Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia is strengthening import controls through tighter regulations, stricter oversight, and digitalized trade services to protect domestic industries and support fair domestic trade, Trade Minister Budi Santoso said on Wednesday.”The government continues to implement fundamental changes in foreign trade regulations to create a system that is simpler, faster, transparent, and integrated,” Santoso said in a statement.Indonesia currently classifies imports into three categories: prohibited goods, regulated imports, and unrestricted imports. The system is intended to strengthen supervision while providing legal certainty for businesses.Santoso said the government is tightening import licensing procedures to improve transparency and accountability. Imported goods are generally required to be brand-new.Importers must also hold a Business Identification Number (NIB), which functions as an Importer Identification Number (API), according to the minister.For certain commodities, importers are required to obtain import business licenses and complete technical verification by independent surveyors to ensure goods comply with existing regulations.The Ministry of Trade has also expanded digitalization in trade services through integrated electronic licensing and monitoring systems.All foreign trade business licensing services are now fully online through the Single Submission system (SSm), while the ministry has introduced a maximum five-day service period to reduce administrative barriers and improve business certainty.Santoso said the measures are part of Indonesia's bureaucratic reform efforts to improve national trade efficiency, strengthen the investment climate, and enhance the country's trade competitiveness.He also highlighted Indonesia's use of trade safeguard measures to protect domestic industries from import surges.Indonesia has become the most active country in applying safeguard measures, with nine cases accounting for around 25 percent of global safeguard actions, according to the ministry.The measures are aimed at protecting domestic industries from import surges that could threaten local manufacturing, Santoso said.