Can You Fly Home from Bali with a Keris or Souvenir Knife?

Yes, but not in the cabin. Keris, knives, machetes and their replicas are sharp objects banned from aircraft cabins under Indonesia's National Civil Aviation Security Programme (Transport Ministry Regulation PM 80/2017). Sharp objects can travel in checked baggage if safely wrapped and allowed by your airline; Garuda Indonesia, for example, asks that sharp items in checked bags be sheathed or securely wrapped and reported at the check-in counter. What more often derails plans is the destination country's law. Everything below was checked in October 2026.

Before you buy

• Ask whether the keris is new or old. A keris made by a present-day smith is an ordinary craft item. An old keris of 50 years or more with historical value may count as cultural heritage (see below).
• Get a receipt stating the material and that it is newly made. It helps at your destination airport, especially if officers ask about age and origin.
• Check your own country's rules first. For buyers from Australia and Singapore, a permit often has to be arranged before the item arrives, not at the airport.
• Consider shipping long keris, spears or swords through a freight service. Many shops in the craft villages are used to arranging shipping; still ask who handles the import permit.

Before you pack

• Put the blade in its warangka (sheath) and tie it so it cannot slide out.
• Wrap it in bubble wrap or thick cardboard, tape it well, and place it in the middle of a hard suitcase between clothes.
• Kitchen knives, folding knives and large scissors get the same treatment: checked baggage, tip protected.
• Don't slip a mini keris, knife-shaped keyring or keris-style letter opener into your cabin bag. Replica bladed weapons are banned from the cabin too.
• Domestic flights, such as Denpasar to Jakarta, follow the same rule: checked baggage only.

Before you check in at Ngurah Rai

Since 15 July 2025, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport has dropped baggage screening at the international terminal entrance. Bags are now screened after check-in, in the hold baggage screening area with multi-view dual-energy X-ray (MVXR) machines, so long metal objects show up clearly. Tell the counter staff there is a keris or knife in your bag. If the machine finds an undeclared item, you may be called to open your suitcase, which eats into time before boarding. Sharp items found at cabin screening generally have to be left behind; the airport has destroyed a whole sack of confiscated blades along with hundreds of power banks and selfie sticks (ANTARA). For batteries, see our power bank rules for flights from Bali.

Before you land: destination rules

• Australia. Under Schedule 13 of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, daggers cannot be imported without written permission from the Australian Border Force. A double-edged keris blade can fall into this category. An ABF notice puts the penalty for importing prohibited weapons without a permit at up to 10 years in prison and/or a heavy fine. Declare it on your arrival card and check the state police permit requirements before you leave. Wooden hilts and sheaths also face biosecurity checks; see which Bali souvenirs get seized at Australian airports.
• Singapore. Singapore Police Force guidance (26 December 2025) classes sharp daggers "including kris" as Type 1 weapons that require a licence. A blunted kris is Type 2 under a class licence, provided its conditions are met. Declare it to ICA officers on arrival.
• Other countries and transit. Rules on bladed items vary, and they also apply in a transit country if you have to collect your bags there. Check that country's customs or police website.

Antique keris and cultural heritage

Article 68 of Law 11/2010 on Cultural Heritage only allows heritage objects to leave Indonesia for research, cultural promotion or exhibitions, with ministerial permission. Violations carry up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to Rp2 billion (Article 109). Be wary of a keris sold as an "old heirloom" with no clear provenance, just as with pratima statues stolen from temples. If in doubt, ask the Bali Cultural Preservation Office (Balai Pelestarian Kebudayaan Bali, formerly Region XV) in Gianyar before buying.

What about carrying one around Bali?

Emergency Law 12/1951 bans carrying stabbing or piercing weapons without a right to do so, but exempts items clearly meant as heirlooms, antiques or magical objects, as well as work and household tools. A souvenir keris wrapped in a shopping bag is fine. Don't tuck it into your belt for a night out or take it to a club.

To find keris makers and carvers with clear provenance, see our guide to Bali craft villages and souvenir price ranges. One small time-saver at the airport: photograph the keris and its receipt before wrapping, so if an officer asks, you can show the item without unpacking your suitcase.