Tourists In Bali Must Obey Traffic Rules Or Risk Deportation

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Tourists considering driving a motorcycle or a car in Bali must take the time to familiarize themselves with the rules of the road before starting the engine.

Leaders on the island have confirmed that tourists who received a driving ticket, even for a minor infringement, risk deportation. 

The news comes as leaders and top authorities in Bali have confirmed that they are training a zero-tolerance approach to foreigners who disobey the law and disrespect the local culture.

Leaders and local residents in Bali feel that there has been a rise in the number of foreigners breaking the law and acting in an unruly manner in the past few weeks.

Though the topic has been hotly debated since the end of the pandemic, in the last month, leaders have been reiterating their commitment to ensure that Bali is a peaceful and law-abiding place for all. 

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Speaking to reporters the Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement at the Directorate General of Immigration, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Saffar Godam, said that deportation can carried out and the threat of deportation can act as deterrent for foreign tourists who drive recklessly in Bali.

Godam told the media, “For foreigners who receive a ticket, which means they have violated the laws and regulations in force in Indonesia, we will continue with immigration action.”

It is quite simple: tourists in Bali must abide by the conditions stipulated on their visas. All visas require and stipulate that the permit holder must abide by all Indonesian laws and customs.

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Should they violate these laws, they are violating the conditions of the visa. The consequence of violating the conditions of the visa is, amongst other punishments, deportation.

Tourists found breaking the law may also be required to accept the consequences of the specific  Indonesian law they have broken, whether this be a fine, imprisonment, or restorative justice measures. 

With regard to obeying traffic laws and potential deportation, Godam told reporters “We are still conceptualizing exactly how the concept will be implemented. Will we act on everything with the immigration administration? Will we just deport without deterrence, or deport with deterrence.” 

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Godam noted that as many as 159 foreigners have been deported from Bali from January to the end of June 2024.

Most of the foreigners who were deported were for violating the time limit for their residence permit or overstaying and working illegally in Bali.

Traffic officers and police in Bali have long been working to make the island’s roads safer for both residents and tourists.

Over the last few months traffic officers have conducted a series of raids on young local drivers who have installed noisy, large exhausts on their motorcycles and race through the streets late at night.

Officers not only conducted arrests but also seized vehicles and the illegal brong exhausts.

Tourists planning to drive in Bali must take the time to learn the rules of the road, not only to avoid getting a driving ticket but for safety purposes, too.

Bali’s roads are statistically the second most dangerous roads in all of Indonesia, coming second only to East Kalimantan.

Speaking to the press in December 2023 about the safety standards on Indonesia’s roads, the Deputy General Chairperson for Transportation Safety, Indonesian Transportation Society, Rivan A. Purwantoro, told reporters, “If you look, what has increased is actually a drastic increase. This time, there are two provinces that really stand out, namely Bali and East Kalimantan.”

At the bare minimum, tourists just have a valid international driving license and insurance. The international driving license must also specifically cover driving a motorcycle too.

While most car driving licenses also permit the holder to drive a 50cc motorcycle, most mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles rented out to tourists in Bali are at least 125cc.

Thus, the car driving license is not applicable, and this generally means insurance is invalid in the event of a collision, too. 

Tourists must ensure that they are fully insured, hold a valid licences for the vehicle that they are driving and have a solid understanding and awareness of Indonesians road and traffic laws before setting off on an adventure around the island.