In short. Governor's Circular No. 7 of 2025 requires a tourist rider to have a licence of the right category (an international driving permit together with the national licence), a helmet and a bike from a registered rental shop. Do not leave your passport with the shop: under Article 71 of the immigration law you show it to the authorities on request, the shop takes a copy and the deposit is money. Before paying: the STNK in the bike and a matching plate number, a walk-around video with every scratch, the mileage and the fuel level sent to the shop's chat, a check of brakes, lights, indicators, tyres and steering, two helmets with an SNI mark, and the shop's contacts and address. The contract should state the term, price, deposit and return conditions, oil changes for a long rental, and what happens if the bike breaks down through no fault of yours. The shop's "insurance" usually covers the bike, not your treatment. If the bike is stolen or you have an accident: call the shop, then report to the nearest Polsek, because without a police report insurance does not pay. Return the bike with the same fuel level and film it again with a staff member present.
What the law requires of you. Circular No. 7 of 24 March 2025 of the Governor of Bali lists the duties of a foreign tourist at the wheel: a valid driving licence, international or national Indonesian, a helmet, obeying signs and rules, no more passengers than allowed, sober and decently dressed. For violations the circular promises sanctions under Indonesian law, and the fines themselves are set in Law No. 22 of 2009: without a licence of the right category up to Rp 1,000,000, without STNK registration up to Rp 500,000, without a helmet up to Rp 250,000. Details are in the guide on being stopped by police. Which licence a tourist needs, and which one a KITAS holder needs, is in the driving licence guide: without a licence for the bike category you pay the fine and have no insurance in an accident.
What the police require from rental shops. In February 2023 the Gianyar and Tabanan police gathered rental shop owners and announced rules, per Detik. The shop takes a copy of the foreigner's passport and licence and checks that the licence is valid. It issues an SNI-standard helmet. The bike must be in factory condition with a full set of documents. A written contract is signed with the client, in which the renter is responsible for rule violations and damage. The head of the Gianyar traffic police said the aim was "not money at the expense of safety". This is a handy yardstick: a normal shop works with copies and a contract, and a shop that asks for your original passport and has no paperwork breaks what the police told it.
Your passport stays with you. Article 71 of Immigration Law No. 6 of 2011 obliges every foreigner in Indonesia to show and hand over their passport or residence permit at the request of an immigration officer during a check. A passport in the shop's drawer makes that impossible, and "it is with the owner" will satisfy nobody. There is a practical side too: while the shop holds your passport, any dispute over a scratch is settled against you. The deposit is a copy of the passport, cash or a card, and the amount and the return conditions are written in the contract. Another scheme, described by riders from their own experience: the bike is "stolen" with a second key and then compensation is demanded. A contract with the shop's details, a photo of the STNK and your own copy of the key will not fully protect you, but a shop with an address, a sign and reviews rarely appears in such stories.
What to check at pickup. Inspect the contract and the bike before you pay.
- Documents: the STNK, the registration card, is in the bike, and the number on the plate matches it. The police ask for the STNK at any stop, and without it the bike can be taken to an impound lot.
- Video: walk around the bike with your phone and film each scratch, chipped plastic, the mirrors, both wheels, the odometer and the fuel level in close-up. The video carries its own date. Send it to the shop's chat straight away so both sides have it.
- Mechanics: front and rear brakes, headlight and brake light, indicators, horn, tyre tread, play in the steering, phone charging if there is any. Ride a hundred metres along the street before you sign.
- Helmet: two if you will carry a passenger, an intact strap, dry inside. A helmet with an SNI sticker is a police requirement, and the insurer checks it after an accident too.
- Contacts: the shop's phone in WhatsApp or Telegram, the address and the name of the person who handed over the bike. Delivery of the bike to your villa is convenient, but then you do not see the shop's address, so ask for it separately.
Contract and deposit. The contract should state the term and price, the deposit and the condition for returning it, who pays for oil and servicing in a long rental, what happens if the bike breaks down through no fault of yours, whether there is a replacement bike, and a price list for damage if the shop keeps one. Camera fines go to the owner of the bike, that is the shop, and it will pass them on to you, so keep the chat with the shop and all receipts until the deposit is returned. Cameras are also covered in the guide on being stopped by police. A rental for a month or longer is usually cheaper per day, and with it you should agree on an oil change and that the bike is taken for servicing not at your cost.
Insurance. In a rental shop the word "insurance" most often means insurance of the bike itself against theft and damage, sometimes with a deductible paid by you. It does not cover your treatment: treatment after a fall is paid by your medical or travel insurance, and almost every insurer has a condition: a licence of the right category and a helmet at the time of the accident, otherwise there is no payout. Read that condition in your policy before you rent. If you have no licence for the bike category, the insurer's answer is known in advance.
If the bike is stolen or you have an accident. First call the shop, then report to the nearest police station, Polsek: without a report the shop will not get its insurance, and you will not be able to prove the bike is not with you. Take photos of the scene, the plate and the damage before moving anything. Do not hand over your passport under pressure to anyone, neither the shop nor the other party in an accident. Emergency numbers and what to tell the operator are in the guide on emergency numbers.
Return. Return the bike with the same fuel level as written in the contract and film the same walk-around at drop-off in the presence of a shop employee. Ask them to write in the chat that the bike was accepted without claims and the deposit was returned. If the shop finds a scratch, show the pickup video: with it the dispute usually ends on the spot, and without it turns into haggling.
What this means for you. A licence for the bike category and an SNI helmet cover you with the police and the insurer. A passport copy instead of the original, a written contract with a deposit and a walk-around video at pickup cover you against disputes with the shop. All together it takes ten minutes before you pay and saves the deposit amount at return.