Essentials to live in Indonesia

Indonesia's cities are well stocked with most things, but others can be hard work to find.
Clothes are little problem as even the largest or strangest of sizes can be made to measure by one of a million cheap tailors here.
Wide fitting shoes are always a problem to find, so a few pairs would be a good idea if you have feet like barges. Normal sizes are easy to find.
Electronics and electrical products are very easy to find, so don't bring anything save personal computers and the usual stuff.
Don't bother with larger items such as TVs, because they're very easily bought here, and they're cheap, that also goes for furniture.
Double that for Americans as the US 110v products are useless here without step down transformers.
That and the tax will kill you if you import them.

I would like to add.
All imported products will be more expensive at least 10 percent, considering Value added Tax.
So those products which has near flat price rate internationally - branded products such as Apple, best to buy in your home country.
On the other hand, those chinese made or Asean products are cheaper to buy in Asia such as Indonesia, rather than Western developed countries.

European/American luxury brands/products such as bags, jeans etc best to buy them from their original country of course.

Personal goods you are allowed to import as long as the quantity is not more than 2 pcs. And new unused products are allowable 250 usd per person for imports.
So best way is to open up the packaging and become used.

Alcohol and cigarrettes are strictly quota per person on imports. Dont flout these rules or you will get hammered by customs big time on fines.

For everything else, you can get everything in Indonesia pretty easily.
The hottest website for online buying 2016 is currently at:

www.lazada.co.idwww.tokopedia.comwww.bilna.comwww.jd.idwww.bhinneka.comwww.jakartanotebook.com

There are tons more. However, I am stating the most often used by locals.

Good tips and links to those on-line shopping sites!   

Personally I don't think that it is very necessary to bring much with you when moving to Indonesia. Of course an international driving license would be very useful. But basically most of the rest you can buy in Indonesia. And if you can't then you can probably find a local alternative.

Shoes and specialist footwear especially if you have big feet. Size 12 UK are hard to find.

Hansson, I agree with you.  I guess the exception might be jumbo foot ware as previously noted, but these days it's hard to come up with anything that one can't find here.

One other point worthy of note considers the import duty on personal property brought into Indonesia by foreigners.

The basic rule is, anything (aside from obviously illegal items) can be brought in by foreigners duty free, so long as they are here on a KITAS (residency) visa.  With other visas often used by expats, (such as a sosbud or business visa), imported personal property is subject to duty, and that duty is often very high (40% for many items).

DVD's........especially BluRays sold in Bandung for around 5 dollars (equivalent)......usually first release movies. However if you need to follow the more legal path you can order in from (for instance) Amazon...Pos Indonesia would allow DVD's 50 usd and under in without duty. There is always a 7 thousand idr delivery charge..The pos customs open everything......bear in mid that the bluray DVD zone / region in Indonesia is the same as in the United States.....now region / zone free blu ray players can be purchased via Amazon in the US or UK. We often viewed blu ray as the local TV satellite and cable networks had low quality pictures and sound. There's an excellent DVD shop in the Ciwalk Mall...Have a good browse and you will surely find something you like.

Talking of Blu ray DVD's, I have quite a few because I like to see nice quality movies. However, I bought some normal DVD copies and the quality was not far off blu ray quality, I mean these are Rp5,000 DVD's. Then again, there are a lot more places where you pay Rp5,000 for copies and the quality is total rubbish and only good to throw in the bin. Now I am reluctant to spend lots of cash on buying them online. Still waiting for Machete Kills in Space......

A real small thing yet probably really useful in the first few weeks would be travel adaptors to keep things charged. The UK use 3 pin plugs so they would pretty useless here so a couple of travel plugs would make things easier.

lukereg wrote:

A real small thing yet probably really useful in the first few weeks would be travel adaptors to keep things charged. The UK use 3 pin plugs so they would pretty useless here so a couple of travel plugs would make things easier.

Europeans won't have this problem as the standard Euro type plugs are in use here, but Brits will need to buy a couple of adaptors.
They're available all over the place, even in small shops such as Alfamart, so no worries if you bring your laptop.

I got an international driving license in 2014 they refused to acknowledge the one from the uk as it said Indonesia and Not Batam, what's that about haha, but easily got from local post office with kitas and id etc

Tampons. I can't express this enough. Yes you can buy in SOME areas but it's expensive and most times not a selection you desire. I've actually made friends bring them from different countries. Haha

YES!  That is an excellent point! 

Indonesian women very rarely use them...thus they aren't easy to find here.

Indonesian women... rarely used them?

I didnt know that!

Oh my gosh... what do they use then or fixed the monthly issues.
Interesting.....

They use pads. You can buy hundreds of different kinds of those here. I have talked with a few bali women and they have asked if tampons will fall out. I think it's just an issue of lack of education about it.

Regardless....if you are someone who gets your lady cramps be prepared before you get here or deal with the big possibility of using pads!

My bad.....
I didnt know tampons and pads are different...

"I think it's just an issue of lack of education about it."

That, and cultural tradition.  The idea of putting a "foreign object" inside their body is beyond their level of acceptability.

Unfortunately, this often includes condoms...and that is indeed where more education is needed.

Thanks for the female anatomy lesson 😳, now we all know they is a difference in a lady's "monthly" choice, can we move on please (joking)

“can we move on please”

Sure!  What other parts of the female anatomy do you want us to "move on" to?      (Also joking).

As a sweet and innocent chap, I'm truly shocked.


















By "Innocent", I mean I've never been found guilty.

enduringword wrote:

I would like to add.
All imported products will be more expensive at least 10 percent, considering Value added Tax.
So those products which has near flat price rate internationally - branded products such as Apple, best to buy in your home country.
On the other hand, those chinese made or Asean products are cheaper to buy in Asia such as Indonesia, rather than Western developed countries.

European/American luxury brands/products such as bags, jeans etc best to buy them from their original country of course.

Personal goods you are allowed to import as long as the quantity is not more than 2 pcs. And new unused products are allowable 250 usd per person for imports.
So best way is to open up the packaging and become used.

Alcohol and cigarrettes are strictly quota per person on imports. Dont flout these rules or you will get hammered by customs big time on fines.

For everything else, you can get everything in Indonesia pretty easily.
The hottest website for online buying 2016 is currently at:

www.lazada.co.idwww.tokopedia.comwww.hermescopies.cnwww.jd.idwww.bhinneka.comwww.jakartanotebook.com

There are tons more. However, I am stating the most often used by locals.

What's the relationship between www.jd.id and www.jd.cn?