The Controversial Pokémon Card Inspection by Customs Officials
The Soekarno-Hatta Main Customs Service Office has responded after a video circulated on social media showing a woman crying during an inspection by officers because she was carrying Pokémon cards. Soekarno-Hatta Customs stated that the inspection carried out was in accordance with regulations.
Based on Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) number 34 of 2025, every imported item brought by passengers must be reported to officers. Soetta Customs and Excise explained that on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Soekarno-Hatta Customs officers inspected the luggage of a passenger with the initials JES who had just arrived from abroad.
Scroll down to continue reading
The inspection was carried out as a follow-up to indications from X-Ray images showing a large number of Pokémon cards in the passenger’s suitcase,” according to a statement quoted from the official Instagram account @bcsoetta, Sunday, May 17, 2026.
After a thorough inspection, officers detected strong indications of ‘jastip’ (personal shopper) activity related to the goods. The indication of being a ‘jastip’ was based on travel data showing that the passenger made frequent international trips in a short period of time. In addition, there was monitoring of activities offering foreign shopping items on the passenger’s social media account.
The officers then carried out confirmation and verification with the passenger to prove the purchase and use of the goods. Soetta Customs also stated that 1 Pokémon card can be valued at IDR 100 thousand to IDR 100 million, even some reaching IDR 1.5 billion.
After being confirmed by officers, the passenger stated that the items were gifts or souvenirs and not for commercial purposes. The woman also showed proof of purchase (invoice) to the officers.
According to regulations, each passenger receives a facility for exemption from import duties on personal goods worth US$500 per person. However, this facility does not apply if the carried goods are categorized as trading goods or commercial goods.
Editor’s Choice: Why Bribery of Imported Goods Keeps Happening