Detained by Police in Bali: What Are a Tourist's Rights?

Since 2 January 2026, your rights when dealing with Indonesian police have been governed by the new Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP, Law No. 20 of 2025). Article 142 guarantees a suspect the right to a lawyer, an interpreter at any time, the right to decline to give a statement and, for foreign nationals, the right to contact and receive visits from their country's representatives. An arrest may last at most 1x24 hours (Article 96). The article text was checked in October 2026 on pasal.id. This is general information, not legal advice for your case.

Step 1: Work out your status

• Traffic ticket (tilang). Riding without a helmet or licence is not an arrest. You get a ticket and pay the fine through official channels; details are in traffic tickets in Bali.
• Questioned as a witness. You are summoned, not detained, and may leave after the interview.
• Arrested as a suspect. Under Article 95, police must show an assignment letter and give you an arrest warrant stating your identity, the reason for arrest, a short description of the case and where you will be questioned. A copy goes to your family.

Ask calmly: "Am I under arrest, or am I just being questioned?" The answer decides what comes next.

Step 2: Stay calm and show ID

Do not resist physically and do not film officers in a provocative way. Show your passport or a copy. You do not have to give a long account on the spot; Article 142(e) gives you the right to give or refuse to give a statement about the allegation.

Step 3: Ask for an interpreter before questioning

Article 142(c) requires that you be told clearly, in a language you understand, what you are suspected of. Article 142(f) gives you the right to an interpreter at any time. The interview is recorded in an official report (BAP) written in Indonesian. Do not sign a BAP you do not fully understand; ask for it to be read and translated, and ask for corrections if anything is wrong.

Step 4: Contact your consulate

Article 36 of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, ratified by Indonesia through Law No. 1 of 1982, requires authorities to inform your consulate without delay if you request it, and to pass on your communications. The new KUHAP restates this in Article 142(h) and (i). Contacts verified as of October 2026:

• Australia: Australian Consulate-General, Jl. Tantular No. 32, Renon, Denpasar, phone +62 361 2000 100 (DFAT directory). Out of hours: 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre +61 2 6261 3305. View on Google Maps.
• United States: U.S. Consular Agency Bali, listed by the State Department at Jl. Hayam Wuruk No. 310, Denpasar, phone +62 361 233 605. A third-party report says the office moved to Jimbaran in 2026, which no official source has confirmed, so check id.usembassy.gov before going. A consular agency does not handle every service; emergencies can also go to the U.S. Consulate in Surabaya.
• United Kingdom: British Honorary Consulate, Jl. Tantular No. 32, Renon, Denpasar, visits by appointment (gov.uk).
• Japan: Consulate-General of Japan in Denpasar, Jl. Raya Puputan No. 170, Renon.
• Other countries: Bali Regional Police met representatives of 24 foreign consulates in October 2025. Find your foreign ministry's emergency contact online and save it before you travel.

Worth knowing: a consulate can give you a list of lawyers, contact your family and monitor how you are treated. It cannot get you released, pay fines or interfere in Indonesian legal proceedings.

Step 5: Get a lawyer

Article 142(b) gives you the right to choose, contact and be accompanied by a lawyer in every interview; 142(g) guarantees legal services and/or legal aid. Ask for questioning to wait until your lawyer arrives. Article 142(l) lets you contact family directly or through your lawyer, and 142(q) guarantees freedom from torture and intimidation.

Step 6: Know the time limits

• Arrest: at most 1x24 hours (Article 96).
• Detention by investigators: at most 20 days, extendable by the prosecutor by up to 40 days (Article 102).
• Prosecution stage: 20 days, extendable by up to 30 days (Article 103). District court trial stage: 30 days, extendable by up to 60 days (Article 104).

Your passport will probably be held during the process. After the case ends, Immigration can take administrative action such as deportation and an entry ban under Immigration Law No. 6 of 2011, whatever the criminal outcome. Drug cases are far more serious than most other offences; read rules on CBD, medical cannabis and kratom before you pack anything.

Step 7: Never offer money

Paying an official to make a case "go away on the spot" is bribery. Since 2 January 2026, active bribery falls under Article 605 of the new Criminal Code (replacing Article 5 of the Anti-Corruption Law), and the person who pays faces prison too; the legal sources checked differ on the maximum term (5 or 6 years). If anyone asks for money beyond an official traffic fine, note the officer's name and number and report it to the Bali Regional Police's internal affairs unit (Propam).

Save these numbers before you need them: police 110, general emergency 112, and your consulate. If it is a friend who has been detained, bring a copy of their passport and call their consulate first, not a "fixer" promising a shortcut.