iPhone 16 facing a sales ban in Indonesia over an expired certificate and investment issues

Indonesian Apple fans may not be able to get the company's latest premium iPhone series, the iPhone 16, as it currently is facing a ban on sales in the country. Ministers are insisting Apple renews a content requirement certification and makes further investments in the country before Indonesian people will be able to buy the newest models from Cupertino.

Apple, just like all multinational companies, follows local laws in different countries to be allowed to conduct business in them. And now, in Indonesia, it seems certification and investment requirements may block sales of its newest models in the region.

Industry minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasamita reportedly said that the iPhone 16 won't be sold in the country unless the Cupertino tech giant meets certain conditions. Among the conditions, it's reportedly said that the company should maintain investment commitments and get a certification renewal.

The industry minister stated that the extension of the TKDN certification is still pending, and awaits further investments from Apple. The TKDN certification was previously given to Apple. The certification is related to the use of domestic components in goods and services. It requires that the Domestic Component Level should be at least 40% for a company to receive the certification.

The certificate Apple received has since expired and needs to be renewed. The renewal can be done via local manufacturing schemes, the development of apps, and an innovation development scheme.

Apple is also said to not have reached the level of investment commitments it had promised. So far, Apple has invested 1.48 trillion rupiah ($94.53 million), which falls short of the 1.71 trillion rupiah ($109.6 million) the company previously reportedly committed to.

Apple has gone down the route of the innovation development scheme and has done so by creating Apple Academies in the country. Back in April, Apple's CEO Tim Cook stated that a fourth academy would be opening in the future in Bali.

This sales ban may lead people from Indonesia to buy the iPhone 16 overseas, which, quite understandably, increases the cost of the device. The import fees may be around $155 to get an iPhone 16 valued at $994 imported to Indonesia from Singapore.

I personally feel pretty bad for Apple fans in Indonesia. Because of such regulations and bureaucracies, regular people may need to pay more if they want to upgrade. I can understand that governments need to enforce rules and requirements for a company to operate in a region, but still cannot stop myself from feeling slightly annoyed that this has to be done to the detriment of iPhone 16 buyers in the country.