How do you get an Indonesian driving licence?

Driving legally in Bali matters more than most visitors assume, and the reason is insurance rather than the fine.

What you need

As a visitor: your home country licence plus a valid international driving permit with the correct vehicle category endorsed. A car endorsement does not cover a motorcycle, and this catches a very large number of people.

The international permit must be obtained in your home country before you travel. You cannot get one in Indonesia.

As a resident with a KITAS or KITAP: an Indonesian SIM — *Surat Izin Mengemudi*. SIM A for cars, SIM C for motorcycles.

A SIM is obtained through the local police, generally requiring your passport, stay permit, proof of address such as the SKTT, a medical check, and theory and practical tests. It has a defined validity and must be renewed.

Why this matters far more than the fine

Your travel insurance almost certainly excludes accidents where you were not legally licensed for the vehicle.

That is the whole point of this page.

Bali's road fatality and injury rate is high, and foreign visitors are disproportionately represented. Scooter accidents involving tourists are routine, and the injuries are frequently serious.

A foreigner riding a scooter without a motorcycle endorsement who has a serious accident may find their policy declines the claim. Medical treatment in Bali, and then a medical evacuation to Singapore or Australia, costs tens of thousands of dollars and sometimes considerably more.

That is the exposure. Not a police fine.

Read your policy's motorcycle exclusions before you ride. Many policies exclude motorcycles entirely, or exclude engine sizes above a threshold, or require a licence valid in the country where you are riding. Assuming you are covered is the expensive version.

The practical reality

Scooters are the dominant form of transport in Bali and they are genuinely the fastest way to move around a congested island.

They are also dangerous. Traffic is heavy and unpredictable, road surfaces are variable, other riders behave unpredictably, and the combination of unfamiliar conditions and a vehicle many visitors have never ridden before produces exactly the outcome you would expect.

If you are going to ride: get the licence, wear a proper helmet rather than the token one supplied with the rental, do not ride at night on unlit roads, and do not ride after drinking.

Police checks

Checks happen, and foreigners riding without a valid licence or helmet are a common target. The consequence is generally a fine, which is the least of your problems.

Keep your documents with you. A copy of your passport and permit rather than the originals is sensible for everyday carry, with the originals kept safely.

Cars and drivers

A car with a driver is inexpensive by Western standards, comfortable, and removes the whole question. For families, airport transfers and anyone not confident on a scooter, it is the sensible choice and it costs far less than people expect.

You will be in the same traffic as everyone else, which is worth remembering when estimating journey times.

For a property owner

If you provide a scooter or a car to guests, understand your position. Guests who ride without a valid licence and have an accident create a situation you do not want to be part of, and your insurance position on a vehicle you supplied is worth checking.

Most villa operators avoid supplying vehicles for this reason and instead recommend a local rental operator, which keeps the arrangement between the guest and the operator.

If you employ a driver, the usual employment obligations apply — BPJS, THR, the full labour framework — and the termination provisions that foreign employers consistently underestimate.