Mail Service in Indonesia

In recent years the Indonesian mail service has improved greatly. Rarely are letters lost any more. Past horror stories of items stolen from every box delivered and letters being sent never to be seen again, are not commonplace. Letters take approximately:

To the US --- 7 to 14 days
To England --- 5 days for Kilat service and 10 days for regular service
To Australia --- 7-14 days

Sending Letters

There are several types of mail service for letters:

pos udara - international air mail service
express - international delivery in 2-3 working days
biasa - basic ground service, up to 3 weeks even to addresses within Jakarta (Rp 300)
kilat - quicker domestic delivery (Rp 600)
kilat khusus - overnight domestic delivery (Rp 1,000 to 2,000 depending on the destination)
terdaftar - registered

Post offices, kantor pos, are located throughout the city. Ask your driver or a neighbor for the location of the nearest post office. You may prefer, for example, to send your mail from the larger post offices, kantor pos wilayah, to ensure quicker delivery and availability of stamps. Smaller post offices often run out of various denomination stamps and dont provide complete postal services.

You can easily send your driver, or other household staff, to the local post office to mail your letters for you.

Indonesia has an active philatelic association and regularly produces beautifully designed stamps and first day covers highlighting special events, famous people or items of cultural interest.

Sending Packages

Packages, as a rule, are best sent from larger post offices. Some small post offices will not even accept packages. There is a separate entrance for the office that handles packages. Its best not to seal up your box ahead of time as the postal officials may want to see the contents first. The postal staff will help you to pack, wrap and tape up your package, for a small fee.

When receiving packages from overseas, your mailman will leave a notification slip at your home which tells you where to pick up the package. Give your driver or household staff: 1) the slip, signed on the back, 2) the fee (which is written on the slip-usually Rp 1,000) as well as, 3) a photocopy of your KITAS identification card. With these items in hand he should be able to retrieve the package for you.
If the items sent to you in a package have a value of over US$50, as claimed by the sender on the customs slip, you may be charged duty. Dutiable packages may have to picked up at the central post office downtown near Pasar Baru (in Jakarta). To avoid the hassle, it is recommended (even by the postal workers themselves) to put a value of less than $50 on incoming packages from abroad.

Thanking Your Mailman

It is advisable to give a token of your appreciation to your mailman just prior to Lebaran, Rp 5,000 to 10,000 is adequate. If you receive a lot of mail at Christmas time, it may be wise to tip your mailman at that time too. These small gestures will help to insure that your mail will be delivered promptly and that letters and packages dont go astray.

Know Your Address

To ensure delivery of your mail, be sure to give your correspondents your complete address. This will include the name of your housing complex (if any), street name and number, the kelurahan, kecamatan, city and postal code. If you dont know your address, ask your landlord or check your phone/electric bills as they list the complete address. Postal codes are listed in the index of the Falk Street Atlas.

A typical address:

Eddy Executive
Kompleks Eksekutip Paradiso
Jl. Arteri No. 58
Cilandak Timur, Pasar Minggu
Jakarta Selatan 12430
Indonesia

Many housing areas use a system of numbered and lettered blocks, for example:

Tommy Techie
Kompleks BPP Teknologi
Jl. Teknologi VI Blok S9 No. 7
Meruya Utara, Kembangan
Jakarta Barat 11620
Indonesia

Other areas do not have named roads and are simply designed with the RT and RW:

Susie Sunshine
RT 07/ RW 009
Desa Kaliwangi, Kel. Mandiluhur
Kec. Ayu, Jawa Tengah 24550
Indonesia

Courier Services

There are many domestic courier services. One of the more reliable for sending packages in Indonesia for a low cost is Elteha (LTH). Call the main office, listed in the yellow pages, to ask for the agent nearest you. Several international courier services also have offices in Jakarta, including UPS, DHL and Fed Ex.

Company Mail Pouch


Some companies allow their expatriate employees limited use of the company mail pouch. Ask before you come if you have use of this facility. Personal letters can be sent in the mail pouch that goes out to the head office on a regular basis. The letters will be dropped in the domestic mail on the other end. If you do have use of this company facility, be sure to bring a good supply of stamps from your home country to mail letters. Likewise, the company may allow you to receive mail through the mail pouch, though it may have restrictions on packages.

Mini Glossary

amplop - envelope
kantor pospost - office
kelurahan - city district
kecamatan - city sub-district
kirim - send
Lebaran - holiday at the end of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan
paket - package
pos - mail
pos udara - air mail
perangko - stamp
RT, Rukun Tetangga - neighborhood sub-district
RW, Rukun Warga - neighborhood district
surat - letter
terdaftar - registered mail
terima - receive