In short. The Ministry of Tourism writes in its press release of 26 May 2026 that accommodation sold through booking sites must have an NIB number with a KBLI code; the house must have a building permit PBG and a fitness certificate SLF. NIB is checked on oss.go.id in the "Pencarian NIB" block. Since August 2025 immigration and the Badung authorities have been watching foreigners in illegal accommodation, and in May 2026 the ministry identified about 1,600 properties without permits on platforms and promised to remove the listings. The owner must pass data on foreign guests to immigration (article 72 of the immigration law). Before paying, ask who the owner is and who is renting out, ask for a copy of the ID and written permission, the NIB number, copies of PBG and SLF, and compare the house with the photos; a deposit only after a viewing and a contract.
What the authorities require. The Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) writes in its press release of 26 May 2026 that accommodation sold through booking sites must have a permit to run a business. Platforms will ask owners for three kinds of data: NIB (Nomor Induk Berusaha, the business registration number), KBLI (the activity type code) and NKU (the activity type number). They will be checked against the OSS system, and the ministry plans to launch automatic checking in June 2027. In the form for owners on the ministry portal the code is chosen from a list: hotel, guesthouse, hostel, villa and other types of accommodation. The sources speak about accommodation for tourists. How these rules apply to renting a private house for several months is not stated there, so check the house documents for any term.
How to check an NIB. Ask the owner for the NIB number and a copy of the document with the KBLI code. On the OSS home page at the bottom there is a "Pencarian NIB" block (NIB search) captioned "Cek keabsahan NIB yang Anda miliki", that is, "check the validity of your NIB", with a field for the number. As of 11 October 2026 the block is on the page. What it shows for someone else's number we could not check. If the search returned nothing, ask the owner for a PDF with the document and ask more questions.
Building permits. Besides the NIB, the house must have a PBG (Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung, building permit) and an SLF (Sertifikat Laik Fungsi, building fitness certificate). On 28 October 2025 Satpol PP (the municipal order service) of Badung regency, according to Detik, sealed a villa in Canggu: the building had no land document, no PBG and no SLF, and by the land agency's measurements it stood on a riverbed. This was the second warning: if the owner does not demolish the building himself, the case is passed to the legal team and Satpol PP asks the head of the regency for permission to demolish. We found no publicly available PBG search for guests, so ask the owner for copies.
What the authorities did about illegal villas. A timeline by date:
- On 14 August 2025 Bali governor Wayan Koster, as reported by Tirto, said that foreigners rent out thousands of villas and houses to tourists from their own countries, so the province loses taxes, and announced five joint teams for inspections.
- On 30 July 2025 Ngurah Rai immigration, according to Antara, began together with the Badung authorities to monitor foreigners in accommodation without permits.
- On 12 February 2026 Koster at a meeting with Airbnb asked it to remove illegal accommodation and named a deadline: by the end of March everything must have permits and taxes.
- The deadline was moved. By an Antara report of 27 May 2026, the ministry identified about 1,600 properties without permits and promised to remove them from platforms from 1 August 2026. Kontan on 9 August passed on the ministry's data as of 1 August: the removal list had about 1,367 listings, 397 received permits, and for 515 work continued. The figures in the publication do not fully add up, so take them as an order of magnitude.
- On 30 May 2026 deputy minister Ni Luh Puspa, as reported by Antara, said that the ministry wants to keep listings on platforms and require every owner to have legal status. Properties that get permits will reappear on the platforms.
Antara in its report of 27 May 2026 adds that those who have already booked accommodation should check the permits, and the cancellation rules depend on the platform's terms.
Tax on hotel services. The local tax PBJT (formerly called the hotel tax, or PB1) under the law on inter-governmental finance, UU 1/2022, art. 58, in the text on pasal.id, may not exceed 10%. By the explanation of the Jakarta tax office it covers villas, guesthouses and other types of accommodation, the guest pays the tax and the owner collects it. We did not find the exact rate for Bali in an official document and do not state it: each regency approves its own specific rate.
Foreigner registration. The owner or manager of accommodation must give immigration data on foreign guests, this is article 72 of the immigration law, and they do it through the APOA application (Aplikasi Pengawasan Orang Asing). At check-in the owner enters the passport data, and at departure marks the departure. For a violation the law provides detention of up to three months or a fine of up to 25 million rupiah. So the owner of legal accommodation will ask for your passport: this is a normal request. On 19 to 21 May 2025 in Bali 62 properties (villas, guesthouses, kos, apartments) and 312 foreigners were checked, Antara reported: 23 turned out to have violations, and seven had passports seized for checking, including for not reporting a change of address.
Prepayment fraud. A typical scheme: beautiful photos, urgency and a request to transfer a deposit before a viewing. If the money has already gone, tell your bank and file a complaint with the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre at OJK: the site has a "Lapor Sekarang" button, the contact list has the OJK call centre 157, and in the form you can enter a passport. The centre asks you at the same time to file a report with the police. The police need clear evidence: on 9 January 2025 Polda Bali, as reported by Viva, said that reports of possible crimes are accepted by the duty desk of Ditressiber, and in one case the complainant was advised to add evidence. The police number 110 and other numbers are in the guide to emergency numbers.
Checklist before paying. This is our practical advice:
- Ask who owns the house and who is renting it out: the owner, a manager or an intermediary. Ask for a copy of the passport or ID of the person you sign with, and written permission from the owner if an intermediary is renting out.
- Ask for the NIB number, copies of PBG and SLF and look at the house itself: does it match the photos.
- Sign a contract before paying. It should contain the address, the term, what is included in the price (electricity, water, internet, cleaning), the size of the deposit, the conditions of its return and the period in which the owner will return the money after you leave.
- Pay to an account whose name matches the name of the owner or company in the contract. Ask for a receipt with the date, amount and purpose, and keep the correspondence.
- Photograph the PLN token meter at check-in, as described in the guide on the token, and take a second photo at departure.
- Check the water: pressure, hot water, tank or well, cleanliness. Photograph everything that is broken before moving in.
- Write the deposit and the return conditions into the contract. Correspondence alone is not enough.
More about areas, internet and mistakes is in the guide to monthly rental.
What this means for you. Before paying, ask the owner for the NIB, copies of PBG and SLF, confirmation that they are the owner or the owner's representative, and sign a contract. Transfer money to an account whose name matches the contract, and do not hand over a deposit for accommodation you have not seen on foot or on a video call with a person inside. Accommodation without permits can be removed from the platform, and a refund then depends on the platform's terms and the contract. If you have already transferred money, act in the first hours: the bank, OJK 157 and a police report.