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Onions & shallots into Indonesia: same family, table-grade duty differs fourfold (HS 0703.10, four codes checked)

Key takeaway: Indonesia splits HS 0703.10 "onions and shallots" into four 8-digit subheadings, and those four do not share a fate. Bulbs for propagation (onion sets 07031011, shallot sets 07031021) read BM 0%, PPN 0%, nothing but phytosanitary code 940 at the border, and no post-border or export controls at all. The table grades (onions 07031019, shallots 07031029) carry quarantine 940 + horticultural PI (959) + horticultural LS (958) — and those two appear on both the border and the post-border side. The expensive part is duty: table onions 5% BM, table shallots 20% BM — a full 15 percentage points, four times apart. And the certificate of origin matters just as much: for the same shipment of table shallots, ACFTA / ATIGA / AJCEP / AKFTA show 0% while AHKFTA and AIFTA show 20% and AANZFTA 12.5% — pick the wrong agreement and you can overpay by 20 points. Checked on INSW 2026-10-04.
Onions & shallots into Indonesia: same family, the table-grade duty spread is fourfold
Bawang bombay & bawang merah impor Indonesia: keluarga sama, bea masuk kategori konsumsi beda 4 kali lipat
🟢 Verified · checked on INSW 2026-10-04 HS 0703.10 onions & shallots ID BTKI 07031011 · 07031019 · 07031021 · 07031029 Phytosanitary 940 · horticultural PI(959) + LS(958)

Key figures (free to quote)

ItemOnion sets 07031011Table onions 07031019Shallot sets 07031021Table shallots 07031029
Description (INSW verbatim)- - - Bulbs for propagation (Onions)- - - Other (Onions)- - - Bulbs for propagation (Shallots)- - - Other (Shallots)
NatureBulbs for propagation → seedOther → tableBulbs for propagation → seedOther → table
BM import duty (MFN)0%5%0%20%
PPN (VAT)0%0%0%0%
PPh 22 · with API / without2.5% / 7.5%2.5% / 7.5%2.5% / 7.5%2.5% / 7.5%
PPnBM / excise / BKN/AN/AN/AN/A
Border controls940 phytosanitary940 + 959 PI + 958 LS940 phytosanitary940 + 959 PI + 958 LS
Post-border controlsNone959 PI + 958 LSNone959 PI + 958 LS
Export controlsNoneNoneNoneNone
Statutory unit (table grades)—Metric ton (code TNE)—Metric ton (code TNE)

How to read it: PPh 22 splits by whether the importer holds an API (importer identification number) — 2.5% with one, 7.5% without — and is levied alongside BM and PPN. "Statutory unit" is the unit to declare on the PIB; the table grades explicitly show Metric ton (1000 kg, code TNE) under KMK 50/KM.4/2024.

1. Start here: four subheadings, two forks

The first 6-digit heading under HS 0703 "onions, shallots, garlic, leeks and other alliaceous vegetables, fresh or chilled" is 0703.10 for onions and shallots. Indonesia then splits it into two further layers, giving four 8-digit subheadings. There are only two questions to answer, and they must be answered in order:

  • Question one: table use or seed?　INSW says it plainly — Bulbs for propagation versus Other. This answer sets the duty and the licences.
  • Question two: onions or shallots?　In Indonesian, Bawang bombay is the large, thick-skinned onion, while Bawang merah is the small, purple-red, sharply flavoured shallot. This answer decides whether the table-grade duty is 5% or 20%.

Note that the second question only costs money on the table-use fork. On the seed fork, onion sets and shallot sets are twins: BM 0%, no post-border controls. Step across to the table fork and onions jump to 5% while shallots jump to 20% — a world apart. That is the one picture worth carrying away from this page.

The one-line memory hook
"Seed is duty-free and gets quarantine; table pays duty and needs two licences; onions five, shallots twenty." — that sentence covers duty and controls for all four HS 0703.10 subheadings.

2. A fourfold spread: table onions 5% vs table shallots 20%

This is the distinction most easily missed and most dearly paid for. Both are table grades, both sit in heading 0703.10 — and table onions read BM 5% while table shallots read BM 20%. Fifteen percentage points apart. Four times.

Why? Indonesia treats shallots (bawang merah) as a highly sensitive horticultural crop. They are a staple of everyday Indonesian cooking, their price moves inflation, and they sit near the front of the import-control queue year after year. Onions (bawang bombay) enjoy far less protection. Those 15 points in the tariff are policy favouritism made visible.

ScenarioCIF valueBMPPh 22 (with API)Total burden (BM + PPh)
Table onions 07031019USD 20,0005%2.5%≈ USD 1,525
Table shallots 07031029USD 20,00020%2.5%≈ USD 4,640
Difference if misclassified———≈ USD 3,115 per shipment

* The table is a worked illustration using the rates we checked (PPN is 0%, so it does not appear), not a quotation. Actual liability follows CEISA 4.0 at the time of entry. Add demurrage and amendment costs for missing Lartas documents and a misclassification costs far more than the USD 3,115 in the table.

The most expensive mistake is one English word
The usual failure is a description that says only "onion" or "shallots", leaving the classifier to guess. In Indonesia's tariff, onions and shallots are two separate roads:
· the description on invoice, packing list and phytosanitary certificate must state whether it is Bawang Bombay (onions) or Bawang Merah (shallots);
· and must say whether it is untuk dibudidayakan / for propagation. Writing just "shallots" without qualifying it hands the decision to whoever files the entry.

3. Controls: seed gets quarantine only; table needs PI + LS on both sides

Duty decides the money; controls decide whether the shipment moves at all. The four HS 0703.10 subheadings fall into two sharply separated groups:

Seed grades · 07031011 / 07031021
940 only
Border: phytosanitary (KT.2 / KT 9 / SP-5 or KT-13) under PP 14/2002, category [Tumbuhan]. Post-border: none. Export: none.
Table grades · 07031019 / 07031029
940 + 959 + 958
Appears on both the border and post-border side: quarantine 940, PI Produk Hortikultura (959), LS Impor Produk Hortikultura (958), under Permendag 16/2025 jo. 18/2026 and Permendag 18/2025 jo. 11/2026.

One point here is chronically misread: on the table grades, PI (959) and LS (958) show up on both the border and the post-border blocks, not on one side only. The meaning is blunt — those two horticultural licences must be in hand before the vessel arrives. There is no "release first, licence later".

Why PI / LS bites so hard
LS (Laporan Surveyor) is awkward because part of it happens offshore: for many categories the physical inspection (VPTI) must be carried out in the country of loading. Once the container sails, that window closes.
⇒ Our standing rule: start PI and LS together 7–10 working days before loading, in parallel with the exporting country's phytosanitary certificate. Remembering PI/LS only once the bill of lading exists leaves you choosing between demurrage and re-export.

One more line you should not panic over: all four subheadings show Wajib Lapor DHE-SDA : Ya (under KMK 2/KM.4/2025). That is an export proceeds and natural-resources reporting obligation resting on Indonesian exporters. It has nothing to do with clearing a China-to-Indonesia import.

4. Choosing your certificate of origin: 0% to 20% on the same shallots

All four subheadings carry a busy-looking preferential tariff panel, but do not copy those numbers. What INSW lists are historical year values. Their real value is the warning they carry: treatment differs enormously between agreements, so every code must be re-checked against the current concession schedule.

AgreementTable onions 07031019Table shallots 07031029Seed grades 07031011 / 07031021
ACFTA (China · FORM E)0% (2023 column)0% (2023 column)0% (2023 column)
AHKFTA (Hong Kong, China)0% (2026 / 2027)20% (no preference)0% (2026 / 2027)
ATIGA (intra-ASEAN)0% (2023 column)0% (2023 column)0% (2023 column)
AANZFTA (Australia–NZ)0% (2025 column)12.5% (2025 column)0% (2025 column)
AJCEP (Japan)0% (2025 column)0% (2025 column)0% (2025 column)
AKFTA (Korea)0% (2023 column)0% (2023 column)0% (2023 column)
AIFTA (India)5% (no preference)20% (no preference)0% (2023 column)
🔴 Do not quote this table to a customer
The figures above are historical year values as listed on INSW, and the page itself notes that later years follow the prevailing PMK. To promise a rate you must re-check every code against the current concession schedule. The structural point is however reliable: on the same shipment of table shallots, choosing the wrong agreement can cost you twenty percentage points. Before you issue a FORM E, open this page and look at the spread.

5. Checklist before you book

  • Settle the classification in the contract.　Purchase contract, invoice and phytosanitary certificate must all state Bawang Bombay / Bawang Merah and either mark it untuk dibudidayakan (for propagation) or leave that designation off. Inconsistent wording upstream is where every downstream problem starts.
  • Work backwards 7–10 working days for table grades.　PI (959) and LS (958) must be in place before loading; the LS physical inspection window is offshore.
  • Declare table grades in tonnes.　Metric ton (code TNE) under KMK 50/KM.4/2024 — do not enter kilograms.
  • Align three fields on the phytosanitary certificate.　Number of packages, weight and description must match invoice, packing list and bill of lading word for word. Produce is rejected more often for a phytosanitary certificate that disagrees with the invoice than for anything else.
  • Re-check FORM E against the current schedule.　Review each code against the prevailing PMK; never price off the historical figure on screen.
  • Keep the evidence.　Archive a screenshot of the INSW reading and the query date, so you can show you declared on the official figures of the day.

Key questions on this page

Do onions and shallots carry the same duty into Indonesia?
No, and the gap is large. On the table grades, onions (07031019) read BM 5% while shallots (07031029) read BM 20% — fifteen points, four times apart. The seed grades are 0% for both. PPN reads 0% on all four codes we checked; PPh 22 is 2.5% with an API and 7.5% without.
Do onion or shallot seed sets need PI and LS?
On the two seed codes we checked (07031011, 07031021) the border shows nothing but 940 phytosanitary and the post-border block is empty — no PI (959), no LS (958). But "no trade-ministry licence" is not "no threshold": bulbs for propagation remain subject to quarantine, and if the material is treated as germplasm or requires further approval for planting use, the Ministry of Agriculture has its own process. Confirm with your Indonesian importer in advance.
Is PI/LS on table onions and shallots a border control or a post-border one?
Both. The INSW detail page lists PI Produk Hortikultura (959) and LS Impor Produk Hortikultura (958) in the border block and the post-border block, under Permendag 16/2025 jo. 18/2026 and Permendag 18/2025 jo. 11/2026. In practice that means these two documents cannot be patched up after release.
Does holding a FORM E make it duty-free?
You cannot promise that on this basis. The 0% shown in the ACFTA column is a historical year value, and the page itself says later years follow the prevailing PMK. You must re-check each code against the current concession schedule before quoting. That matters especially for shallots: with MFN at 20%, the amount at stake is large and so is the cost of getting it wrong.
Why must I declare in metric tonnes?
The table-grade detail pages state Satuan Barang as Metric ton (1000 kg), code TNE, under KMK 50/KM.4/2024 (Chapter 7 vegetables). Example: 3,500 kg is declared as 3.5 TNE, not 3,500 kilograms.
What happens if I get it wrong?
Three outcomes: ① declaring table shallots as onions is underpayment — back duty plus penalties; ② the reverse, declaring onions as shallots, simply overpays fifteen points for nothing; ③ declaring table goods as seed means PI/LS were never obtained and Lartas stops the shipment at the port — demurrage or re-export. None of the three is fixed by rewording a sentence after arrival.

Figures reflect the readings taken on the day of the check and the regulations then in force; the prevailing announcement of each authority governs (re-check date 2026-10-04).

Verification notes (verbatim · traceable)

Raw notes from our INSW (insw.go.id) check on 2026-10-04, reproduced so you can audit them:
All four codes 07031011, 07031019, 07031021 and 07031029 were read one by one:
· 07031011 (- - Onions : / - - - Bulbs for propagation): BM 0.00%, PPN 0.00%, PPnBM / excise / BM AD / BM TP / BM IM / BK all N/A, PPh 2.50% (API) / 7.50% (NON-API); border control 940 (KT.2, KT 9, SP-5 atau KT-13) under PP 14 Tahun 2002, category [Tumbuhan], description limited to "Bawang Bombay, Bawang Merah, Bawang Putih, Bawang Bakung/Perai dan sayuran sejenis lainnya, segar atau dingin"; post-border and export blocks absent.
· 07031019 (- - Onions : / - - - Other): BM 5.00%, PPN 0.00%, PPh 2.50% / 7.50%; border control 940 + 959 PI Produk Hortikultura + 958 LS Impor Produk Hortikultura (description "--- Lain-lain", category Produk Hortikultura, under Permendag 16/2025 jo. 18/2026 and Permendag 18/2025 jo. 11/2026); post-border the same 959 + 958; no export block. Statutory unit Metric ton (TNE) under KMK 50/KM.4/2024.
· 07031021 (- - Shallots : / - - - Bulbs for propagation): readings identical to 07031011 (BM 0%, 940 only).
· 07031029 (- - Shallots : / - - - Other): BM 20.00%, PPN 0.00%, PPh 2.50% / 7.50%; 940 + 959 PI + 958 LS all present, listed on both border and post-border sides; statutory unit Metric ton (TNE).
· All four show Wajib Lapor DHE-SDA : Ya (KMK 2/KM.4/2025) — an export-reporting obligation, not applicable to import clearance.
· Preferential panel: AHKFTA shows 20% for 2026 / 2027 (no preference) on table shallots while ACFTA / ATIGA / AJCEP / AKFTA show 0%; AIFTA shows 5% on table onions and 20% on table shallots; AANZFTA shows 12.5% on table shallots. All are the year values listed on the page and must be re-checked against the current PMK concession schedule.

Data sources

Our own code-by-code INSW check (07031011 / 07031019 / 07031021 / 07031029)
Regulations: Permendag 16/2025 jo. 18/2026 and Permendag 18/2025 jo. 11/2026 (horticultural import licensing and inspection), PP 14/2002 (plant quarantine), KMK 50/KM.4/2024 (Chapter 7 statutory unit), KMK 2/KM.4/2025 (DHE-SDA reporting)
Working-paper version: 2026-10-04 · source: Indonesia National Single Window insw.go.id/intr
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Related pages

Agricultural products into & out of Indonesia: four permit layers and the 17 Oct 2026 halal deadline (hub)Garlic into Indonesia: seed garlic vs table garlic — duty & licencesImporting seeds into Indonesia: duty is 0%, the permit is the gateVerified HS code directory: every Indonesian reading we have checked, one pageHow to use FORM E / ACFTA certificates of originLartas restriction mapIndonesian import licences (PI) and importer status, explained

This page draws on our own INSW readings and published regulations. It is reference material, not a customs or legal undertaking. BM / PPN / PPh / Lartas change continuously; before filing, your PPJK must re-check every shipment against the prevailing regulations in INSW and CEISA 4.0. Onions and shallots are highly sensitive horticultural products in Indonesia — licensing and inspection arrangements must additionally be confirmed with your Indonesian importer and the current authorities. WUHAN FREEDOM INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS · licensed PPJK · Jakarta / Semarang.

Official sources

Independently verifiable channels. Rates, controls and processing times follow each agency's latest announcement.