Apple Gets Certification for iPhone, Still Needs Permits to Resume Commercial Sales

iPhone manufacturer Apple has been issued with content certificates for 20 of its products from Indonesia, a ministry representative said on March 7. According to Reuters, the 20 include an iPhone Indonesia certification.

The certifications move the iPhone maker a step closer to getting the iPhone sales ban in Southeast Asia’s largest economy lifted. Despite the certifications, Apple still has to get iPhone 16 sales permit in Indonesia to market the phone model in the Indonesian market.

Apple Investment in Indonesia

The latest move to issue Apple product certifications comes a month after the US big tech announced that it will be investing over $300 million in Indonesia. The company closed the investment deal with Indonesia after months of negotiations over Apple’s failure to comply with regulations requiring smartphone manufacturers to build at least 40% of their components locally.

Apple’s investment in the Asian company will include establishing a research and development center and plants to manufacture components of its tech products. Last year, Indonesia outlawed the sale of iPhone 16 in the country because Apple had not met the locally-made component requirement.

Ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arief says the Apple local content certification covers 9 tablets and 11 phone models because it met the requirements. The big tech needs to get permits from the digital, trade, and communication ministries to sell its products in the Asian country.

Prolonged Negotiations

Apple has suffered several setbacks in its quest to enter the Indonesian market, which has a population of 280 million people. Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Indonesia’s industry minister termed the month-long negotiations with the tech giant tricky.

In November 2024, the country turned down a $100 million investment proposed by the tech giant claiming that it did not meet the fairness requirements outlined by the government. The investment was expected to support construction of research and development centers. These funds would also be invested in building a professional training academy in the country.

The iPhone manufacturer later offered a $150 million investment towards construction of two factories. One of the factories would be set up in Bandung, West Java province to manufacture accessories. A second factory would be constructed in Batam to produce AirTags.

Last month, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita Indonesia’s industry minister said Apple had agreed to construct a chips research and development center in the country. Minister said the center will be the first of its kind in the region.

Non-Commercial Trading

Even with the iPhone 16 sales ban, the Indonesian government has been allowing entry of the product on condition that they were not to be traded commercially. The Indonesian government has also outlawed the sale of Google Pixel phones in the country. Similar to Apple, Google has not met the 40% local parts required by the law.