Can You Take a Lighter on a Plane from Bali?

Yes, under strict conditions: one small lighter or one gas lighter carried on your body, for example in your trouser pocket, not inside your cabin bag and not in your checked suitcase. Lighter fuel and gas refill canisters may not be carried at all. This applies to domestic and international flights from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.

What is the legal basis in Indonesia?

The Ministry of Transportation refers to Minister of Transportation Regulation No. PM 80 of 2017 on the National Aviation Security Programme, Appendix II C. As quoted by Hukumonline (March 2018) from the ministry's explanation, it says roughly this:

• One small match lighter or one gas lighter carried on the passenger's person, without unabsorbed liquid fuel, may be taken into the cabin.
• Matches and gas lighters are not allowed when packed in cabin baggage or checked baggage.
• Lighter fuel and gas lighter refills may not be carried in the cabin under any circumstances.

When we checked in October 2026 we found no public revision changing this point. We do not quote exact article or item numbers, because we could only verify the rule through that ministry statement, not the full text of the appendix.

What about international IATA rules?

The line is the same. IATA and ICAO dangerous goods guidance allows one small lighter per passenger for personal use, carried on the person, not in baggage. Australia's aviation regulator (CASA) also states a limit of one lighter per passenger, on your person only. So Indonesia's rule is no looser than the global standard, and in practice it feels stricter because screening is thorough.

Zippo, gas, torch and electric lighters: which are allowed?

• Disposable gas lighters (the kind sold in convenience stores): one is fine, in your pocket.
• Zippo and similar petrol lighters: one on your person if the fuel is absorbed in the wadding. Bottled Zippo fluid is not allowed.
• Torch, jet or blue-flame lighters (often used for cigars): best left at home. An ICAO dangerous goods panel paper notes that IATA added a prohibition for this type, and many airlines refuse them.
• Electric or plasma lighters (battery powered): rules vary by airline because of the lithium battery. Singapore Airlines, for example, bans battery-powered lighters in both cabin and checked baggage. Ask your airline before flying.
• Matches: one small box on your person. Strike-anywhere matches are prohibited.

Why are there so many stories of lighters confiscated at Indonesian airports?

Because most lighters are found in the wrong place. Research on security screening at Indonesian airports, such as a 2024 STTKD study at a security checkpoint, lists lighters among the prohibited items found most often, and notes many passengers do not know lighters are not allowed inside bags. A lighter tucked into a cabin bag or suitcase will be taken by aviation security staff.

We found no official statement that Ngurah Rai bans all lighters, and no verifiable news report of lighter confiscations there either. But aviation security officers can hold any item they judge dangerous, and a lighter outside the rules will not be returned. Treat your lighter as something you might lose, especially if it has sentimental value.

What if your destination or transit is in another country?

The rules of your next departure airport apply. Some airlines and countries are stricter than IATA. Singapore's Changi Airport only allows lighters carried on the person. China is known to ban lighters on flights departing its airports, so if you transit there, a lighter from Bali will almost certainly have to stay behind. Check your airline and transit airport websites a few days before you fly.

Are cigarettes, vapes and power banks checked too?

Ordinary cigarettes are fine in the cabin (smoking on board is still banned). Vapes and power banks have their own, more detailed battery rules, covered in our articles on vapes on flights from Bali and power bank rules from Bali.

The safest approach

• Move one lighter into your pocket before you queue for screening. Leave the rest behind, including souvenir lighters.
• If your lighter is expensive or sentimental, send it by a cargo or courier service that accepts it, or leave it at home.
• Never light it on board or in no-smoking areas of the airport.

One practical note: cheap gas lighters are sold in almost every convenience store in Bali for a few thousand rupiah, so buying a new one after landing is usually far easier than trying to keep an old one through airport screening.