Driving in Bali: licence, vehicle papers and fines

This page is for a foreigner who rides a scooter or drives a car in Bali, rents one or buys one. It states what the regulations say, with the article, and says where they are silent. It is general information, not legal advice. It does not name, recommend or rate any rental business.

We used the texts in force on 6 October 2026: the traffic law (UU 22/2009, called LLAJ); the police regulations on the driving licence (Perpol 5/2021, as amended by Perpol 2/2023), on vehicle registration (Perpol 7/2021) and on tickets issued from camera recordings (Perpol 2/2025); the government regulation on road checks and tickets (PP 80/2012); and the new criminal procedure code (UU 20/2025). UU 6/2023 changed some articles of the traffic law; none of the articles cited here is among them (Pasal 55 of UU 6/2023 lists the ones it changed).

The fines follow UU 1/2026 on the adjustment of penalties. It lists every minor traffic offence below as a fine only, in the amount of UU 22/2009, and Pasal II(4) keeps the fine amounts of these minor offences as written instead of converting them into fine categories as for other laws. For the accident offences it names categories, and the amount of each category is in the Criminal Code (Pasal 79). The text of UU 22/2009 as published still threatens detention as an alternative; UU 1/2026 removes it.

A third amendment of the traffic law is before the House of Representatives (DPR). On 30 September 2026 the Minister of Transport told the House committee that the House's draft makes criminal penalties heavier, among other changes. It is not law yet. Check whether it has passed before you rely on an amount on this page.

Everyone who drives a motor vehicle on a road must hold a driving licence (SIM) for the type of vehicle (UU 22/2009 Pasal 77(1)). The police issue it (Pasal 87(2)). It is valid for 5 years and can be renewed (Pasal 85(2)).

The classes that matter to most visitors: SIM A for cars up to 3,500 kg; SIM C for motorbikes up to 250 cc; SIM CI for motorbikes above 250 cc up to 500 cc; SIM CII for motorbikes above 500 cc. Electric vehicles of the same kind are included (Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 3(2), as amended by Perpol 2/2023). The licence must match the vehicle: a car licence does not cover a scooter, and a licence for a small motorbike does not cover a larger one.

Driving without a licence is an offence (Pasal 281). The fine is in the table of fines below.

The traffic law says that a licence issued by another state is valid in Indonesia where there is a bilateral or multilateral agreement between Indonesia and that state (UU 22/2009 Pasal 85(4)). The police regulation adds that an international driving permit issued in another country is valid in Indonesia under the UN convention on road traffic or other international agreements (Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 3(13), as amended by Perpol 2/2023).

One agreement is certain: Indonesia approved the 1985 ASEAN agreement on domestic driving licences by Presidential Decision 58/1986. It covers the domestic licences of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, not learner's or provisional licences. The holder of one of them who stays only temporarily in another of these countries may drive there the classes of vehicle the licence allows (Articles 1 and 2). A licence not written in English must come with a certified English translation (Article 3), and the holder is liable for traffic offence penalties under the law of the country where he drives (Article 6).

For other countries we did not find, in the texts we read, a list of the countries or conventions under which a foreign licence or an international permit is accepted in Indonesia. The UN depositary table shows that Indonesia signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 8 November 1968 and has no ratification or accession recorded, and that Indonesia is not among the parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention. We draw no conclusion from this: the police regulation says only "the UN convention on road traffic" and names no year. Where no agreement applies, the general rule of the Act is that the driver holds a SIM (Pasal 77(1)); that is our reading.

So the question "is my licence or my international permit accepted?" is not answered by the texts we read. Before you drive on a foreign licence, ask the traffic police (Ditlantas Polda Bali) in writing whether yours is accepted, and keep the answer. A rental business that says it is accepted is not the authority that decides.

An Indonesian SIM is issued by the police at a Satpas (the licensing unit) to an applicant who meets the requirements of age, administration and health and passes the tests (UU 22/2009 Pasal 81(1) and 87(1); Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 7). The minimum age is 17 for SIM A and SIM C, 18 for SIM CI and 19 for SIM CII (Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 8).

For a foreigner the identity document is an immigration document (Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 9(1)(a) point 2, as amended by Perpol 2/2023). The regulation lists three groups (Pasal 9(2)): a passport and a permanent stay permit card (KITAP), for those who live permanently in Indonesia; a passport, a diplomatic visa, a diplomatic membership card and other identity, for embassy staff and families; and a passport and an official visa or a limited stay permit card (KITAS), for those who work in Indonesia as an expert or study there. A foreigner who works also attaches the work permit from the manpower ministry (Pasal 9(1)(a) point 4).

The text does not name holders of other limited stay permits, such as an investor, a second home holder or a family member, and it does not name a visitor. We found no source that says they may or may not apply. Ask the Satpas before you pay for the medical certificate.

The other requirements apply to every applicant: a doctor's certificate and a psychological test certificate (Pasal 11 and 12); proof of active membership of the national health insurance (JKN, run by BPJS Kesehatan), added by Perpol 2/2023 (Pasal 9(1)(a) point 5a), and if it is not yet in place the applicant must process the membership before the SIM is handed over (Pasal 9(3c)); a driving school certificate or a competence verification letter (Pasal 9(1)(a) points 3 and 3a); biometric data and the receipt for the state fee (points 5 and 6); the theory test, for which a foreigner gets the material in English (Pasal 14(5)); and the practical test (Pasal 18). The text does not exempt a foreigner from the JKN requirement; how a foreigner enrols is a matter for BPJS and the Satpas.

The state fee for a new SIM A is Rp120,000 and for a new SIM C Rp100,000 (PP 76/2020, Lampiran I). The medical and psychological tests are paid separately (Korlantas guide).

The international permit that the police issue in Indonesia to the holder of an Indonesian SIM is valid only in other countries (Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 3(10) to (12)). It is not a licence to drive in Indonesia.

At a road check the driver must show the STNK (the vehicle registration certificate) or a trial registration certificate, the SIM, proof of the periodic roadworthiness test where the vehicle needs one, or another valid proof (UU 22/2009 Pasal 106(5)). The officer may also check the vehicle itself (Pasal 265(1)).

On a motorbike the driver and the passenger must wear a helmet that meets the Indonesian national standard (SNI) (Pasal 106(8)); without a sidecar the motorbike may carry only one passenger (Pasal 106(9)); the headlight must be on by day (Pasal 107(2)). In a car the driver and the front passenger must wear a seat belt (Pasal 106(6)). Traffic keeps to the left (Pasal 108(1)). The driver must drive with reasonable care and full attention (Pasal 106(1)).

Korlantas says an Indonesian SIM can be shown to an officer as a digital SIM in the Digital Korlantas Polri app. The description covers a SIM scanned from the Indonesian card; we found no statement that a foreign licence can be shown that way.

The Governor's circular SE 7/2025 (see the page on Bali's own rules and the regulation entry in the timeline of laws and rules) lists the duties of a foreign tourist. In the English text published by the provincial tourism office, they include operating vehicles in accordance with Indonesian law, "including holding a valid national or international driving license", complying with traffic rules, wearing appropriate attire and a helmet, following traffic signs, not exceeding passenger limits and not driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs; and using four-wheeled transport that meets safety standards from legally registered business entities or associations for vehicle rentals (item 1, letters j and k). The text does not say what "national" means: the licence of the tourist's own country or an Indonesian SIM. The Indonesian text we did not obtain.

The circular names four-wheeled vehicles only; it says nothing about renting a motorbike. We found no provincial text that bans a foreign visitor from renting a motorbike. The Governor's Regulation Pergub 28/2020 on tourism governance describes a "quality tourist" as one who, among other things, behaves in an orderly manner by always using the transport of a tourism travel business (Pasal 7(4)(g)). It is written as a description, not as a prohibition, and sets no sanction. Whether and how it is applied to motorbike rental we did not find in an official text, and we did not check whether it was amended.

The circular names no penalty of its own for these duties; a violator faces sanctions or legal proceedings under the law (item 3). Whether it reaches a foreigner who lives in Bali is not stated.

Renting a vehicle is a lease of a movable thing (KUHPerdata Pasal 1548). The Civil Code says little about vehicles, so the contract carries most of the weight. The Code does say that the renter must use the thing as a good householder would and pay the rent on time (Pasal 1560). If the parties made a written description of the thing, the renter returns it in the state described, except for loss of value from age or from unintended and unavoidable events (Pasal 1562); without a description the renter is taken to have received it in good condition (Pasal 1563). The renter answers for all damage during the rental unless he proves it happened without his fault (Pasal 1564).

Those articles speak of damage. They do not say who bears the loss when the vehicle is stolen. The contract has to say.

A person hurt, or a vehicle damaged, by the driver's negligence can be claimed for from the driver and from the owner of the vehicle: the traffic law makes the driver, the owner of the motor vehicle and a public transport company responsible for the loss of a passenger, an owner of goods or a third party caused by the driver's negligence, unless there was force majeure, the victim's own conduct or a third party's, or the sudden movement of a person or an animal despite precautions (UU 22/2009 Pasal 234(1) and (3)). How the rental business and the renter share that cost between themselves is for the contract.

A letter about an offence recorded by a camera goes to the owner of the vehicle and/or the violator, and the registration data of the vehicle are blocked if the confirmation or the payment is missing (Perpol 2/2025 Pasal 11, 12 and 14). On a rented vehicle the registered owner is normally the rental business, so the letter reaches it. The contract should say who pays a fine and how a letter that reaches the business later is passed on.

We found no law or official statement that tells a foreigner to leave, or not to leave, a passport as a deposit. A foreigner must show the travel document or the stay permit to an immigration officer when asked (UU 6/2011 Pasal 71(b)). Ask what the business holds as a deposit, in what form and for how long, and take a signed receipt.

Insurance: the insurance duty in the traffic law is addressed to public transport companies (Pasal 237), and we did not check whether it reaches rental businesses. We did not read any insurer's terms. Ask whether any insurance covers the vehicle, for which risks (theft, damage, loss to others, injury to the rider), what excess you pay, and whether the policy covers a rider with your licence and the class of the vehicle. A policy is a contract; its conditions decide the claim.

Every motor vehicle must be registered (UU 22/2009 Pasal 64(1)). Registration gives the owner three things: the BPKB (the owner's book), the STNK (the registration certificate) and the number plate, TNKB (UU 22/2009 Pasal 65(2)). The BPKB serves as proof of the vehicle's legitimacy and of ownership (Perpol 7/2021 Pasal 16(1)) and stays valid as long as ownership is not transferred (UU 22/2009 Pasal 70(1)). The STNK and the plate last 5 years and must be endorsed every year (UU 22/2009 Pasal 70).

Neither the Act nor the regulation sets a nationality bar. The regulation names the identity documents of an individual owner (Perpol 7/2021 Pasal 10(6)(a)): for an Indonesian citizen the KTP; for a foreigner with a permanent stay permit the KITAP card; for a foreigner with a limited stay permit (KITAS) a residence letter (surat keterangan tempat tinggal) together with the KITAS card. It names no document for a foreigner who holds neither, such as a visitor. The regulation does not say who issues the residence letter; ask the Samsat. The same identity proof is asked when the owner changes and when a BPKB or an STNK is replaced (Pasal 17, 27 to 29, 32 and 60).

Buying a used vehicle: the BPKB is reissued in the buyer's name against, among other papers, the old BPKB, the STNK, proof of the transfer (for a sale, a stamped receipt and/or a release letter, Pasal 30(a)), the buyer's identity proof, a physical check of the chassis and engine numbers and the receipt for the state fee (Pasal 29). The owner must report a transfer of ownership to the police (UU 22/2009 Pasal 71(1)(c)), and a seller can ask for the STNK data to be blocked on the strength of the proof of transfer (Perpol 7/2021 Pasal 87(3), (4)(d) and (6)).

Blocks: the police can block BPKB or STNK data at the request of an investigator or prosecutor, a court clerk on a court decision, a creditor with a fiduciary certificate, or an owner who has transferred the vehicle (Pasal 87(4)); an investigator can request a block of the STNK of a vehicle suspected of fleeing from an accident or involved in a traffic offence (Pasal 87(5)). Before you pay for a used vehicle, ask the Samsat whether the BPKB or the STNK is blocked.

Registration, the annual vehicle tax and the compulsory contribution for road accident victims are handled together at the Samsat (UU 22/2009 Pasal 67(1)). This page does not state the tax.

A foreign-registered vehicle brought to Indonesia must be registered for temporary use with a cross-border STNK and plate, on application with proof of ownership issued in its home country and a recommendation letter from a ministry, agency or local government about the purpose of use (Perpol 7/2021 Pasal 73).

Police officers and civil servant investigators may check vehicles on the road, stop them and ask the driver questions (UU 22/2009 Pasal 264 and 265). What they may check includes the SIM, the STNK, the number plate and the vehicle itself (Pasal 265(1)).

On the spot the officer may seize the SIM for any traffic violation (PP 80/2012 Pasal 32(2)) and the STNK if the driver does not carry the SIM (Pasal 32(3)). The officer may seize the vehicle if it has no valid STNK, if the driver has no SIM, if it breaks technical or roadworthiness rules, if it is suspected to come from or be used in a crime, or if it was in an accident in which someone died or was seriously hurt (Pasal 32(6)). The SIM or the STNK is returned after you hand the bank deposit slip to the prosecutor or pay the fine set by the court (Pasal 36(1)); a vehicle seized for lack of a valid STNK goes back to its owner on showing a valid STNK (Pasal 36(2)).

The ticket (Surat Tilang) is a form that the officer fills in and both sides sign. It states who the violator is and the vehicle, the article broken, when and where, what was seized, the deposit amount if the violator will not attend court, and the date, time and place of the hearing (PP 80/2012 Pasal 25 and 27(1)). If the violator will not sign, the officer must note it (Pasal 27(4)). The signed copy is your basis to attend the hearing or to deposit the fine at the bank the Government designates (PP 80/2012 Pasal 27(2)(a)).

The official ways to settle it are two. First, attend the hearing on the date written on the ticket: the court sets a hearing day within at most 7 days (UU 20/2025 Pasal 259), one judge decides (Pasal 258(4)), and you pay the fine the court sets (PP 80/2012 Pasal 30(2) and (3)). You may appoint a person by letter to represent you (UU 20/2025 Pasal 265), and the hearing goes on if neither you nor your representative comes (Pasal 266(1); UU 22/2009 Pasal 267(2)).

Second, deposit the fine at the bank the Government designates (UU 22/2009 Pasal 267(3); PP 80/2012 Pasal 30(1)). The amount deposited is the maximum fine for the offence (Pasal 267(4)), and the deposit slip goes into the case file (Pasal 267(5)). If the court sets a lower fine, the rest must be announced to the violator to collect (Pasal 268(1)): the prosecutor tells the violator through the officer within 14 working days after the court decision arrives, and what is not collected within one year goes to the state treasury (PP 80/2012 Pasal 31(2) and (3)).

The fine set by the court is paid into the state treasury as non-tax state revenue (UU 22/2009 Pasal 269(1)). The texts name no way to settle a ticket by paying the officer. Polri's website lists the call centre 110 and a public complaints channel.

Cameras and portable or mobile devices (ETLE) record offences: speed limits, seat belts, signs and markings, traffic lights, the number of passengers on a motorbike, a helmet that does not meet the national standard, other activity that distracts the driver, the wrong lane, parking, and the loading of the vehicle (Perpol 2/2025 Pasal 4). A recording may be used as evidence in court (UU 22/2009 Pasal 272(2)).

The back office of the police identifies the offence from the recording and the plate, checks it against the vehicle registration data and sends a confirmation letter to the owner of the vehicle and/or the violator, within 3 days of signing (Perpol 2/2025 Pasal 8 to 11). The owner or violator must confirm within 5 days of the letter being sent, on the page or app named in the letter or at an ETLE post, saying whether he admits the offence (Pasal 12(1) to (3)). If he does not confirm, or does not admit the offence, the STNK data are blocked, and the block is lifted after he clarifies in person at an ETLE post (Pasal 12(4) and (5), 13(2) and (3)).

If he admits the offence a ticket is issued and he gets a virtual payment code of the designated bank to deposit the fine. If the deposit is not paid within 7 days of receiving the code, the STNK data are blocked, until he shows proof of payment (Pasal 13(1) and 14). The case file goes to the E-Tilang application run by Korlantas (Pasal 15).

The 5 days run from the day the letter is sent, not from the day you read it. A letter about a rented vehicle goes to the address registered for it, which is normally the rental business; ask in the contract to be told at once.

A driver involved in an accident must stop, help the victims, report the accident to the nearest police and give the information about it (UU 22/2009 Pasal 231(1)). A driver who cannot stop or help because of force majeure must report to the nearest police at once (Pasal 231(2)).

The law sorts accidents by harm: light (damage only), medium (light injury and damage) and serious (death or serious injury) (Pasal 229). All three go through criminal proceedings (Pasal 230). Compensation is set by the court (Pasal 236(1)); for a light accident it can be settled outside court if the parties make peace (Pasal 236(2)). Where someone is hurt or killed, the driver, the owner and a public transport company must pay the victim's treatment costs, and the funeral costs of a death, and this does not end the criminal case (Pasal 235).

Causing an accident through negligence (Pasal 310), as UU 1/2026 lists the penalties (Lampiran I nomor 67): damage only, up to 6 months and/or a fine up to category II (Rp10,000,000); light injury, up to 1 year and/or category II; serious injury, up to 5 years and/or category IV (Rp200,000,000); a death, up to 6 years and/or category V (Rp500,000,000). Driving deliberately in a way that endangers life or property (Pasal 311) carries up to 1 year or category II, rising with the harm to up to 12 years or category VII (Rp5,000,000,000) when someone dies. A driver who deliberately does not stop, help or report (Pasal 312) faces up to 3 years or category III (Rp50,000,000). The court may also revoke the SIM or order compensation (Pasal 314). The category amounts are in the Criminal Code (UU 1/2023 Pasal 79).

The vehicle may be seized if someone died or was seriously hurt (PP 80/2012 Pasal 32(6)(e)), and an investigator may request a block of the STNK of a vehicle suspected of fleeing from an accident (Perpol 7/2021 Pasal 87(5)(a)).

Whether an insurer pays is decided by the policy; the traffic law does not say. Tell the owner of the vehicle and the insurer promptly, as the contract and the policy require, and keep the police report.

Taking a thing that belongs wholly or partly to another with intent to own it unlawfully is theft: up to 5 years or a fine up to category V (KUHP Pasal 476). A report is made at the police counter (SPKT), which gives a receipt for the report; the page on disputes, section Police, describes it.

The owner of a vehicle must report to the police when the registration papers are lost or damaged (UU 22/2009 Pasal 71(1)(a)). The police receipt is the paper the owner needs to replace a lost STNK or a lost number plate (Perpol 7/2021 Pasal 60(2) and (4)). For a lost STNK the owner also submits the BPKB, a stamped statement that the STNK is not tied to a criminal case, a civil case or a traffic offence, and the physical check of the vehicle (Pasal 60(2)). A lost BPKB takes a longer procedure, with announcements in the newspapers over three months (Pasal 32(2)).

For a rented vehicle, whether you owe the owner for a theft depends on the contract (see the section on renting). A theft claim on an insurance policy follows the conditions of the policy.

The vehicle tax (PKB) and the yearly STNK payment: no other page of this guide covers them and this page does not state the rate or the date. The traffic law says only that registration, vehicle tax and the compulsory contribution for accident victims are paid together at the Samsat (UU 22/2009 Pasal 67(1)). Also not covered: importing a vehicle and customs duty, transport for hire and guiding with a vehicle, parking rules, the terms of any insurer, and any rental business.

Which licence you hold, its class and its country, and whether it matches the vehicle (a car, or a motorbike up to 250 cc or larger). If it is a foreign licence or an international permit, ask the traffic police in writing whether it is accepted, and keep the answer.

If you live in Bali: whether your stay permit is one that the Satpas names for an Indonesian SIM (Perpol 5/2021 Pasal 9(2)), and whether you can show active JKN membership.

On a rented vehicle: the STNK is valid, the plate number matches it, and the contract says which document you carry.

The rental contract in a language you read, with the points in the table above, and a signed description of the condition of the vehicle.

What is held as a deposit, in what form, and the receipt.

What insurance exists, for which risks, the excess, and whether it covers a rider with your licence class.

A helmet that meets the national standard (SNI) for you and for the passenger.

If you buy: the BPKB is in the seller's name and matches the chassis and engine numbers; ask the Samsat whether the BPKB or the STNK is blocked; get a stamped receipt and have the change of owner registered; check which identity document the regulation asks of a foreigner.

If you are stopped: ask for the ticket (Surat Tilang), read the article and the amount, settle it only through the court or the bank the Government designates, and keep the deposit slip. After a camera letter, count 5 days from the day it was sent.