In short. Everyone who rides a bike or drives a car in Bali needs a licence. Article 77 of Law No. 22 of 2009 requires a licence of the right category, and Article 281 sets a fine of up to Rp 1,000,000 for driving without one. A tourist uses an international driving permit together with the home licence: Article 3 of Police Regulation No. 5 of 2021 recognises IDPs issued under the UN road traffic conventions. For a bike you need category A or A1, for a car category B. Local SIM licences are issued only to foreigners with KITAS or KITAP, at Satpas in Denpasar, after a health certificate, a psychological test and exams. The fee is Rp 100,000 for SIM C and Rp 120,000 for SIM A. You cannot buy a licence: only the police issue it, and a fake one is a criminal matter. Without a licence of the right category, insurance does not pay for a bike accident.
What licences exist. Indonesian licences are called SIM, Surat Izin Mengemudi. In daily life you need two categories: SIM A for a car up to 3.5 tonnes and SIM C for a motorcycle. SIM C is split by engine size: C up to 250 cc, C I from 250 to 500, C II above 500. A scooter of 125–160 cc needs the ordinary SIM C. Minimum age: 17 for A and C, 18 for C I, 19 for C II. A licence is valid for five years from issue and must be renewed before it expires.
Which foreigners can get one. Article 9 of the regulation lists the documents by status: passport and KITAP for permanent residents; passport and KITAS for specialists who work and for students; passport and diplomatic documents for embassy staff. Visa on arrival, the C1 tourist visa and the D12 multiple-entry visa are not on the list, so a local licence is not issued on them. Age and exams are the same for foreigners as for citizens. If your KITAS is of another type, for example E33G for remote workers, an investor KITAS or a family KITAS, ask Satpas whether they accept it before you collect the papers.
What to bring.
- Passport and KITAS or KITAP, originals and copies.
- A health certificate, surat keterangan sehat, from a clinic or health point, and the result of a psychological test. Both are done before applying, and the police have partner offices near Satpas.
- The receipt for the fee. Under Regulation No. 76 of 2020, a new licence costs Rp 120,000 for SIM A and Rp 100,000 for SIM C, renewal Rp 80,000 and Rp 75,000. The health certificate, psychological test and insurance are paid separately.
- The photo is taken on site, together with fingerprints and a signature.
How it works. Online booking in the Digital Korlantas app uses the NIK, the number of an Indonesian ID, so foreigners apply in person. The main issuing point in Bali is Satpas Polresta Denpasar, Jalan Gunung Sanghyang 110, Padangsambian area in west Denpasar. Come in the morning on a weekday. The order is: registration and document check, health certificate and psychological test, theory test on a computer, practical test on a track, photo and fingerprints, then the card after you pass. The theory test is in Indonesian: look at road signs and markings in advance, as the questions are about them.
How a tourist can get a Bali licence. They cannot. Under Article 9 of the regulation, local licences are issued only to holders of KITAS and KITAP, and visa on arrival and C1 are not on the list. Ads for "a licence in one day without an exam" are document forgery, which is a criminal offence in Indonesia, and insurance will not accept such a card either. A tourist has one working route: get an international driving permit at home before the flight and carry it together with the home licence.
For tourists: the international permit. Article 3 of the regulation recognises international driving permits issued abroad under the UN road traffic conventions. Indonesia signed the 1968 Vienna Convention in 1968 but, according to the UN treaty register, never ratified it, so for a tourist the basis is the police regulation. Carry both documents: under Annex 7 to the convention, an IDP is valid only together with the national licence and for no more than three years from issue. The regulation does not mention a national licence without an IDP. Categories in the IDP repeat the national ones: for a bike you need category A or A1 open, for a car B, and insurers and the police look at the category.
Which licence a scooter needs. Rental scooters in Bali are 110–160 cc: Honda Scoopy and Vario, Yamaha NMAX. The IDP does not change categories, because it repeats those of the national licence. Check which engine sizes your motorcycle category covers before you rent. If your licence only has B, a bike in Bali is closed to you by law: the police and insurers do not count category B as a motorcycle licence. Which bike to choose and what to check at a rental shop is covered in the guide on renting a scooter.
If you have no licence. Under Article 281 of Traffic Law No. 22 of 2009, driving without a licence of the right category carries a fine of up to Rp 1,000,000. Under Article 288, if you have a licence but cannot show it, the fine is up to Rp 250,000. Law No. 1 of 2026, in force since 2 January 2026, abolished arrest for both offences. What to do if the police stop you is covered in the guide on being stopped by police.
Insurance. Dr Maxim Knitter, who deals with insurance cases in Bali, warns that insurance pays for a bike accident only if you hold a valid bike licence and wore a helmet. Without a category A licence or without a helmet, treatment is at your own expense, and bills for operations in private hospitals in Bali run to tens of millions of rupiah.
What this means for you. Living on KITAS: get a local SIM C in one visit to Denpasar. It is a fee of Rp 100,000 plus certificates, but there will be no questions at a check or from your insurer. Arrived as a tourist: get an IDP at home, check that your licence covers the category of your scooter, carry it together with the home licence and wear a helmet. A motorcycle without a licence in Bali is fine until the first accident or the first police post.