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中文Driving in Bali as a Foreigner: When an International Permit Is Enough and When You Need an Indonesian SIM
In short: on Bali a foreigner can drive on a home-country licence plus an international driving permit of the same vehicle category. An Indonesian licence, the SIM, is a different route: under Police Regulation (Perpol) No. 5 Tahun 2021 it is issued to a foreigner only against immigration documents, meaning a KITAP, a service (dinas) visa, or a KITAS for working specialists and students. A tourist visa does not qualify, and no licence bought online is a document.
Three situations, three answers
- Here for two to four weeks. Home licence plus an international driving permit, issued at home before flying, with category A for a motorbike and B for a car.
- Living here on a KITAS or KITAP. You can apply for a local SIM and stop depending on a paper permit. It is the more comfortable setup: a card in your wallet, renewal once every five years.
- Living here on a tourist or social visa, riding a scooter. You stay on the home licence plus permit. The permit can only be renewed in the country that issued it.
What the international permit actually is
The permit is a booklet in the format set by the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Under Perpol No. 5 Tahun 2021 a foreign permit is valid in Indonesia on the basis of the UN road traffic convention or another international agreement. The regulation sets a three-year term for permits issued in Indonesia; a booklet issued in your own country carries whatever term that country gives it, so check the document itself.
Three failures are common:
- A permit without the motorcycle category. A car category does not cover a scooter.
- A "international licence" bought from a website in fifteen minutes. A real permit is issued by an organisation authorised in your country, usually an automobile association, carries your photo and a signature.
- An expired permit. It cannot be extended in Bali, only at home.
When police stop you they usually ask for the home licence, the permit and the vehicle registration (STNK). Rental, helmets and fines are covered separately in the piece on scooter rental in Bali.
Who can get an Indonesian licence
The basis is Perpol No. 5 Tahun 2021 on issuing and marking driving licences, published by Korlantas Polri. For a foreigner the immigration documents are listed explicitly and there are three cases:
- passport plus a permanent residence card (KITAP), for those living in Indonesia permanently;
- passport, diplomatic visa, diplomatic corps card and other identity documents, for embassy staff and their families;
- passport plus a service visa or a temporary residence card (KITAS), for people working as specialists or studying in Indonesia.
Tourist visas, visas on arrival and social visas are not on that list. So if you live on Bali with a KITAS you can apply for a SIM, and if you are here on a short visit your document is the international permit.
Documents to prepare
Besides the immigration documents, the regulation requires:
- an application form, on paper or electronic;
- a copy and the original of the immigration documents (an Indonesian citizen shows a KTP, a foreigner shows the passport with visa and stay card);
- a copy of the certificate from an accredited driving school, issued no earlier than six months before the application;
- a copy of the work permit from the labour ministry, where the foreigner works in Indonesia;
- biometric recording: fingerprints, face and retina recognition;
- proof of payment of the state fee.
The driving school certificate is the requirement people miss. Without it a new licence application is not accepted, and the course takes time and costs money. Driving schools exist on Bali, including in Denpasar and around the tourist areas, and the motorbike course is shorter than the car course.
Exams
The theory test for a foreigner is taken in English: the regulation states the material is given in Indonesian for citizens and in English for foreign nationals. The pass mark is 70. If you fail, you get at most two retakes within 14 working days, and the result appears on screen immediately.
A simulator skills test follows, also with a pass mark of 70, and the skills certificate is valid for six months. Then the practical test on the course and the card is printed, usually the same day if everything is passed.
Minimum ages: 17 for SIM A (car) and SIM C (motorbike), 18 for SIM C I and 19 for SIM C II, per the same regulation and the Korlantas guide.
What it costs
The state fee (PNBP) under Peraturan Pemerintah No. 76 Tahun 2020 is the same nationwide:
- new SIM A: 120,000 rupiah, new SIM C: 100,000 rupiah;
- renewal: SIM A 80,000 rupiah, SIM C 75,000 rupiah.
That is the fee only. The medical and psychological tests are paid separately: the Korlantas Polri guide puts the combined cost at a Satpas office at roughly 75,000 to 100,000 rupiah on average, and private clinics charge more. Add the driving school, whose price depends on the school and the category.
How long it lasts
A SIM is valid for five years and is renewed before it expires. An expired licence is not renewed but issued again from scratch, exams included. An Indonesian international permit runs three years. Renewal of an Indonesian licence goes through the Digital Korlantas POLRI app: the health and psychological tests are taken online, photos and signature are uploaded, and the card is delivered by courier. A first licence cannot be done that way, you attend in person for biometrics and the exams.
Local points worth knowing
- Licences are issued at the police office serving your area (Satpas), not at any office. Confirm the address and opening hours in advance, morning queues are long.
- Wear a collared shirt and closed shoes. Shorts and flip-flops keep you off the test course, that is an explicit recommendation in the Korlantas guide.
- The Korlantas guide is written for citizens and mentions a KTP and an active BPJS Kesehatan policy. For a foreigner the document set comes from the police regulation, so confirm the list at the Satpas before paying the fee, since practice at the counter varies.
- Bali has plenty of agents promising "a licence in one day, no exam". Anything built on falsified documents ends in cancellation and in trouble after any accident, with no valid insurance.
Bottom line
For a short stay, a home licence plus an international permit in the right category is enough. An Indonesian SIM is open to KITAS and KITAP holders: application, driving school certificate, biometrics, theory in English, simulator and test course, a fee of 120,000 or 100,000 rupiah plus tests and school. The five-year term and app-based renewal make the procedure worthwhile for anyone living on the island year round.
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