G/LIC/Q/IDN/51  
 
6 June 2023 
(23-3845) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
IMPORT LICENSING SYSTEM OF INDONESIA  
REPLIES  BY INDONESIA TO THE QUESTIONS FROM THE UNITED STATES1 
The following communication, dated 30 May 2023, is being circulated at the request of the delegation 
of Indonesia . 
 
_______________  
 
 
In 2021, the Government of Indonesia began implementing a Commodity Balance policy 
as a new component of the process for managing import licence applications. I n the 
April  2022 meeting of this Committee, the United States asked whether Indonesia intends 
to notify Presidential Regulation No. 32/2022 to the relevant bodies of the WTO. To date, 
the United States has not received a response to this question. Can Indo nesia clarify 
whether it intends to notify this measure to the  WTO?  
 
Reply:  
 
Regarding notifications, Indonesia is still coordinating amongst several Government Agencies 
whether relevant to notify the regulation in the Committee of Import Licensing.  
 
The Commodity Balance policy appears to apply to applications for a range of 
commodities, including certain agricultural products. In recent years, some importers 
have reported experiencing significant delays in obtaining their import licenses for certain 
agricultural products, as well as reductions to the volumes received. Were these 
experiences related to the implementation of the Commodity Balance policy? Please 
explain how the Government of Indonesia is addressing these issues.  
 
Reply: 
 
In regard to the import of certain agricultural products, with the implementation of the Commodity 
Balance, the import licensing process will be expedited through the principles of simplification and 
transparency.  
 
The Commodity Balance policy appears  to be stipulated for certain commodities in 
different stages. For example, in 2021, the first stage stipulated that commodity balances 
would exist for rice, sugar, beef, salt, and fisheries. Please explain how the Government 
of Indonesia determines to whi ch commodities the Commodity Balance policy will apply.  
 
Reply:  
 
The determination of commodities to be included in the Commodity Balance is based on the readiness 
considerations of the relevant Government Agencies. Each Government Agency has varying 
capab ilities to integrate into the Commodity Balance system. This is part of Indonesia's effort to 
ensure easiness and expedited import licensing regime through an integrated system of Commodity 
Balance.  
 
 
1 Circulated on 9 May 2023 in document G/LIC/Q/IDN/50.  G/LIC/Q/IDN/51  
 
- 2 - 
 
  With respect to the commodities for which a commodity ba lance has not been stipulated, 
which process does the Government of Indonesia utilize to manage applications for import 
approvals?  
 
Reply:  
 
For the process of applying for import licenses for commodities that have not been determined by 
the Commodity Balan ce, the application process is carried out electronically through the Indonesia 
National Single Window System (SINSW) while fulfilling the requirements that have been established 
and complying with the timeframe specified in the import licensing agreement. " 
 
__________