Officials from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise have frequently inspected the luggage of arriving international travelers, with several cases quickly going viral and becoming the focus of public attention. The Director of User Communication and Guidance at the Customs and Excise Office explained that the task of customs is to enforce regulations delegated by other ministries/agencies. For example, regarding regulations on luggage from abroad, travelers' suitcases must be inspected. Why do travelers have to open their luggage? This is regulated by Minister of Trade Regulation No. 36, which stipulates that individuals returning from abroad can only bring up to two pairs of new shoes (e.g., footwear). He gave an example: a person just returned from Europe and was found carrying certain items regulated by the rules. In such cases, customs needs to inspect the contents of the luggage to ensure the quantity of items brought does not violate regulations.
For instance, when a traveler returns from Europe and their bag or suitcase shows five pairs of shoes on the X-ray machine, how can customs know that only two pairs are new? All customs officers have to open the luggage to confirm that only two pairs are new. He then explained the limited prohibited goods rules (lartas). According to him, certain goods can only be imported with permission from the relevant authorities. Can morphine, bombs, and weapons be imported? Yes, but only with permits from relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Health. Bombs are allowed for import, for example, for use in mining activities, with permits from the police department. Weapons are also allowed for import, provided there is a permit from the police department.
Officials from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise have frequently inspected the luggage of arriving international travelers, with several cases quickly going viral and becoming the focus of public attention. The Director of User Communication and Guidance at the Customs and Excise Office explained that the task of customs is to enforce regulations delegated by other ministries/agencies. For example, regarding regulations on luggage from abroad, travelers' suitcases must be inspected. Why do travelers have to open their luggage? This is regulated by Minister of Trade Regulation No. 36, which stipulates that individuals returning from abroad can only bring up to two pairs of new shoes (e.g., footwear). He gave an example: a person just returned from Europe and was found carrying certain items regulated by the rules. In such cases, customs needs to inspect the contents of the luggage to ensure the quantity of items brought does not violate regulations.
For instance, when a traveler returns from Europe and their bag or suitcase shows five pairs of shoes on the X-ray machine, how can customs know that only two pairs are new? All customs officers have to open the luggage to confirm that only two pairs are new. He then explained the limited prohibited goods rules (lartas). According to him, certain goods can only be imported with permission from the relevant authorities. Can morphine, bombs, and weapons be imported? Yes, but only with permits from relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Health. Bombs are allowed for import, for example, for use in mining activities, with permits from the police department. Weapons are also allowed for import, provided there is a permit from the police department.