In Bali, the length of your stay settles the question. Tourist stay: your national licence plus an International Driving Permit (IDP) on the 1968 Vienna Convention model — in France, for example, the version created by decree no. 2024-976 of 5 November 2024, in force since 1 January 2025, applied for online through France Titres (ANTS) for €7.25, delivered in around 15 days, valid for 3 years, and worth nothing on home soil. Residency on a KITAS: the Indonesian SIM, issued at the Satpas of the Polresta Denpasar (Jl. Gunung Sanghyang no. 110), Rp 120,000 in state fees for a SIM A (car), Rp 100,000 for a SIM C (motorbike), generally valid five years. The most expensive trap fits into one line: a car-only licence carries no motorbike entitlement — not through the IDP ("the same categories as the national licence"), and not with your insurer either. Riding without a valid licence exposes you to a fine of up to Rp 1,000,000, or four months' detention (article 281 of law 22/2009); leave the licence back at the villa and the ceiling drops to Rp 250,000 (article 288 paragraph 2).
What Indonesian law actually says
It all starts with law no. 22 of 2009 on road traffic (UU 22/2009), still the reference text quoted by the police and the national press in 2026. In Indonesian, pasal means "article": four provisions are enough to frame the whole subject.
- Pasal 77 paragraph 1: anyone driving a motor vehicle on a public road must hold a licence ("wajib memiliki Surat Izin Mengemudi"). The text contains no tourist exemption.
- Pasal 85 paragraph 2: "Surat Izin Mengemudi berlaku selama 5 (lima) tahun dan dapat diperpanjang" — the SIM is valid for 5 years and can be renewed.
- Pasal 85 paragraph 4: a licence issued by another country is valid in Indonesia if a bilateral or multilateral agreement exists. That is the sole legal basis for recognising a foreign licence, and it is conditional — a contested point we come back to below.
- Pasal 80: the categories. This is where most people get it wrong.
| Category | Vehicle allowed | Minimum age | State fee (PNBP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIM A | Private car ≤ 3,500 kg | 17 | Rp 120,000 |
| SIM C | Motorbike under 250 cc | 17 | Rp 100,000 |
| SIM C I | Motorbike 250 to 500 cc | 18 | Rp 100,000 |
| SIM C II | Motorbike over 500 cc | 19 | Rp 100,000 |
| SIM D / D1 | Riders and drivers with disabilities | Not specified | Rp 50,000 |
Hold on to the line that matters: SIM A = car, SIM C = motorbike. Some expat guides state the reverse and offer a "SIM category A (motorbike/scooter)": that is simply wrong under Pasal 80, which reserves the SIM A for private vehicles up to 3,500 kg and the SIM C for two-wheelers.
One attribution point is worth making, because it changes how you should read that table. Pasal 80 recognises a single SIM C, "sepeda motor", and adds two heavy-vehicle categories of no interest here: B I (over 3,500 kg) and B II (road tractor, vehicle with trailer). The split by engine size into C, C I and C II, the minimum ages and the amounts above do not come from the law itself but from the official "Panduan SIM" page of Korlantas Polri, consulted on 22 July 2026, which applies the PNBP scale set by government regulation PP 76/2020. That page publishes no fee for the B categories: we therefore quote none. One last point, and it counts: these are pure state fees, and they include neither the medical exam, nor the psychological test, nor the BPJS Kesehatan membership demanded in the file.
Telling detail: this official page describes no procedure for foreigners at all. Everything circulating on the subject comes from local agencies, expat guides or regional police pages — hence the contradictions flagged further down.
The international driving permit: what changed in 2025
The international permit issued today is not the one your friends carried a few years ago, and France is the clearest worked example because the change is recent and fully documented. Decree no. 2024-976 of 5 November 2024 moved the French IDP onto the 1968 Vienna Convention model, in force since 1 January 2025. The text lays down three clean rules:
- it "is valid for three years, from the date of issue", and only outside national territory;
- it is valid only "on condition that it is accompanied by the valid national driving licence";
- it authorises "the driving of the same categories of vehicle as those on the national licence".
On the procedure, the official service-public.gouv.fr page, checked on 3 March 2026, gives the current figures: apply online through France Titres (ANTS) using FranceConnect or France Identité, issue and delivery fee set at €7.25, and "around 15 days" counted from the text message confirming the file has been validated. The same page adds a recommendation worth following: "You are advised to apply at least 1 month before departure abroad." It also sets two access conditions: normal residence in France, and a licence obtained in France, the EU or EEA, Switzerland or Monaco.
Wherever your own permit comes from, check the same three points with the body that issues IDPs in your country before you fly: how long it runs, whether it must be carried alongside the national licence, and exactly which categories it carries across.
Two limits catch people out. The IDP is worthless in the country that issued it: it is not a licence, it is a standardised translation of yours. And without the national licence in your pocket, it is worth nothing in Bali either: the two travel together, always.
One last warning: some pages still claim the application is free. That was true before the November 2024 decree. The official figure in 2026 is €7.25.
Trap number one: a car licence buys you nothing on a scooter
This is the most common mistake, and the most expensive. The IDP does not create an entitlement: it carries across the categories on your national licence. If yours shows no two-wheeler category, the international permit will not conjure one up.
Local operators say the same thing — and it is worth knowing where they are speaking from, because these are commercial sources, not official ones. A Balinese scooter rental company, in a guide dated 14 March 2026, requires a motorbike licence from your home country plus an IDP showing the motorbike category, and concludes that if all you hold is a car licence, "that is not enough" to rent a scooter. An expat services agency based in Bali sets out the same rule on 23 March 2026: an IDP covers only the vehicle categories printed on your original licence. One rents two-wheelers, the other sells paperwork — but on this point they are only repeating the decree.
Before you book anything: take out your licence and read the categories printed on the back. If no two-wheeler category appears, the question is no longer "which document do I need" but "how do I get a motorbike entitlement" — and that is settled in your country of residence, not on arrival at Ngurah Rai. If you are unsure about your equivalences, ask your own licensing authority — service-public.gouv.fr for a French licence — not a forum.
What it actually costs
Three families of document, three pricing logics. Figures recorded in July 2026.
| Document | Where / how | Cost | Lead time | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International permit (Vienna 1968), French example | Online, ANTS / France Titres | €7.25 | ~15 days after the validation text | 3 years, or the remaining life of the licence if shorter |
| SIM A (car) | Satpas, Polresta Denpasar | Rp 120,000 state fee | One visit of 2 to 3 hours | Generally 5 years |
| SIM C (motorbike) | Satpas, Polresta Denpasar | Rp 100,000 state fee | One visit of 2 to 3 hours | Generally 5 years |
| SIM C, all in | On your own | Rp 215,000 to 280,000 (medical + psych) | Same day | Same |
| SIM C through an agent | Intermediary | Rp 1,800,000 to 2,600,000 | Varies | Same |
| Indonesian international SIM | Korlantas online portal | Rp 250,000 (renewal Rp 225,000) | 5 to 7 working days | 3 years |
A caveat before you use that table. Only three sets of figures are official: the €7.25 (service-public.gouv.fr), the Rp 120,000 / Rp 100,000 (Korlantas) and the Rp 250,000 / Rp 225,000 of the international SIM (Korlantas portal). The "all in" and "through an agent" lines come from a commercial expat services agency, in a guide dated 23 March 2026: a business pricing the very service it sells. No official source publishes these real-world costs.
Two lessons survive anyway. On those ranges, doing it yourself costs roughly six to twelve times less than going through an intermediary, for one morning of your time. And the Indonesian international SIM — reserved for holders of a valid national SIM, with a KITAP required for foreigners — exists to drive outside Indonesia: it never replaces the local SIM and is of no use for riding in Bali.
Getting an Indonesian SIM: the process at the Denpasar Satpas
Once you are living in Bali on a KITAS or another long-stay permit, the local SIM becomes the rational choice — and not primarily on price. The French IDP assumes normal residence in France: settled in Bali year-round, you no longer meet the condition that would let you apply for a new one. Whatever passport you hold, check that residence condition with your own issuing body before assuming you can renew from abroad. The SIM, by contrast, runs for five years, depends on no administration 12,000 km away, and every police officer and rental operator reads it instantly.
Where. Satpas of the Polresta Denpasar, Jl. Gunung Sanghyang no. 110, Denpasar Barat; opening hours reported as Monday to Saturday, 08:00-15:00 WITA. That address comes from a local commercial agency (guide of 23 March 2026) and from an expat blog, both naming the same street; a third site, dated 16 December 2025, confirms the Polresta Denpasar and the two categories open to foreigners — SIM A and SIM C — without giving the address. No confirmation from the Balinese police could be obtained: the Polda Bali and Polresta Denpasar websites both return a 403 error. Check before you make the trip.
What they ask for (list published by that local agency in March 2026, never confirmed by an official source):
- valid passport;
- valid KITAS or KITAP — holders of a plain visa on arrival are turned away, according to the 2026 expat guides;
- valid foreign driving licence, in the category you are applying for;
- SKTT (certificate of residence) and STM (police notification);
- proof of active BPJS Kesehatan membership;
- 3 × 4 cm ID photos on a red background.
How it goes. A single visit of two to three hours, again according to the same agency: psychological test, medical exam, computerised theory test (the AVIS system), photo, card printed. Korlantas additionally describes, in its general procedure, a practical test — U-turn, S-course, and an emergency-braking reaction test.
How long it lasts. The law says 5 years (Pasal 85 paragraph 2), which a local site from December 2025 and an expat blog in 2026 both repeat for KITAS holders. One nuance does circulate: a regional police page, resting on 1993 regulations and on terminology since repealed, points to a validity tied to immigration status (1 year for "expert workers"). No official 2026 source confirms it. Plan on five years, but check the date printed on the card the day you collect it.
What happens at a police check?
At a checkpoint you are asked for three documents, according to the local guides: the vehicle registration document (STNK), the national licence and the international permit. If the bike is not yours — rented or borrowed — the STNK still has to be under the seat or in the glovebox. That is the blind spot for second-hand buyers, covered in our guide to vehicle papers in Bali: STNK, BPKB and the annual tax.
| Situation | Basis or source | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Riding without holding a licence | Pasal 281, UU 22/2009 | up to Rp 1,000,000 or 4 months' detention (kurungan) |
| Holding a licence but not carrying it | Pasal 288 paragraph 2 | up to Rp 250,000 or 1 month |
| No helmet, rider | Pasal 291 paragraph 1, quoted by a Balinese rental company (March 2026) | up to Rp 250,000 |
| No helmet, passenger | Pasal 291 paragraph 2, quoted by a Balinese rental company (March 2026) | up to Rp 250,000 |
| Missing document at a check | Travel media, undated page — no official standing | Rp 300,000 to 500,000 per document, as reported |
That table calls for three reservations. The first two lines are legal ceilings, taken from the Indonesian national press (3 June 2025): maximums allowed by the text, not a tariff applied automatically. The rental company publishing the helmet amounts says as much itself — these are "legal maximums", and "what actually follows varies". The last line, finally, rests on nothing official: it comes from a travel media page carrying no date. An expat blog separately reports fines settled on the spot of Rp 250,000 to 500,000, without tying them to any specific document. Two different ranges, neither authoritative: treat them as orders of magnitude, not as a scale of charges.
Be wary too of the far higher numbers doing the rounds on undated pages: a fine of "IDR 2,000,000" for having no international permit exceeds the Rp 1,000,000 ceiling the law sets for a licence offence.
Geography matters as well: checks are described as frequent in Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu and Ubud, and around public holidays — Nyepi, Galungan and Independence Day on 17 August.
Insurance: where the wrong licence really costs you
A Rp 250,000 fine is an irritation. An international hospital bill after a scooter crash is not.
A French travel insurer is blunt about it — on an undated blog page, all the more reason to check your own policy: the international permit is "compulsory in order to be in order and to avoid any refusal of cover by your travel insurance" in the event of an accident. And it applies exactly the same category rule as the legislator: "if your licence does not authorise you to ride a motorbike of the category or engine size equivalent to the vehicle you are renting, you are not authorised to ride it".
Check these three clauses in your policy, line by line:
- The "powered two-wheeler" option is never automatic. A comparison site updated on 5 May 2026 sums it up: without it, medical costs arising from a scooter accident are not covered, even where the policy otherwise pays for your healthcare.
- The engine-size ceiling. The French insurer quoted above "does not, in any case, insure travellers riding two-wheelers with an engine size above 125 cc". Translated into Balinese terms: a Vario 125 or a Scoopy 110 stay under the ceiling; an NMAX 155 or a PCX 160 do not. Check the engine size on the STNK, not in the listing.
- The standard exclusions. No cover for hospital costs where the rider was drink-riding or not wearing a helmet.
The same comparison site ranks scooter crashes as the leading cause of accidents among tourists. And the French foreign ministry's travel advice for Indonesia, updated on 30 June 2026, explicitly recommends avoiding two-wheelers and points travellers towards metered taxis. It is not a ban, it is a government's advice.
The grey areas nobody has settled
On this subject it is better to state what is unresolved than to fake certainty. Three points have, to date, received no answer from any consultable Indonesian official source.
Has Indonesia ratified the Vienna Convention? The official Indonesian international SIM portal presents its permit as resting on the 1968 Vienna Convention, valid in "92 countries". An analysis published in April 2025 on Medium — the work of an individual author with no stated credentials, to be read as such — argues the opposite: Indonesia signed the 1968 convention but "never ratified" it, and has ratified no UN road traffic convention as an independent state, leaving a basis for accepting IDPs the author calls "deficient". Since Pasal 85 paragraph 4 makes a foreign licence valid only where a bilateral or multilateral agreement exists, the stakes are not theoretical. We were unable to consult the UN depositary to settle it. The practical picture does not move: the IDP is what the police ask for at the roadside.
Can a tourist get a local SIM? Two older sources described one. An expat community site, last updated on 26 July 2019, mentioned a SIM "valid for 1 or 3 months" for visit-visa holders wherever the service was equipped for it — Bali included. An undated regional police page, built on a 1993 regulation and on the repealed term "KIMS", refers to one month maximum in class C. The 2026 local guides say the opposite, with no nuance: on a visa on arrival, an e-VOA or a visa exemption, no Indonesian licence. That short-stay SIM is no longer documented by any current official source.
Is the IDP alone legally enough? Start with what is beyond doubt: the international permit is never a stand-alone document, it is valid only alongside the national licence — the French decree, the Balinese rental company and the expat blog all say so. That leaves the real question: is the pair enough, or do you need an Indonesian SIM? Two governments answer in writing. France (page updated 30 June 2026) requires the national licence "accompanied by an international driving permit" for visitors passing through; Belgium (16 June 2026) writes that "an Indonesian or international driving licence is required". On the Indonesian side, no consultable official source confirms or contradicts that reading. Two European administrations on one side, silence on the other: that is the best information available, not legal certainty.
Before you buy a vehicle: the order of operations
The classic mistake is to buy first and sort the paperwork afterwards. Do the opposite.
1. Check the categories on your national licence. It is the one step you cannot fix from Bali: it is settled in your country of residence.
2. Take the right document for the length of your stay. Short stay: an international permit — €7.25 in France — applied for a month before you fly. Settling in on a KITAS: SIM A or SIM C at the Denpasar Satpas.
3. Reread your insurance policy, powered two-wheeler option and engine-size ceiling included.
4. Only then choose the vehicle, matching the engine size to what your licence and your insurance genuinely cover.
5. Check the paperwork before you pay: STNK in the seller's name, BPKB available, chassis numbers matching. Our guide to the pitfalls of buying a used scooter sets out the checks to run on the spot.
On Lokalfinds, Vehicles listings show engine size and year as soon as the seller fills them in: filter on what your licence allows before you even message anyone, and always ask for a photo of the STNK. If you are leaving the island the logic reverses — our tips for selling fast will stop you dumping a scooter in your final three days.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ride a scooter in Bali with a car licence only?
No. The international permit carries across "the same categories of vehicle as those on the national licence" (French decree no. 2024-976). A car-only licence therefore creates no two-wheeler entitlement in Bali. A Balinese scooter rental company puts it in black and white in its March 2026 guide: with a car licence alone, "that is not enough" to rent. A French travel insurer applies the same category rule, and riding a vehicle your original licence does not cover puts you outside your policy.
How much does the French international driving permit cost in 2026?
€7.25. That amount covers issue and delivery, according to the service-public.gouv.fr page checked on 3 March 2026. The application is made online through France Titres (ANTS), using FranceConnect, France Identité or your ANTS credentials. Pages still advertising a free application are describing the old regime, before the decree of 5 November 2024. If your licence was issued elsewhere, check the fee with the body that issues IDPs in your own country.
Can a tourist get an Indonesian SIM in Bali?
In practice, no. The local and expat guides agree in 2026: the SIM issued at the Satpas of the Polresta Denpasar requires a valid KITAS, and holders of a visa on arrival are turned away. The short-stay tourist SIM described by 2019 sources is no longer documented by any current official source. For a tourist stay, the route remains an international permit obtained before you leave.
What documents do I need to show at a police check in Bali?
Three, according to the local guides: the vehicle registration document (STNK), your national driving licence and your international permit. Carry the originals, including on a rental bike — the STNK stays with the vehicle — because nothing guarantees a photo on your phone will be accepted. Checks are described as frequent in Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu and Ubud, and around public holidays: Nyepi, Galungan and Independence Day.
How much does a SIM C cost at the Denpasar Satpas?
The state fees published by Korlantas Polri are Rp 100,000 for a SIM C (motorbike) and Rp 120,000 for a SIM A (car): those are the only official amounts. The real cost, medical exam and psychological test included, is reported at between Rp 215,000 and Rp 280,000 if you handle it yourself, by a local commercial agency in March 2026, which prices the same service at Rp 1,800,000 to Rp 2,600,000 when handed to an intermediary. Neither range is confirmed by any official source.
Does my travel insurance cover a scooter accident in Bali?
Only if three conditions line up: your policy includes the "powered two-wheeler" option, you hold a recognised international permit covering the vehicle's category, and the engine size stays within the policy limits — one French insurer, for instance, excludes any two-wheeler above 125 cc. Riding under the influence of alcohol and riding without a helmet are standard exclusions.
What is the fine for riding without a licence in Bali?
Article 281 of law 22/2009 provides for up to Rp 1,000,000 or four months' detention where no licence is held. Simply forgetting your licence is a legally distinct offence: article 288 paragraph 2 caps the penalty at Rp 250,000 or one month. These are legal maximums, not tariffs applied automatically at every checkpoint.
Sources
Every URL below was opened and reread on 22 July 2026. The nature of each source is stated: on an administrative subject, the difference between a government body and a company selling a service changes what the information is worth.
Official sources
- Korlantas Polri — Panduan SIM — Indonesian national police: categories A / C / C I / C II / D, ages, PNBP fees (PP 76/2020), documents, AVIS test. No procedure for foreigners.
- SIM Internasional — Korlantas — official: Vienna 1968, 92 countries, 3 years, Rp 250,000 / Rp 225,000, 5 to 7 working days, KITAP required for foreigners.
- Law no. 22 of 2009 (Wikisource) — transcription of the statute: Pasal 77 paragraph 1, Pasal 80, Pasal 85 paragraphs 2 and 4. The penalty chapter (Pasal 281, 288, 291) does not appear on this page: the penalties are sourced from the national press below. The government site peraturan.bpk.go.id returns a 403.
- Decree no. 2024-976 (Légifrance) — French official journal: IDP on the Vienna 1968 model, in force 01/01/2025, three years, same categories as the national licence.
- Service-public — international driving permit — checked 3 March 2026: €7.25, ANTS, around 15 days, apply one month before departure, normal residence in France.
- Service-public — associated procedure — checked 10 March 2026: confirms the €7.25 and the ANTS / FranceConnect route.
- France Diplomatie — Indonesia — French foreign ministry, 30 June 2026: national plus international licence; recommendation to avoid two-wheelers.
- Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs — 16 June 2026: "An Indonesian or international driving licence is required."
Press, businesses and community sources
- Detik Oto — Indonesian national press, 3 June 2025: Pasal 281 (Rp 1,000,000 / 4 months) against Pasal 288 paragraph 2 (Rp 250,000 / 1 month).
- Bali Zero — commercial expat services agency, 23 March 2026: Denpasar Satpas, documents, real-world costs and agency pricing. Sells the service it prices.
- Bali Bike House — scooter rental company, 14 March 2026: IDP with the motorbike category, fine ceilings tied to Pasal 281, 288 and 291.
- Knowmads Bali — expat community blog, 2026: KITAS mandatory, checkpoint areas and periods.
- Villa Bali Sale — commercial property site, 16 December 2025: Polresta Denpasar, SIM A and C, "typically valid for five years".
- Bali.com — travel media, undated page: the three documents at a check, Rp 300,000 to 500,000 per missing document.
- Chapka — travel insurer, undated page: refusal of cover without an IDP, 125 cc ceiling, alcohol and helmet exclusions.
- HelloSafe — insurance comparison site, 5 May 2026: "powered two-wheeler" option required for cover.
- Matthew Brealey — Medium blog, individual analysis with no stated credentials, 9 April 2025: Indonesia's ratification of the road traffic conventions.
- Expat.or.id — community site, last updated 26 July 2019: the old regime of the 1- or 3-month tourist SIM. Cited here as a historical reference only.
