In short. Presidential decree No. 74/2013 divides alcohol into classes A (up to 5% alcohol), B (from 5 to 20%) and C (from 20 to 55%) and declares it a supervised product. It may be sold in hotels, bars and restaurants with a tourism licence, in duty-free shops and in places designated by the head of the regency. Class A, meaning beer and cider, may also be sold packaged in retail. Under Ministry of Trade regulation No. 20/2014 the buyer must be at least 21, and the seller may ask for ID. Since 2015 minimarkets do not sell alcohol: beer is bought in supermarkets and hypermarkets, wine and spirits in licensed shops. You may bring up to 1 litre per adult without excise, in a container of not less than 180 ml; customs destroys the excess on the spot. Cheap cocktails and arak without an excise stamp carry a methanol risk.
What the law says. The basis is presidential decree No. 74/2013. Article 1 defines an alcoholic drink as anything that contains ethanol and is made by fermentation or distillation. Article 3 divides drinks into three classes by strength and declares them a supervised product (barang dalam pengawasan). Article 7 lists where classes A, B and C may be sold: hotels, bars and restaurants that meet tourism law requirements, duty-free shops and separate places designated by the head of a regency or city. Such places may not stand near temples, schools and hospitals. Class A may also be sold packaged in retail shops, and the head of a regency may restrict trade with local culture in mind. Alcohol on the shelf must be kept apart from other goods. Article 8 puts traditional drinks for ceremonies under the control of regency heads.
Where it is sold and where it is not. The details are set by Minister of Trade regulation No. 20/M-DAG/PER/4/2014. Article 14: drinks for consumption on the premises are sold only by hotels, restaurants and bars under tourism law and by places designated by the head of the regency. Takeaway retail is allowed only in duty free and the same designated places, and class A, after regulation No. 06/M-DAG/PER/1/2015, also in supermarkets and hypermarkets. The same 2015 regulation declared the beer permits of minimarkets and small shops invalid and gave them three months to take beer off the shelves, which is why there is no beer in Indomaret and Alfamart. Article 28 forbids selling alcohol near youth centres, street stalls, bus and train stations, small kiosks, youth hostels and campsites, and near places of worship, schools and hospitals. Article 16 requires a shop to keep alcohol on a separate shelf, sell it only through a salesperson and not let anyone drink it at the place of purchase. Article 30 forbids any advertising of alcohol in the media. A shop needs a licence: SIUP-MB for classes B and C or SKP-A for class A (article 18).
Minimum age. Article 15 of regulation No. 20/2014: any sale, in a bar or a shop, only to a buyer who is 21 or older, on presentation of ID. The integrity pledge that the seller signs says they check the document of every buyer and do not serve people who are clearly drunk already. You do not have to carry your passport: a copy or a photo on your phone is enough, but the seller has the right to ask for ID, and arguing is pointless. Younger travellers should know this rule in advance.
How much you can bring in. Customs allowances for passengers are set by Minister of Finance regulation No. 203/PMK.04/2017 as amended by regulation No. 34/2025, in force since 6 June 2025. Personal goods up to 500 dollars per person per arrival pass without duty. Above that, duty of 10% and VAT are charged, and income tax is not withheld. All of this is declared in the All Indonesia arrival card; details are in the guide to customs. The excise-free allowances have lived since June 2025 in Ministry of Finance regulation No. 82/2024, article 36: up to 1 litre of drinks containing ethanol per adult, and for tobacco up to 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco, for e-cigarettes up to 140 sticks or 40 capsules, liquid for open systems up to 30 ml and for closed systems up to 12 ml. Everything above the allowance is destroyed by a customs officer immediately, with you present or not, and you cannot pay extra for the extra bottle (regulation No. 34/2025, article 18). The trade rule on import in Ministry of Trade regulation No. 20/2014, article 27 as worded in 2018, adds a condition: alcohol from abroad is brought only as personal luggage for yourself, not more than 1000 ml per person and in a container of not less than 180 ml, so a set of 50 ml miniatures does not fit the allowance.
Why it is expensive. Imported alcohol pays duty and excise, so a bottle of wine or whisky in a shop in Bali costs noticeably more than at home. A legal bottle has an excise stamp (pita cukai), and its presence is what the inspectors check. Local beer and wine made in Indonesia are cheaper than imported, and in a supermarket this is usually the simplest purchase.
Arak, tuak and brem. Traditional Balinese drinks are regulated by governor regulation No. 1/2020 on fermented and distilled drinks typical of Bali. We could not find its official text on the province's legal database, so what follows is a summary of the presentation by the Buleleng regency administration. The regulation was signed on 29 January 2020. It protects tuak (palm wine), brem (rice wine), arak (a distillate) and artisanal products based on them. Bought-in spirit may not be used in their production. Brem and arak for religious ceremonies come with a red label "for religious ceremonies only" in containers of no more than a litre, and for a ceremony a family can buy up to five litres with a note from the head of the community. Such drinks are sold only in designated places, not by street vendors, not in hostels and campsites, not near temples, schools, government offices and hospitals and not to minors. Legal arak today is sold in bottles with an excise stamp under the producer's name. Arak from a jerrycan by the road or "homemade" at a bargain price is exactly the risk zone described in the next paragraph.
Methanol. Deadly poisonings in Bali and Lombok happen from homemade or diluted alcohol that contains methanol. It cannot be told apart by taste or smell, and the first symptoms come hours later. The rule is simple: do not drink arak without a stamp or of unknown origin, do not take cocktails priced like water, and do not accept "free" drinks from strangers. How to recognise poisoning and what to do in the first hours is in the guide on methanol.
Our advice. Buy in supermarkets, wine shops and bars with a licence, look for the excise stamp, and confirm your age with a photo of your passport. If you bring alcohol with you: one bottle up to a litre per adult, in a container of 180 ml or more, and an honest entry in the arrival card. On the Day of Silence, Nyepi, bars and shops are closed, so stock up the day before. After drinking, do not get on a scooter: this is the most common scenario of accidents among visitors, which we describe in the guide to scooter accidents.
What this means for you. Alcohol in Bali is legal but runs by rules: age 21 and ID at the till, purchases in licensed places, one litre excise-free on entry. Skip anything cheaper than the market and without a stamp, try arak only if it is factory-made with an excise stamp, and plan your supplies for Nyepi in advance.