What Bali’s governor circulars mean for tourist scooter use

Denpasar — Foreign visitors in Bali are currently allowed to ride scooters, but only under specific conditions set out in a 2023 governor’s circular and updated by a 2025 circular that narrows the rule to four-wheeled vehicles from licensed rental businesses or associations.

The guidance matters for tourists who want to hire a scooter rather than rely on drivers.

In 2023, Governor Wayan Koster issued Circular Letter No. 04/2023 on “New era for foreign tourists during their stay in Bali,” which includes detailed rules on how visitors may use vehicles on the island, according to the provincial legal database and the tourism office website.

What Circular 04/2023 requires

The 2023 circular was signed on 31 May 2023 and remains listed as in force in the provincial legal database.

Tourism guidance published by the provincial tourism office summarises the circular’s requirements for foreign tourists driving in Bali.

According to that guidance, foreign tourists may drive only if they comply with Indonesian traffic laws, including holding a valid international or national driving licence, obeying traffic rules, dressing appropriately, wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle, following road signs, not carrying more passengers than the vehicle’s capacity, and not driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.

The same official summary states that foreign tourists must use roadworthy official four-wheeled vehicles or two-wheeled vehicles operating under a business entity or association for two-wheeled transport rentals

An independent review by Datumbali reads this clause as permitting tourists to ride two-wheelers provided the scooter is supplied by a qualifying rental company or association, not by informal or unregistered providers.

For visitors, the practical implications of Circular 04/2023 are:

• Ride only scooters or motorbikes that belong to a legally registered rental business or recognised two-wheel rental association.
• Carry a valid international or national driving licence covering motorcycles.
• Wear a helmet and appropriate clothing and follow traffic signs.
• Do not exceed the vehicle’s passenger capacity.
• Do not ride under the influence of alcohol or prohibited drugs.

Sanctions and legal basis

The text of Circular 04/2023 provides that foreign tourists who violate its provisions will face sanctions or legal processes under Indonesia’s applicable laws, rather than setting out a separate fine scale of its own.

Datumbali notes that enforcement of driving-related rules rests primarily on national road-traffic legislation, especially for licensing and helmet requirements, and that they did not find a separate provincial regulation that adds specific penalties to the circular’s rental-source condition.

The provincial legal database records the circular as a governor’s circular letter, which is a policy instrument rather than a regulation in the hierarchy set out by Indonesia’s Law 12/2011 on lawmaking.

What Circular 07/2025 changes

On 24 March 2025, Bali issued Circular Letter No. 07/2025 on new regulations for foreign tourists during their stay in Bali.

A copy of the circular published by the provincial government shows that foreign tourists are required to use roadworthy four-wheeled transport that meets safety standards and is provided by legally registered business entities or associations for vehicle rentals.

The same document reiterates that tourists must hold a valid Indonesian or international driving licence when operating a motor vehicle, dress politely, wear helmets when riding motorcycles, follow traffic rules, stay within passenger capacity and not drive under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

Coverage by local and international outlets describes Circular 07/2025 as an update to the policies set out in Circular 04/2023.

However, the 2025 circular’s wording on transport in the available text refers only to four-wheeled vehicles, without repeating the explicit two-wheeler option that appears in Circular 04/2023.

That leaves an open interpretive question: whether the 2025 requirement for four-wheeled vehicles was intended to supersede the earlier two-wheel allowance, or to sit alongside it as stricter guidance that has yet to be backed by a formal regulation.

How tourists should read the rules today

Based on the 2023 circular, official tourism guidance and independent legal analysis, tourist scooter use is not subject to a confirmed blanket ban, but is limited to registered rental providers with compliance to driving, licensing and safety rules.

The 2025 circular introduces a four-wheel requirement in its own text, and local coverage presents it as an update to the 2023 policies, yet the status of scooters in practice depends on how provincial authorities and police apply these instructions alongside national traffic law.

For now, visitors who choose to ride should treat headlines about a “scooter ban” cautiously, read official provincial and tourism-office guidance carefully, use recognised rental businesses, and ensure they hold the correct motorcycle licence and safety equipment.

Sources

• Jaringan Dokumentasi dan Informasi Hukum Provinsi Bali (Bali provincial legal database)
• Datumbali explainer on Bali’s scooter ban for tourists
• Balipost article on Governor Koster issuing SE No. 04/2023
• The Bali Sun article on the list of dos and don’ts for tourists
• ABC News report on Bali’s proposed motorbike and scooter ban for tourists
• Suara.com article on Governor Koster’s rules for foreign tourists
• Bali Discovery article on rules and regulations for tourists