Can Tourists Drive a Car Themselves in Bali?

Yes, as long as you carry your valid home driving licence plus an International Driving Permit (IDP), or simply your national licence if it was issued by an ASEAN country that signed the 1985 agreement. The legal basis is Article 3(13) of National Police Regulation No. 5 of 2021: international driving permits issued by other countries are valid in Indonesia under the UN Convention on Road Traffic or other international agreements. The rules below were checked in September 2026 against Police Regulation 5/2021, Traffic Law 22/2009, Bali Police and reporting by Kompas and detikBali.

1. Make sure your licence is valid in Indonesia

• Get the IDP at home before you fly. It cannot be issued in Bali. Carry the original with your national licence; an IDP without the original licence is not valid, and neither are photocopies.
• Check the vehicle class on your IDP. For a passenger car, category B must be listed.
• ASEAN licence holders: the Kuala Lumpur agreement of 9 July 1985 was signed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Domestic licence holders from those countries may drive during a temporary stay, except with provisional or learner licences. Citizens of other ASEAN countries should still carry an IDP.
• Indonesia's "SIM Internasional" is not for tourists. It is issued to Indonesian licence holders who drive abroad.
• 1949 or 1968 IDP format: Regulation 5/2021 refers only to the UN Convention without distinguishing formats. Some Bali visa agents report that officers now check the format more closely, so carry an IDP whose validity covers your whole trip.

2. Know the penalties for driving without a valid licence

Under Law 22/2009, driving without a licence (Article 281) carries up to 4 months' detention or a fine of up to Rp1 million, while failing to show a licence you do hold (Article 288(2)) carries up to Rp250,000. The fine list published for Operation Zebra Agung 2025 in Bali (Kompas, November 2025) also included:

• Using a phone while driving: up to Rp750,000.
• Driving against traffic or speeding: up to Rp500,000.
• Not wearing a seatbelt: up to Rp250,000.

That operation ran from 17 to 30 November 2025 with 1,067 officers across Bali. Beyond roadside checks, electronic ticketing cameras (ETLE) cover major junctions in Denpasar and Badung, such as Jl. Teuku Umar-Jl. Imam Bonjol and several junctions on Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai. ETLE tickets go to the registered owner, meaning the rental company, which then bills the renter. How to pay fines is covered in our article on traffic tickets in Bali.

3. Self-drive car rental: read the contract

• Documents: reputable rental firms ask for your passport, national licence and IDP. A company that does not ask for an IDP does not make it legal to drive without one; roadside liability stays with the driver.
• The STNK (vehicle registration) must be in the car. Without it, police can fine you and hold the vehicle.
• Insurance: ask whether the car has comprehensive (all risk) cover or total-loss only, and what the excess (own risk) is per incident. Get the answer written into the contract.
• Your travel insurance: many policies refuse claims if the driver did not hold a licence valid in the destination country. Read the exclusions before you travel.
• Photograph and film the car from all four sides at handover, including tyres and the fuel gauge.
• Ask about ETLE camera fines: how long after return the company can still charge you for one.

4. Know Bali's road conditions

• Traffic drives on the left, with the steering wheel on the right. Scooters overtake on both sides, so check your mirrors at every turn.
• Roads in Canggu, Uluwatu and central Ubud are narrow with limited parking. Large cars struggle to pass each other in Canggu's lanes.
• Traffic schemes change quickly. Badung transport authorities introduced a loop system at six junctions on the Pecatu-Uluwatu route from 1 June 2026, and Ubud's phase III one-way scheme caused jams of more than four hours on 8 September 2026 (detikBali). Follow the signs on the ground, not just your navigation app.
• Temple ceremonies can close village roads for a while. Follow the instructions of the pecalang (customary village guards).
• On Nyepi, every road in Bali closes for 24 hours and tourist vehicles may not go out.
• Mountain roads to Kintamani, Bedugul and Munduk are steep and often foggy in the afternoon. Use a low gear on long descents.

5. When is a driver the better choice?

If you have no IDP, have never driven on the left, or your route runs through Canggu and Uluwatu at rush hour, a car with a driver usually makes more sense and is not much more expensive. Rates are compared in our article on car-with-driver prices in Bali. Scooters need a class A licence and have their own helmet rules, covered in our Bali scooter rental rules article.

Save the emergency numbers before you drive: 110 for police and 112 for general emergencies. After an accident, do not move the vehicles before police record their positions unless they create a hazard, and contact the rental company and your insurer straight away.