Southeast Asia (SEA) has been heralded as the next land of opportunity for e-commerce. With fast-growing markets like Indonesia looking ripe for cross-border sales of your e-commerce goods, it would ideal for your shipment to sail through customs, reaching your customers safely and on time.
Dealing with customs in Southeast Asia could be challenging seeing that each country has its own set of customs regulations, import duties, paperwork and taxes that need to be complied with.
This is a living page covering how best to navigate the different customs regulations to get your products through customs without a hitch. This guide will be updated with the latest changes that each SEA country brings about.
PART 1: BASICS OF CLEARING CUSTOMS
1. Shipping Regulations
Regulations vary depending on which country you are shipping to and from. Ensure that you are aware of the licenses required, special provisions and restricted and prohibited goods for the respective countries. Most countries also require importers to register with the relevant trade authorities and obtain customs identification numbers.
In most cases, importing items into countries would require registration for required permits and licenses. For e-commerce merchants who do not have these permits and licenses, you have the option of using shipping partners as importers of record.
If you are planning on importing goods into Southeast Asian countries using your own company, find out each country’s import regulations below:
Import regulations in Indonesia
Import regulations in Thailand
Import regulations in Malaysia
Import regulations in Philippines
Import regulations in Singapore
Import regulations in Vietnam
Import regulations in Brunei
2. Documentation
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
3. Restricted & prohibited goods
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
4. Duties & taxes
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
5. Calculating import tax
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
Part 2: Best Practices
1. Shipping Regulations
Regulations vary depending on which country you are shipping to and from. Ensure that you are aware of the licenses required, special provisions and restricted and prohibited goods for the respective countries. Most countries also require importers to register with the relevant trade authorities and obtain customs identification numbers.
In most cases, importing items into countries would require registration for required permits and licenses. For e-commerce merchants who do not have these permits and licenses, you have the option of using shipping partners as importers of record.
If you are planning on importing goods into Southeast Asian countries using your own company, find out each country’s import regulations below:
2. Documentation
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
3. Restricted & prohibited goods
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
4. Duties & taxes
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
5. Calculating import tax
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
Part 3: Countries
1. Shipping Regulations
Regulations vary depending on which country you are shipping to and from. Ensure that you are aware of the licenses required, special provisions and restricted and prohibited goods for the respective countries. Most countries also require importers to register with the relevant trade authorities and obtain customs identification numbers.
In most cases, importing items into countries would require registration for required permits and licenses. For e-commerce merchants who do not have these permits and licenses, you have the option of using shipping partners as importers of record.
If you are planning on importing goods into Southeast Asian countries using your own company, find out each country’s import regulations below:
2. Documentation
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
3. Restricted & prohibited goods
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
4. Duties & taxes
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
5. Calculating import tax
Ensure that you have the right set of documents as well as confirm that all necessary information has been included in these documents in advance.
This is important as the customs officers will process and classify your shipment based on the given documents. Inaccurate or missing documents may lead to delays at the customs clearance.
Usually, the documentation you would need to pass to your shipping partner is the following:
Commercial Invoice
Gives total shipment value. Helps to determine the import duties and taxes, and eligibility of shipment.
Packing List
Gives product details, shipment volume in kilograms (KG) or cubic metres (CBM), and serves as a checklist to ensure shipment has been packed correctly or not.
Volumetric dimensions of your package are often required on shipping-related documents, which can be calculated using this formula:
