head of the Import Sub-Directorate of the Technical Customs Directorate of the DJBC, Chairul, in a press conference on Wednesday (4/6/2025), quoted from Kompas.com. Chairul explained that personal goods exceeding the exemption limit are also subject to 12 per cent VAT, but no longer subject to import PPh. For that category, the government imposes: 10 per cent import duty, 12 per cent VAT, and 5 per cent import PPh. In customs practice, the assessment of personal use or non-personal use is based on several factors, including the quantity of goods, type of goods, condition of goods, and reasonableness of the goods’ value.