Schools and kindergartens for foreign children in Bali: what the law says

This page is for a foreigner who lives in Bali, or plans to, with a child of kindergarten or school age, and wants to know what Indonesian law says about the school. It sets out the texts with the article and says where we found them silent or in conflict. It is general information, not legal advice.

Several bodies share the subject. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) writes the rules for kindergartens and for primary and secondary schools and keeps the register of schools. Madrasah are under the Ministry of Religious Affairs (PP 47/2008 Pasal 1 angka 4 and 6) and are not covered here. The regional governments manage the schools and license the private ones: the kabupaten or kota for kindergartens and for primary and lower secondary schools, the province for upper secondary schools. The licence of a school run by a foreign body is issued by the central government (UU 23/2014, Lampiran I, A, nomor 1 and 5).

Not covered: which school to choose, fees, rankings and school names (the page names none), the content of any named curriculum, universities and the teaching itself. Where the page says that no text says something, that is a statement about the texts we read, listed under each section. It is not a statement about how an office or a school applies them, which can differ. The section "What we could not confirm" lists the open points.

Terms used. SPK is a Satuan Pendidikan Kerja Sama. SPMB is the Sistem Penerimaan Murid Baru, the ministry's admission regulation (Permendikdasmen 3/2025). NPSN is the national number of a school, shown in the register. Dapodik is the ministry's application for data on schools and pupils (Permendikdasmen 3/2025 Pasal 1 angka 11). TK is a kindergarten, SD a primary school, SMP a lower secondary school, SMA an upper secondary school and SMK a vocational secondary school.

What it is. An SPK is a school run or managed on the basis of cooperation between a foreign education institution that is accredited or recognised in its own country and an institution in Indonesia (Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 1 angka 6). On the formal route it can be a kindergarten, a primary school, a lower or upper secondary school or an equivalent form (Pasal 2(2)); the initiators are an Indonesian institution with accreditation A and the foreign institution (Pasal 4(2)). The ministry's page on SPK says that the regulation is the reason every school labelled "international" had to take the name SPK from 1 December 2014. The licensing portal OSS still lists the regulation, and peraturan.go.id shows it as in force (pages read on 6 October 2026). We found no text that replaces it.

The licence. An SPK has its seat in Indonesia after the Minister, or an official the Minister names, gives an establishment licence (Pasal 19(1)). On the formal route it is valid for 6 years (Pasal 19(2)), and the SPK may start teaching only after it is issued (Pasal 27(4)). The application to renew is made 6 months before the licence ends (Pasal 28(1)). If the renewal has not been issued 3 months before the end, the SPK may not take new pupils (Pasal 28(4)). If the renewal is refused, the school must see the remaining pupils through, for at most 6 years, or move them to a school of the same level and type (Pasal 28(5)). On a closure the operator must move the pupils within 6 months (Pasal 37(3) huruf a).

Staff and name. At least 30% of the teachers, and at least 80% of the education support staff other than the head, must be Indonesian citizens (Pasal 9(2) and 10(4)). An SPK may not use the word "international" in the name of the school, a programme, a class or a subject (Pasal 35).

Accreditation and supervision. An SPK follows accreditation by the national accreditation body and may also be accredited in the country of its foreign partner (Pasal 5(1) huruf d, Pasal 5(2), Pasal 32(1)). The ministry monitors SPK (Pasal 33). The operator reports in writing to the Minister every year, with a copy to the provincial and the kabupaten or kota education offices (Pasal 34(1)). A breach can bring a written warning, a ban on taking new pupils or withdrawal of the licence (Pasal 36(1)).

An old text in the regulation. The 2014 text speaks of a national examination (ujian nasional) that an SPK must hold for Indonesian pupils and that a foreign pupil going on to a national school may take (Pasal 5(1) huruf c, Pasal 13(2) and (3)). The ministry's service FAQ says today that SPK pupils must sit a school examination (ujian sekolah). We did not find which text replaced the former, so the page states no examination rule.

At an SPK. The SPK regulates the admission of its pupils (Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 8(3)). Its pupils are Indonesian citizens and foreigners who meet the requirements of the laws (Pasal 8(1)), and it may not refuse an Indonesian applicant (Pasal 8(2)). Every pupil must have a national pupil number, the NISN (Pasal 8(4)). The admission regulation of 2025 exempts cooperation schools from its entry paths (Permendikdasmen 3/2025 Pasal 7(2) huruf a). What an SPK asks of a foreign pupil is therefore for the school to say: ask for its admission rules in writing.

At a national school: the regulation. The admission regulation (SPMB), Permendikdasmen 3/2025, replaced Permendikbud 1/2021 (Pasal 66). It requires admission without discrimination (Pasal 3(1)); a school designed for pupils of one gender or one religion may apply special rules (Pasal 3(2)). For primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools there are four entry paths: domicile, affirmation (families that cannot pay, and children with disabilities), achievement, and relocation of a parent's posting (Pasal 6, Pasal 1 angka 20 to 23).

Age. For grade 1 of primary school the child is 7 on 1 July of the school year. A child of at least 6 on that day may register, and children of 7 and over have priority (Pasal 11(1), (2) and (4)). For grade 7 the child is at most 15 on 1 July and has finished primary school; for grade 10 at most 21 and has finished lower secondary school (Pasal 12 and 13(1)). Age is shown by a birth certificate, or by a birth statement of the competent authority that the village head or another competent local official has legalised (Pasal 14(1)).

Where the regulation is silent. The domicile path asks for a family card (Kartu Keluarga) issued at least one year before the registration date (Pasal 17(1)). For a foreigner, the population regulation requires a permanent permit (ITAP) for a new family card (Perpres 96/2018 Pasal 11(2) huruf a), as the page on KITAS and KITAP explains. A child who is also an Indonesian citizen is entered on the Indonesian parent's family card (see the page on a child born in Bali). The birth of a child of a mixed marriage is recorded in the birth register as an Indonesian citizen (Perpres 96/2018 Pasal 55(1)), and registering the birth of an Indonesian citizen asks for a family card (Pasal 33(1) huruf c). The relocation path asks for an assignment letter from the employer of a parent and a certificate of the move of the parent's domicile (Pasal 23(1)); the regulation does not say whether a foreign parent posted to Bali can use it. In the whole regulation foreign pupils are named in one place only, among transfer pupils. It does not say how a foreign child with no earlier school enters grade 1, whether a state school must take such a child, or which path he uses.

Transfer pupil (murid pindahan). The regulation treats a pupil who comes from another school, "including a foreign pupil" (termasuk Murid warga negara asing), as a transfer pupil accepted outside the new-pupil process (Pasal 55). He may come from the formal, nonformal or informal route or from a school in another country (Pasal 56(2)). A pupil from a foreign system is placed in the class that the receiving school decides (Pasal 56(3) huruf b). No transfer is accepted in the even semester of grade 6 of primary school, grade 9 of lower secondary school or grade 12 of upper secondary school (grade 12 or 13 of a vocational school) (Pasal 56(1)). A pupil of primary level in another country hands in a statement of the head of the former school and passes the suitability and placement test of the receiving school (Pasal 58(1)). A pupil of secondary level hands in a copy of the diploma or other proof that the earlier level was finished and a statement of the head of the former school, and passes the same test (Pasal 58(2)). The school accepts transfers only if places remain (Pasal 61) and updates Dapodik within 14 working days (Pasal 60).

Passport and stay permit. No article of the admission regulation names a passport or a stay permit as a condition of enrolment. The immigration side asks the school for a letter of acceptance for a study visa (see the section on the child's stay permit).

The service. The ministry runs an online service, e-layanan Kemendikdasmen, that assesses a diploma or study record from a foreign education system as equal to the national diploma of the primary, lower secondary or upper secondary level, Paket A, B and C included. Upper secondary vocational schools (SMK) go to the vocational directorate of the ministry. The service is free, the letter is signed electronically and needs no legalisation, and the stated time is at most 5 working days from the day the file is complete (the service's FAQ, read on 6 October 2026).

Who may apply. Indonesian and foreign pupils who finished primary, lower or upper secondary school at a foreign school abroad; foreign pupils who finished at an international school, an SPK or a diplomatic school in Indonesia; Indonesian pupils from an international school or an SPK only up to school year 2014/2015. Indonesian pupils of later years at an SPK hold a national diploma and need no equivalence.

What is asked. The passport with the entry stamp; the birth certificate; a letter from the former school for a foreign pupil who studied at a foreign school in Indonesia, or from an Indonesian representation abroad for an Indonesian pupil; the diploma or certificate; a transcript, or the school reports instead; the curriculum structure of the former school; the reports of the last three years of the level; and a sworn translation of every document not in Indonesian or English. Where there is no Indonesian representation in the country, a foreign pupil may use a letter of the embassy of that country in Indonesia. Without a diploma for primary or lower secondary school, the pupil may be assessed on the reports of the last three years; for upper secondary school the diploma is required. The letter has the same use as a national diploma.

Mixed signals. The FAQ gives Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 13(3) as the basis for equating the diploma of a foreign SPK graduate. That paragraph speaks of foreign SPK pupils who continue in a national school and may sit the national examination; it does not use the word equivalence. We report the FAQ as it stands. The admission regulation, for its part, does not name the equivalence letter as a condition of transfer: it asks for the diploma or other proof that the level was finished, and a placement test (Pasal 58). Whether a given school asks for the letter is not in the texts we read.

In an SPK. The curriculum for Indonesian pupils must include religious education, Pancasila and citizenship education and Indonesian (Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 11(3)); the Act says the same of foreign institutions at basic and secondary level (UU 20/2003 Pasal 65(2)). For foreign pupils the school must teach Indonesian and Indonesian culture (Indonesian Studies) (Pasal 11(4)). Pancasila and citizenship and Indonesian must be taught in Indonesian, with a foreign language allowed to explain (Pasal 12(3)). Using the curriculum or the education system of another country needs a licence of the Minister, after a recommendation of the Director General (Pasal 7(1) and 11(1)).

In a national school. The curriculum of basic and secondary education must contain religious education, citizenship education and language (UU 20/2003 Pasal 37(1)). Every pupil has the right to religious education in his own religion, taught by a teacher of the same religion (Pasal 12(1) huruf a). Indonesian is the language of instruction in national education; a regional language may be used in the early stage when needed, and a foreign language in certain units to support foreign language skills (Pasal 33).

What no text says. We found no text that says whether a foreign pupil in a national school must follow the religion and citizenship classes, may be excused from them, or what a school must do when it has no teacher of his religion. The admission regulation lets a school designed for one religion apply special rules (Permendikdasmen 3/2025 Pasal 3(2)); it does not say how that touches a foreign child of another religion.

The rule for citizens. Every citizen aged 7 to 15 must follow basic education (UU 20/2003 Pasal 6(1)), and a citizen of 6 may take part in the compulsory education programme (Pasal 34(1)). The regulation on compulsory education defines it as a minimum programme that Indonesian citizens must follow under the responsibility of the government (PP 47/2008 Pasal 1 angka 1 and Pasal 2), and its duty and the parents' responsibility are written for Indonesian citizens (Pasal 12). The government and the regional governments guarantee it at basic level without fees (UU 20/2003 Pasal 34(2)); the Constitutional Court ruled on 27 May 2025 that the article must be read to cover basic schools run by the community as well as by the government (decision 3/PUU-XXII/2024). The parents of a child of compulsory age must give the child basic education (UU 20/2003 Pasal 7(2)).

The texts that speak of every child. The child protection law defines a child as a person under 18, gives every child the right to education and teaching, and says that the government and the regional governments must provide basic education of at least 9 years for all children (UU 35/2014 Pasal 1 angka 1, Pasal 9(1) and Pasal 48). It also gives every child the right to protection at school from sexual crime and violence by teachers, staff, other pupils and others (Pasal 9(1a)).

What no text says. We found no text that says in terms that compulsory education binds a foreign child or his parents, and none that says it does not. The education Act and its regulation speak of citizens (warga negara Indonesia); the child protection law speaks of every child and all children; the parents' duty in UU 20/2003 Pasal 7(2) names no nationality. A foreign child who is also an Indonesian citizen falls, on the plain wording, within the provisions on citizens; the page on a child born in Bali explains when a child is a citizen (section Which citizenship the child has). The only sanction we found is administrative and is aimed at Indonesian citizens: a regional regulation may provide it for an Indonesian citizen whose child aged 7 to 15 does not follow the programme (PP 47/2008 Pasal 7(6)), and the elucidation names a compelling measure and a temporary stop or delay of government services. We did not read a Bali regulation on it.

Two ages in one Act. The Act sets the duty from 7 to 15 (Pasal 6(1)) and says that a citizen of 6 may take part (Pasal 34(1)). The admission regulation puts grade 1 at age 7 on 1 July, accepts 6, and gives priority to children of 7 and over (Permendikdasmen 3/2025 Pasal 11).

The thirteen-year policy. The ministry promotes "Wajib Belajar 13 Tahun": one year of pre-school before primary school and then twelve years. Its own page calls the pre-school year a government policy that encourages (mendorong) every child to take at least one year of early childhood education. The list of legal bases that the ministry publishes names UU 20/2003 for citizens aged 7 to 15 and the national medium-term plan (Perpres 12/2025) for the 13-year target, and it lists the bill on the national education system (RUU Sisdiknas) among planning documents. We found no enacted text that makes the year before primary school compulsory for anyone.

What the law requires. Every formal and nonformal education unit must hold a licence of the central or a regional government (UU 20/2003 Pasal 62(1)). For a school run by the community the licence is issued by the kabupaten or kota for kindergartens and for primary and lower secondary schools, and by the province for upper secondary schools; for a school run by a foreign body it is issued by the central government (UU 23/2014 Lampiran I, A, nomor 5). The Cipta Kerja law does not change that for schools: it says that the licence of education units stays under the education laws (UU 6/2023, Pasal 65 of the attached Perppu 2/2022 and its elucidation), except for formal schools in a special economic zone (KEK), which are regulated separately (same elucidation, UU 6/2023 Pasal 65(1)). Accreditation tests whether a programme or a school is fit, and is done by the government or by an independent body (UU 20/2003 Pasal 60(1) and (2)); for early childhood, primary and secondary education it is a matter of the central government (UU 23/2014 Lampiran I, A, nomor 3). A diploma is given after an examination held by an accredited unit (Pasal 61(2)).

The register of schools. The ministry publishes the Data Referensi Kemendikdasmen (referensi.data.kemendikdasmen.go.id). You can browse it from the province to the kabupaten or kota, the subdistrict and the school, filter by form (among them SPK SD and SPK SMP) and by status (state or private), or search by school name or by the NPSN. The profile of a school shows its status, its form, the supervising ministry, the foundation number (NPYP), the number and start date of its operating licence (SK izin operasional), the licence file if it has been uploaded, and its accreditation (page read on 6 October 2026). A profile can be incomplete: on one we opened, the licence file had not been uploaded although a number was given. A number in the register is not the licence. Ask the school for the licence and for the office that issued it. Sekolah Kita (sekolah.data.kemendikdasmen.go.id) shows school profiles on a map and lets you compare schools.

Accreditation. The accreditation body for early childhood, primary and secondary education was BAN-PDM. Permendikdasmen 14/2026 of 17 June 2026 made it the Badan Standar dan Akreditasi Nasional Pendidikan (BSANP), a body that develops the national standards and carries out accreditation (Pasal 1 angka 3 and Pasal 2), and repealed Permendikbudristek 38/2023 on accreditation. Its site, ban-pdm.id, says that it serves the data until the new address is ready. The page "Data Akreditasi Sekolah" lets you search by NPSN or school name, filter and download the certificate. An SPK is accredited by the national accreditation bodies; Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 32(1) names those of its day, BAN S/M and BAN PNF. Permendikdasmen 14/2026 does not mention SPK, and we did not check how it treats them.

The list of SPK. The ministry's SPK portal (layananspk.pauddikdasmen.kemendikdasmen.go.id) has a list page for each level: KB, TK, SD, SMP and SMA. On 6 October 2026 the list for SD showed no data, and we did not open the other lists, so we could not confirm a school through the portal. The register's filters SPK SD and SPK SMP are the other way in.

Reasons to ask. The school uses the word "international" but is not listed as an SPK (Pasal 35). The register shows no licence number, or no accreditation. The school teaches a foreign curriculum but is listed as an ordinary SD or SMP: which licence covers the foreign curriculum (Pasal 7(1) and 11(1))? The licence of an SPK runs for 6 years (Pasal 19(2)): ask for the licence itself and its end date.

This page does not repeat the permits. The page on visas and stay lists the visas, the page on KITAS and KITAP follows a limited stay permit and the registration with the population office, and the page on extending or changing a visa covers a change from a visit permit. Here are the points that concern a school child.

Two official visa pages. The immigration directorate lists a visa for a child under 18, unmarried, who joins a parent with an ITAS or ITAP (E31E), and a visa for study at basic and secondary level (E30A). The E31E page says that the holder may live and study in Indonesia. It asks for the guarantee of an Indonesian sponsor or a commitment statement of the parent, the child's birth statement translated by a sworn translator unless it is in English, and the parent's valid permit. The E30A page says that the holder may study up to upper secondary school and below and may bring family. It needs a sponsor who is an individual or the school, and a letter of acceptance of the school stating the length of study. The regulation names the same core documents for a study visa: a passport valid for at least 6 months, a guarantee from the education institution or an Indonesian citizen, proof of means, a photograph, and proof of acceptance stating the length of study (Permenkumham 22/2023 Pasal 33(2) huruf g, Pasal 42(1) and (2)).

Two texts differ on the length. The official E30A page says that the stay is 1 or 2 years. Permenkumham 22/2023 Pasal 105(7), as amended by Permenkumham 11/2024, says that a permit from a study visa may be given for 1, 2 or 4 years. We cannot say which governs.

Which one for a child? The pages give no age for E30A. We found no text that says whether a child who lives with a parent holding an ITAS should hold E31E or E30A, or whether a child on a visit permit may enrol. A visit permit that came from a visa on arrival or from visa exemption cannot be changed inside Indonesia into a limited stay permit (Permenkumham 22/2023 Pasal 163(2)); the page on extending or changing a visa explains the later rules. Ask the immigration office before the child starts school, and keep the answer in writing.

The school first. For an SPK the operator reports to the Minister every year with a copy to the provincial and kabupaten or kota education offices (Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 34(1)), so those offices know that the school exists.

The education office. Every region must provide and announce a channel for reports and complaints about admission, on the notice boards of schools or in other media that the public can easily reach (Permendikdasmen 3/2025 Pasal 33(3) huruf h and (4)). The office with the authority is the one of the kabupaten or kota for kindergartens and for primary and lower secondary schools, and the provincial office for upper secondary schools (UU 23/2014 Lampiran I, A, nomor 1). The provincial education office of Bali lists a complaint box, an email address, the national complaint portal SP4N-LAPOR, social media and a visit to its office in Renon, Denpasar (page read on 6 October 2026). The Badung office published its complaint channels on 3 October 2024 (an email address, social media and a messaging number), and the Denpasar office has a menu entry for information and complaints. We did not read the pages of the other kabupaten.

Supervision. The inspectorate general of the ministry and the regional inspectorate supervise the admission process and may act on a public complaint (Permendikdasmen 3/2025 Pasal 64(1) and (3)).

The ministry. The Minister licenses an SPK and can sanction it (Permendikbud 31/2014 Pasal 19 and 36), so a complaint about an SPK's licence or about a breach of its rules is for the ministry. The ministry's service page names its service desk, ULT Kemendikdasmen, with an email address and a messaging number (page read on 6 October 2026). BAN-PDM takes complaints about its accreditation service through its site or its official email address.

Violence or abuse. Every child has the right to protection at school from sexual crime and violence (UU 35/2014 Pasal 9(1a)). A crime is reported to the police, and a complaint about maladministration by an office can go to the Ombudsman; the page on disputes and complaints describes both.

Whether compulsory education, or the right to quality education that UU 20/2003 Pasal 5(1) gives to citizens, binds or protects a foreign child. No text we read says. Whether the Constitutional Court's reading of Pasal 34(2) applies to a foreign child is also open.

How a foreign child with no earlier school and no family card enters grade 1 of a state school, which path he uses, and whether a state school must take him. The admission regulation names foreign pupils only as transfer pupils; local technical guidelines of the regions may say more, and we did not read the Bali ones.

Whether a school asks for a passport or a stay permit at enrolment, and what Dapodik asks for a foreign pupil. No education text we read asks for either.

Which of E31E and E30A a child should hold when a parent has an ITAS, how the 1, 2 or 4 years of Permenkumham 22/2023 Pasal 105(7) as amended square with the 1 or 2 years on the E30A page, and whether a child on a visit permit may enrol.

Whether Permendikbud 31/2014 is the whole of the current rules for an SPK. peraturan.go.id lists it as in force and OSS still lists it, and we found no text that replaces it. We could not read an official copy of the technical guideline of the Directorate General of 2015 (Perdirjen 407/D/PP/2015) or of the accreditation policy for SPK of 2020 that the ministry's page names, and we do not know which text replaced the national examination in Pasal 5 and 13.

Whether any school asks for the ministry's equivalence letter at enrolment, and how a school places a pupil who has none.

Whether a foreign pupil in a national school must follow the religion class, may be excused, or what happens when the school has no teacher of his religion.

Whether home schooling by a foreign family is accepted. The texts on the informal route (PP 47/2008 Pasal 3(4)) are written for compulsory education of citizens.

The SPK portal lists. The list we opened on 6 October 2026 showed no data, so we do not know whether the portal is a complete list of SPK.

Whether the criminal provision on running a school without a licence (UU 20/2003 Pasal 71) stands unchanged after UU 1/2023 and UU 1/2026. The page states no penalty.

Madrasah and schools under other ministries, which this page does not cover, and the Bali regulation, if any, on administrative sanctions for compulsory education.

Whether the bill on the national education system (RUU Sisdiknas) has become law. The ministry lists it as a planning document, and we found no enacted text.

To the school: Which licence covers you, with its number, the issuing office and the end date, and is your form on the register SD, SMP, TK or SPK? Which curriculum do you teach, and which licence covers a foreign curriculum? When does your accreditation end? What do you ask of a foreign pupil: documents, test, stay permit, class placement? Please give your admission rules in writing.

To the education office of the kabupaten or kota: Does a state school here take a foreign child, through which path and with which documents? Where are the local technical guideline for admission and the complaint channel?

To the immigration office: Which visa and permit should my child hold to attend school, E31E or E30A, and for how long? Please answer in writing.

To the ministry's equivalence service: Is the diploma or the study record of my child's foreign school assessed at this level, and which document is missing?

Keep copies: the licence, the accreditation certificate, the school's written admission rules and every written answer. They are the proof you will be asked for.