Can You Eat or Buy Turtle Products in Bali?

No. All six sea turtle species found in Indonesia, including the green turtle and the hawksbill, are protected under Environment and Forestry Ministry Regulation P.106/2018. Law 32/2024, which amended Law 5/1990 on the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, bans storing, possessing, transporting or trading turtles alive or dead, their eggs, and goods made from their body parts. So turtle satay or lawar, turtle eggs and tortoiseshell bracelets or combs cannot legally be sold, and you have no reason to buy them. Rules checked October 2026.

The legal basis and penalties

• Article 21(2) of Law 32/2024 prohibits, among other things: hunting, catching, storing, possessing, transporting and trading protected animals alive (point a) or dead (point b); storing, possessing, transporting and trading goods made from their body parts (point c); taking, storing, possessing or trading their eggs and nests (point d); and moving them from place to place within or out of Indonesia (point e).
• Article 40A(1): up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to category VII (Rp5 billion, about US$300,000). Since Law 1/2026 on Criminal Penalty Adjustment took effect on 2 January 2026, minimum sentences have been removed, leaving only the maximums.
• Article 40A(2) (taking them out of the country): up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to category VI (Rp2 billion).
• CITES Appendix I lists all sea turtle species, so commercial international trade is banned. Your home country's customs will seize turtle products too.

If I only eat it at a warung, am I breaking the law?

The law does not use the word "eat". What it bans is storing, possessing, transporting and trading. The biggest legal risk sits with suppliers, holders and sellers. But buying meat or eggs to take away means you are storing and possessing parts of a protected animal, and buyer demand is what keeps the smuggling chain running. The latest example: on 10 June 2026, the Bali Police water and air unit seized 21 live green turtles on the coast of Pegametan Beach, Sumberkima village, Buleleng. A 67-year-old man was detained as the holder, while a supplier from the waters off Madura and a buyer were put on the wanted list. The turtles were cared for at TCEC Serangan and released on 7 July 2026 (ANTARA). In an earlier case in Benoa in 2023, police found processed turtle meat being sold at Rp300,000 a portion.

Aren't turtles used in Balinese ceremonies?

Yes, some major Balinese ceremonies have traditionally used turtles as offerings. That use is only lawful through a permit route: a request from the customary village, a recommendation from Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI), then approval and a quota from the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA). PHDI itself has asked the community to consider substitute offerings. The exception covers recorded ceremonies, not warungs, restaurants or souvenirs. Anyone offering "leftover ceremony turtle meat" is still trading a protected animal.

Can I touch or take photos with turtles?

At some sanctuaries, especially in Tanjung Benoa, visitors are often invited to lift a turtle for a photo. Media have reported "do not touch" signs bearing the BKSDA Bali logo at the same places, while staff still encouraged handling. Lifting a turtle stresses it and can pass bacteria from human hands. Better choices:

• Look without touching, skip the flash, and don't feed them.
• Choose centres that work with BKSDA and focus on rehabilitation and education, such as TCEC in Serangan.
• When snorkelling at Amed, Nusa Penida or Pemuteran, give turtles space and never chase them or hold their shells.
• If you make paid content, Article 21(2)(f) also bans displaying protected animals in media for commercial purposes without a permit.

How to choose wildlife experiences that are not exploitative is covered in our ethical wildlife guide for Bali. If you want to release hatchlings, join an official programme such as the Bali Sea Turtle Society hatchling release on Kuta Beach, which runs during nesting season.

Tortoiseshell souvenirs

Real tortoiseshell bracelets, rings, combs, spectacle frames and ornaments are made from hawksbill shell. They sometimes turn up at art markets under other names. If the pattern is mottled brown and amber and the price is high for plastic, ask what it is made of and pick items clearly made from resin or buffalo horn. Taking tortoiseshell out of Indonesia falls under Article 21(2)(e). Other sea items such as coral and shells have their own rules; see whether you can take coral, shells or sand home from Bali.

Quick FAQ

• Turtle eggs are sold at the market. Is that legal? No. Eggs fall under Article 21(2)(d).
• Are all tortoises and terrapins protected too? Not all. Each species' status is listed in the annex to Regulation P.106/2018; every sea turtle species is protected.
• Where do I report turtle sales? To BKSDA Bali or the local police. Note the place and time, and don't buy anything as "evidence".

If a warung menu lists "penyu" or "lawar penyu", just walk on and order the pork or chicken lawar that is sold everywhere in Bali.