Living next to the customary community in Bali

This page is for a foreigner who lives in Bali, owns or rents a home there, or is thinking of it. It describes what the written rules say. It does not rank, praise or criticise any village. What a banjar or a desa adat expects of you is set by its own rules, the awig-awig and pararem, and they differ: the Majelis Desa Adat (MDA) says that each of Bali's 1,493 desa adat has its own awig-awig, not necessarily the same as another's (a count from 2019 and 2021; the page on power in Bali gives the later figure). Nothing here is the rule of one village, and a rule you hear of in one place is not a rule of Bali. Ask your own banjar or desa adat.

The Constitution says that the State recognises and respects customary law communities and their traditional rights as long as they still live and accord with the development of society and the principles of the unitary state, as the law regulates (Pasal 18B(2)). UU 15/2023 on the Province of Bali says that in Bali there are desa adat and subak, regulated by a provincial Perda (Pasal 6). The provincial regulation that does this is the Perda described below.

Texts used, in force on 6 October 2026: Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Bali Nomor 4 Tahun 2019 tentang Desa Adat di Bali of 28 May 2019, with its elucidation (the Perda); Peraturan Gubernur Bali Nomor 4 Tahun 2020 of 6 March 2020, which carries it out (Pergub 4/2020); Peraturan Gubernur Bali Nomor 25 Tahun 2020 of 29 May 2020 on protecting temples (Pergub 25/2020); UU 15/2023 on the Province of Bali, Pasal 6; Pasal 18B(2) of the 1945 Constitution; and three guidelines of the MDA from October 2021 (decisions 03, 05 and 12/KEP-PSM.II/MDA-BALI/X/2021). The guidelines are decisions of the customary council, not statutes. We found no amendment of the Perda. A revision was on the province's 2026 programme of regional regulations; Bali Post reported on 1 September 2026 that the customary affairs office had asked to withdraw it and that the decision was still open. Check which text applies when you read this.

Other pages cover the rest and are not repeated here: how the state and the customary systems fit together (the page on power in Bali); the dates of Nyepi and the holy days when offices close (the page on the calendar); the zones around temples, the Governor's circular on tourists and the figures of banjar contributions (the page on Bali's own rules); what you may build (the page on zones); the routes for a dispute (the page on disputes and complaints); a home you rent (the page on renting a home). Two pages written for the same release cover how to register with the banjar and what it may ask you to pay; this page names them and does not repeat them. The terms are in the glossary.

The page carries the mark "Not yet reviewed by a Balinese co-author". Lines marked as our reading are not law. We name no village, banjar, temple, priest or person and do not advise how to meet or avoid a duty. We state no criminal penalty. Where Pergub 25/2020 refers to sanctions under the law for damage or theft, the criminal provisions are those of the Criminal Code (UU 1/2023) as adjusted by UU 1/2026 on the adjustment of penalties (Penyesuaian Pidana); we did not read them for this page. It is general information, not legal advice.

A desa adat is, in the Perda's words, a customary law community in Bali with its own territory, status, original structure, traditional rights and property, tied together by the village temples (kahyangan tiga or kahyangan desa), with the right to manage its own affairs (Pasal 1 angka 8). Its territory is the wewidangan (Pasal 1 angka 32). A banjar adat, also called banjar suka-duka, is a part of the desa adat (Pasal 1 angka 9).

The Perda builds the desa adat on three elements that it ties to the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (Pasal 6(1)). Parahyangan is the harmonious relationship of the members with God in the bond of the village temples (Pasal 7(1)). Pawongan is the harmonious social system among the residents of the territory (Pasal 8(1)). Palemahan is the harmonious relationship between the residents and their surroundings in the territory; it covers land the village owns and land held as tanah guna kaya, which the elucidation says is hak milik land (Pasal 10(1), (2)). The rest of the Perda, including who owes what, is arranged along these three words.

One duty is addressed to every person, not to a group of residents. Whoever is in the palemahan of a desa adat, or lives there, must keep it sacred, lasting, clean and orderly (menjaga kesucian, kelestarian, kebersihan, dan ketertiban, Pasal 12). The article states no penalty. What follows from not doing it is a matter for the village's own rules and for general law.

The Perda sorts the people of a desa adat into three groups (Pasal 8(2); definitions in Pasal 1 angka 10 to 12). Krama desa adat are Balinese Hindus who are mipil, registered as members of the village, and recorded there. Krama tamiu are Balinese Hindus who are not mipil but are recorded in the village. Tamiu are everyone else: a person who is in the village territory for a time, or lives there and is recorded in the village. The definitions turn on religion, membership and recording. They do not mention nationality. A foreign resident is not a Balinese Hindu member, so by the words of the text he is outside the first two groups and is usually tamiu (our reading, as on the other pages).

"Recorded" (tercatat) means recorded in the population administration. It does not mean registered as a member (elucidation of Pasal 8(2)). The conditions and the procedure of mipil, and of recording krama tamiu and tamiu, are left to each village's awig-awig and pararem (Pasal 8(3)). How to be recorded is on the page about registering with the banjar.

Pasal 9 gives each group duties (swadharma) and rights (swadikara), set out in the table below, and leaves their content to the village's awig-awig and pararem (Pasal 9(3)). The elucidation explains the words. Full duties are material contributions (pawedalan) and physical work (ayahan) in all three fields, as the village's rules set them. Limited duties are duties only in certain matters, as the village's rules set them. Full rights are the right to services and to use the village's facilities in full. Limited rights are that right only in certain matters, again as the rules set them.

The MDA's guideline of October 2021 says the grouping is not meant to discriminate against any group of residents. It says that a tamiu who lives in a desa adat is freed from duties in parahyangan but must carry certain duties in pawongan and palemahan there (decision 03/KEP-PSM.II/MDA-BALI/X/2021). The Perda itself does not say what a tamiu's limited duties are. It names no sum of money and no number of days of work for any group. What the official texts say on money is on the page about banjar contributions.

Awig-awig are the rules made by the desa adat or the banjar adat, and the Perda says they apply to krama desa adat, krama tamiu and tamiu (Pasal 1 angka 29). Every desa adat has awig-awig. They may be written or not yet written, both have the same legal force, and each desa adat must put them in writing (Pasal 13). They are made and ratified in the paruman and apply from the day they are announced there, kasobyahang, which the elucidation explains as announced openly to all krama desa adat through the paruman (Pasal 16). So not finding a rule in writing proves nothing: an unwritten awig-awig counts as much as a written one.

A pararem is a rule or a decision of the paruman that carries out the awig-awig, regulates a new matter or settles an adat case (Pasal 1 angka 30). The Perda names three kinds: pararem panyacah (to carry out the awig-awig), pararem pangele (on a matter the awig-awig does not yet cover) and pararem panepas wicara (the decision in an adat case) (Pasal 18). A pararem must be in writing, is made and ratified in the paruman and applies from the day it is announced there (Pasal 18 and 19). The prajuru may also issue other written rules to carry out the awig-awig and pararem or to meet the village's needs; they must announce them at the next pasangkepan (Pasal 20).

Written awig-awig and pararem are registered by the prajuru with the provincial office for customary affairs, the Dinas Pemajuan Masyarakat Adat (DPMA) (Pasal 17 and 19; Pergub 4/2020 Pasal 5 and 12). A registered awig-awig gets a number that begins with the letter A, a registered pararem a number that begins with P, followed by a sequence number, the codes of the village, the kecamatan and the kabupaten or kota, DPMA and the year. The office gives the number no later than nine working days after it receives the registration (Pergub 4/2020 Pasal 8 and 15). Both must be written in Balinese, in Balinese script and Latin letters, and in Indonesian (Pergub 4/2020 Pasal 3 and 10). An Indonesian text should therefore exist. We found no rule that requires an English one. The provincial customary law portal (JIDHAT) lists documents by village and status, for example registered at DPMA or submitted by the village. A document missing there does not prove that the village has none.

How the rules bind a foreign resident. Three texts matter. The definition says the awig-awig apply to tamiu (Pasal 1 angka 29). The Perda leaves the duties and rights of tamiu, and how they are recorded, to the awig-awig and pararem (Pasal 8(3) and 9(3)). And it says that the decisions of the paruman and the pasangkepan bind the Krama Desa Adat in law (Pasal 41(6) and 42(5)); it does not say the same of tamiu in so many words. The Perda adds that the prajuru apply adat sanctions to krama whom the paruman has decided against (Pasal 31 huruf f), and it uses the word krama for all three groups (Pasal 8(2)). In our reading a village's rules reach a tamiu where they are written for tamiu, and sanctions follow under those rules. The Perda does not state this, and a Balinese co-author should confirm it.

Sanctions are the village's own. The MDA's guideline names three kinds of adat sanction (pamidanda): arta danda, a material sanction that may be replaced by money; jiwa danda, an apology; and sangaskara danda, a ceremony. It leaves the amounts to each village's awig-awig and pararem (decision 05/KEP-PSM.II/MDA-BALI/X/2021, Pasal 6). Pergub 25/2020 names the same three, the second as pengaksama danda, for breaches of its temple rules, imposed by the village or the temple's caretakers (Pasal 46).

Ask for the text. Because the rules differ from village to village, ask the prajuru of your desa adat or the banjar for the awig-awig and pararem that apply to tamiu, in Indonesian and with their registration numbers, and ask in writing what they ask of you.

The Perda defines the pacalang (written pecalang in common use; also called jaga bhaya) as the traditional Balinese security task force that a desa adat forms to keep security and order in its territory (Pasal 1 angka 20). It is one of the village's customary institutions (Pasal 43(2) huruf d).

What the Perda gives them: tasks in security, tranquillity and public order in the village territory. The village appoints and dismisses them on a decision of the prajuru. They also take part in helping the state security forces, after coordinating with the prajuru. They receive training from competent institutions and, as the awig-awig sets, olih-olihan, which the elucidation of Pasal 38 explains as a reward or a dispensation received for an office (Pasal 47(1) to (5)). The page on detention and deportation notes that an immigration press release of 2026 names pecalang among the supporters of a joint operation. The Perda allows help of this kind after coordination with the prajuru (Pasal 47(3)).

Their tasks are set out in the Tuntunan Sasana Pacalang, which the elucidation calls the code of ethics that pecalang must obey, and which the provincial MDA fixes (Pasal 47(6), (7)). We did not find it published, so this page cannot say what it contains.

What the Perda does not say: it lists no powers of a pecalang over residents, such as to fine, to detain or to enter a property, and says nothing on whether a resident must follow a pecalang's instruction. Ask the banjar which rule an instruction comes from.

The Perda ties the desa adat to its temples. The village temples, the kahyangan desa and kahyangan tiga, are the village's responsibility, and its awig-awig regulates how (Pasal 7(1) to (3)). Other temples and holy places in the territory are the responsibility of their own caretakers, the pangempon, according to local custom (dresta) (Pasal 7(4)). Managing holy places and holy areas is part of the village's local authority (Pasal 25(1) huruf a). Holy areas, places and buildings that belong to the village are part of its property, the padruwen (Pasal 55(3) huruf e), and a transfer or a change of status of that property needs the approval of the paruman (Pasal 59(5)).

Pergub 25/2020 on protecting temples, sacred images (pratima) and religious symbols defines a pura as a holy place for worshipping Hyang Widhi Wasa in all manifestations and the holy spirits of ancestors (Pasal 1 angka 7). It lists six kinds: sad kahyangan, dang kahyangan, kahyangan jagat, kahyangan desa (one the desa adat worships at and looks after), swagina (one whose worshippers share a profession) and family temples (Pasal 5(1), (5), (6)).

Entry and conduct. Pasal 45 forbids entering a pura to every person in a state of cuntaka or sebel, and to every person who is not directly connected with a ceremony, a prayer, a piodalan or an activity to protect the temple. Temples are to put up a notice of these bans (Pasal 13(3)). The text defines cuntaka or sebel as a state of impurity as a result of death, birth, menstruation and other things regarded as impure (Pasal 1 angka 10). The same article forbids every person to damage or defile a pura; it defines defilement as conduct that lowers the sanctity of the temple, such as rough words, fighting or immoral acts (Pasal 1 angka 11). A breach of the entry ban draws adat sanctions, imposed by the village or the temple's caretakers. Damage, theft, defilement and misuse of religious symbols also draw sanctions under general law (Pasal 46). The text says every person (setiap orang), defined as an individual, a group or a legal entity (Pasal 1 angka 21). It makes no exception for visitors or for foreigners.

The Pergub does not say which parts of a temple the entry ban covers. The three parts of a temple, the Tri Mandala, appear in it only in the rule that a temple be used according to its religious, educational and socio-cultural function (Pasal 13(2) huruf c). The Governor's circular 7/2025, which speaks to foreign tourists, is more specific about the inner and middle parts; it and the zones around temples are on the page on Bali's own rules, and the page on zones and the page on building permits cover what you may build. How a temple applies the Pergub is for its caretakers. Ask them.

The dates of Nyepi, the Bali holy days when offices close and the rules of the yearly joint appeal for Nyepi are on the page on the calendar. They are not repeated here. This section says only what the provincial regulations add.

The Perda lists no days or restrictions for residents. It gives the village the task of bringing about peace and well-being in this world and the unseen one (kasukretan sakala dan niskala, Pasal 21), including carrying out the pancayadnya, which the elucidation explains as the five forms of sacred sacrifice of Hindu teaching (Pasal 22 huruf m). The village's prajuru arrange the social and religious activities in the village territory (Pasal 30 huruf f) and the banjar's prajuru those in the banjar (Pasal 40). Who must take part, and how a household's day changes on a ceremony day, is therefore for each village's rules. The full duties of a krama desa adat include work and contributions in parahyangan; a tamiu has duties in pawongan and palemahan only (Pasal 9(1)).

On temple ceremony days the entry rule above applies; piodalan is named in it. We found no provincial text that tells a resident what to do on a temple anniversary, a procession or a cremation, or that deals with photographing ceremonies. The Governor's circular 7/2025 asks foreign tourists to behave respectfully during ceremonies (the page on Bali's own rules). Whether a resident counts as a tourist the circular does not say.

A customary dispute is a perkara adat or wicara: any customary law question in parahyangan, pawongan or palemahan, brought as a request or as a dispute (Pasal 1 angka 19). The MDA's guideline of October 2021 says a wicara is either a dispute about how to read the awig-awig, pararem and other village rules, or a breach of them (decision 05/KEP-PSM.II/MDA-BALI/X/2021, Pasal 2).

The route the Perda describes. The banjar's prajuru may settle adat cases inside the banjar (Pasal 40(2) huruf c). The village's prajuru settle adat cases in the village, with the kerta desa adat beside them (Pasal 30 huruf e and 34(2)). The kerta desa adat receives, examines and settles cases under customary law and puts peace first; if peace is not reached it decides under the awig-awig or pararem (Pasal 37(1) to (3)). If it cannot settle the case, the parties may ask the MDA at the matching level (Pasal 37(4)). The kecamatan MDA mediates (Pasal 78). The kabupaten or kota MDA and then the provincial MDA settle cases in tiers, an objection to a decision of the kabupaten or kota MDA may go to the provincial MDA, and the provincial MDA's decision is final and binding (Pasal 76(2) huruf e, 77 and 79). The page on disputes and complaints sets out the same route and what the Perda does not say about courts.

The MDA's guideline gives the steps in more detail. A wicara is settled in one of three ways: panyamabrayan, negotiation by the parties; panengah, mediation; or pamutus, a decision by the village or the MDA (decision 05/KEP-PSM.II/MDA-BALI/X/2021, Pasal 11). An agreement must be carried out no later than 3 days after it is signed. A decision of the village or the kabupaten or kota MDA has fixed and binding force (kekuatan hukum tetap dan mengikat) 14 calendar days after it is made, and a party may object to the MDA at the matching level within those 14 days. A decision of the provincial MDA is final and binding from signing (Pasal 13). It is a guideline of the customary council, not a statute.

The conduct of the village's own officers. The prajuru may not break the awig-awig or pararem, favour some people to the harm of the public interest, abuse their office, act in ways that unsettle the krama or belong to forbidden organisations (Pasal 32). The MDA of the province and the MDA of the regency or city (Pasal 77) decide on alleged violations by prajuru of these bans (Pasal 76(2) huruf g and h, 77); only the provincial decision is final and binding (Pasal 79(3)). A prajuru who breaks a ban is sanctioned under the village's awig-awig (Pasal 33). The Perda does not say who may bring such a complaint.

What the texts do not say. Whether a foreign resident, usually a tamiu, may bring a wicara before a kerta desa adat or be called to one: the nearest text is that the awig-awig apply to tamiu (Pasal 1 angka 29). How an adat decision relates to a court judgment or a land office decision: the Perda is silent (see the page on disputes and complaints). Nothing in the Perda says that the customary route takes the place of a court. Ask for the rule in writing before you accept or refuse a demand.

Which desa adat and which banjar adat is the property in, and who are the head of the desa adat (the bandesa adat, or whatever it is called here) and the head of the banjar?

Which awig-awig and pararem apply to tamiu here? Please give the Indonesian text and the registration numbers.

Are we recorded as tamiu, how is that recorded, and what are our duties and rights in pawongan and palemahan under your rules? Please give the answer in writing.

Which of your rules apply to a household on ceremony days, on processions and on Nyepi, and who tells us in advance?

Which temples are near the property, and is there a rule for entering, building or working near them?

Who decides when we disagree: the banjar's prajuru, the kerta desa adat or the MDA, and which route do your own rules set?

Is there any other rule, announced at a paruman or a pasangkepan, that applies to us and that we have not been shown?

Whether the Perda has been amended or will be. We found no amending regulation. The revision proposed for 2026 was, according to a newspaper report of 1 September 2026, the subject of a request to withdraw it, and the decision was still open. A newspaper report is not an official text.

Our reading that a foreign resident is usually tamiu. The Perda names no nationality and its definitions of the first two groups require a Balinese Hindu. The Perda, Pergub 4/2020 and Pergub 25/2020 do not name foreign nationals at all; the one use of the word foreign in the Perda is in the Perda's statement of aims on the empowerment and preservation of the desa adat, about preserving Balinese culture able to filter foreign cultural influence selectively (Pasal 95(1) huruf b).

Whether the decisions of the paruman and the pasangkepan, and the village's adat sanctions, reach a tamiu. We give our reading in the section on rules. The Perda states only that the awig-awig apply to tamiu and that the decisions bind the Krama Desa Adat.

The content of the Tuntunan Sasana Pacalang. We did not find it published.

Whether the temple entry ban of Pergub 25/2020 covers the outer courtyard of a temple and visitors who come to look. We found no official text that says so.

Whether a foreign resident can bring a wicara before a kerta desa adat or the MDA, or be called to one. The MDA guideline speaks of the parties (mawicara) and sets no rule on nationality or on tamiu.

Whether the MDA guidelines of October 2021 have been replaced. We found no later version on the provincial customary law portal on 6 October 2026.

Any rule on photographing ceremonies, and any provincial text on what a resident must do on temple anniversaries, processions and cremations. We found none.

How a particular village applies any of this. A Balinese co-author has not yet reviewed this page.