Bali laws for tourists: what changed in 2026

Do Indonesian laws apply to tourists?

Yes. Indonesia's criminal code covers everyone who commits an offence in the country, visitors included, and breaking Bali's customs or laws can bring a criminal penalty, deportation or both.^{[1, 8]}

In the first half of 2026, immigration in Bali deported 342 foreigners, most for overstaying or misusing a permit, and some for public order offences or for breaching local custom.^[13]

Carry your passport, or your stay permit if you live here, at all times. If you are detained, contact your embassy and learn your rights before you agree to any payment.^[7]

What changed in January 2026?

A new criminal code replaced the old one in January 2026. On the same day a second law rewrote some of its penalties, and the drug penalties lost their minimum prison terms.^{[1, 2]}

Fines in the code are set in bands, from IDR 1 million up, and each offence names its top band. That is why the penalties below read "up to": the law sets the maximum, and a court picks the sentence.^[1]

Three parts matter most to a visitor. Sex outside marriage is an offence between two unmarried people as well as for the married, though only on a family complaint. Drug penalties have no minimum term. Insulting the President or a state institution is an offence, on a complaint from whoever was insulted.^{[1, 2]}

Can unmarried couples stay together in Bali?

Sex outside marriage and living together are offences, but a case needs a complaint from your family. If you are married, only your husband or wife can complain; if not, only your parent or your child. Sex outside marriage can mean a year in prison or a fine of up to IDR 10 million (about AUD 801), and living together six months or the same fine.^[1]

Only those family members can file a valid complaint, and a complaint can be withdrawn until the court hearing starts.^{[1, 3, 4]}

The edge case is a marriage at home. If you are married and travelling with someone else, your husband or wife is entitled to complain. Sources differ on the risk to couples sharing a room; see Conflicts.^{[1, 5]}

What are the drug laws in Bali?

Drug penalties are the heaviest a visitor can face. Possessing a drug in the strictest class, which includes cannabis, carries up to 12 years, a fine of up to IDR 2 billion (about AUD 160,000), or both. Above 5 grams, or above 1 kilogram or five plants of cannabis in plant form, it is life or up to 20 years, and dealing or bringing in larger amounts can carry the death penalty.^{[2, 9]}

Cannabis is in that strictest class in every form, and a prescription from home does not make it legal here. CBD products are illegal too. Using a drug yourself carries up to four years, and a user proved to be a victim of abuse must undergo medical and social rehabilitation.^{[7, 8, 9]}

Police often target venues popular with visitors, Bali included, and raids reach private villa parties too: in December 2024 a raid on a villa party in Canggu used sniffer dogs, and about 50 guests were urine-tested.^{[8, 10]}

What are Bali's rules for tourists?

Bali's governor has set out a list of do's and don'ts for foreign visitors, and it still applies in 2026. Most of it is about respect, and the rest about using licensed services.^{[11, 12]}

Do:

• Respect temples, offerings and ceremonies, and dress modestly at temples, sights and public places.
• Pay the tourist levy.
• Use licensed guides, money changers, rental vehicles and accommodation.
• Ride with the right licence and a helmet in good condition, and follow traffic law; the scooter licence guide covers which licence.

Don't:

• Climb sacred trees, or take nude or improper photos at sacred sites.
• Step on or disturb offerings.
• Litter, or use single-use plastic.
• Swear, cause a disturbance, bargain aggressively, or post hate or hoaxes online.
• Work or run a business without a permit.

Breaking these rules can lead to a criminal penalty, deportation or both. Bali's public order police watch for breaches, and the police handle serious ones.^{[7, 8, 11]}

What are the temple rules in Bali?

Dress modestly at a temple, and stay in its outer courtyards. The inner area is only for people praying in Balinese dress, and not for women who are menstruating.^[11]

Behaviour at a temple can also break the criminal code. Defiling a temple or a sacred object can bring a year in prison or a IDR 10 million (about AUD 801) fine at most. Nudity in a public place carries the same. Making a disturbance near a temple during worship carries a fine of up to IDR 1 million.^[1]

Can you be jailed for insulting religion or the government?

Yes, though the bar is high. Stirring up hatred against people because of their religion, in public, carries up to three years, and spreading it online up to five. Fair, private or scholarly comment is not a crime.^{[1, 2]}

Insulting the President in public can mean three years at most, and insulting the government or a state institution up to 18 months. Neither can be prosecuted unless the President, or the head of the institution, complains in writing. What you post online counts too, and Indonesia's internet laws also punish defamation and spreading hoaxes.^{[1, 8]}

What are the rules on drinking and on Nyepi?

You must be 21 to drink. Being drunk in a public place and disturbing others or putting them at risk carries a fine of up to IDR 10 million (about AUD 801).^{[1, 8]}

On Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, the island shuts down for the day, tourists included: no fire or lights, no leaving home, no work and no entertainment. Village guards (pecalang) enforce it. They can hold someone until the next day, villages set their own fines, and a serious disturbance goes to the police.^[14]

Nyepi 2027 falls on Monday 8 March; the Nyepi 2027 guide covers what shuts and how to plan around it.^[15]