The law in Bali

Indonesia inherited a Dutch civil-law system. There is no jury: a panel of judges decides both guilt and sentence from the case file. Precedent carries little weight, so outcomes vary between courts.

Police can hold a suspect for an initial 20 days, extendable by the prosecutor, and far longer for serious offences. Bail as Westerners understand it barely exists — most suspects wait in a police cell or Kerobokan prison.

A consulate can visit you, notify family, and give you a list of lawyers. It cannot pay bail, get charges dropped, override Indonesian courts or transfer you home.

Foreigners are frequently treated more visibly, not more gently — high-profile cases are used as a public deterrent, and deportation and a re-entry ban often follow the sentence.

Indonesia has some of the harshest drug laws on earth. Possession of even a small amount of cannabis can mean 4–12 years; trafficking carries life or the death penalty, and executions have been carried out on foreigners. There is no personal-use exemption, medical cannabis is not recognised, and testing positive in a urine test is itself an offence. Never accept, carry or hold anything for anyone.

Fined on departure. Beyond 60 days it becomes immigration detention, deportation and a re-entry ban of 6 months to several years.

Includes teaching, DJing, photography, running a shop, or trading with Indonesian clients on a tourist visa. Penalty is up to 5 years or a large fine, and in practice usually detention plus deportation and a blacklist.

Riding without a valid motorcycle-endorsed licence or IDP, or without a helmet, gets you fined at a checkpoint (IDR 250k–1m). Causing a serious injury or death in a crash is a criminal matter and you may be held while it is resolved — often with a large negotiated payment to the family.

Nudity or topless photos at temples and beaches, drunken behaviour, and disrespecting sacred sites now trigger real prosecution and deportation. Bali maintains a task force and a published tourist code of conduct.

Alcohol is legal and widely sold in Bali, but drink-driving, fighting and causing a public disturbance are handled firmly, and the tourist areas are heavily filmed.

The Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) law makes online insults, bad reviews framed as accusations, and defamatory posts a criminal offence with prison exposure. Complaining publicly about a business has landed foreigners in court.

The revised criminal code restricts extramarital cohabitation and sex, though it is only actionable on a complaint by a spouse, parent or child, and is not aimed at tourists. Child protection offences are prosecuted extremely aggressively and carry very long sentences.

Buying or exporting turtle shell, ivory, coral or protected species is a criminal offence at both ends of the flight. Genuine antiques may need an export permit.