Can tourists fly drones in Bali? What is and is not settled

By Film Permit Bali Editorial Desk

Can tourists fly drones in Bali? Only part of the answer is settled. Height, daylight and crowd limits are written into Indonesian regulations. Whether a visitor flying a small drone for leisure must register, or may fly at all, is unsettled: hobby sites conflict, and the question needs an answer from the Transport Ministry.

Can tourists fly drones in Bali?

Nobody can give you a clean yes or no from the documents available, and a page that does is claiming more than those documents say. The regulations do not address a visitor with a travel drone by name, and those who have tried to apply them to that case disagree. It helps to separate the parts that are firm from the parts that are not.

What do the regulations say about hobby flying?

Part 107.2 describes hobby flying narrowly: an aircraft of 7 kg or less, flown only for hobby or recreation, under a community-based organisation, and within listed safety clauses. A visitor reading that runs into an immediate practical issue: the provision does not explain how someone passing through would fly under a community-based organisation, and it does not say a foreign club counts.

The registration clause, 107.13, is missing from the list of clauses named for hobby flights. It is tempting to treat that gap as an exemption. Drone Traveller, a hobby site, reads the rules that way for recreational flights up to 7 kg in uncontrolled airspace, and it says plainly that it has no official written confirmation. That candour is useful. Without an official answer, an absence from a list stays an argument and does not become a permission.

The firm limits still bind you. The drone rules page sets out the 120 metre ceiling and when approval is needed. For a traveller, two of those limits come up most often. Part 107.29 permits operation only between sunrise and sunset, unless excepted, which means a flight before the sun is up or after it has set falls outside the rule. Part 107.39 keeps a drone away from crowds, apart from people who are part of the operation or under cover, which is a real constraint on a busy beach or temple forecourt.

Can a visitor register a drone?

The text points away from it, and two non-official sources say no outright. Part 107.13 makes registration with the Directorate General a condition of operating a small unmanned aircraft. Part 107.89 then narrows who can get it: aircraft above 250 g and up to 25 kg, owned or operated under agreement by an Indonesian citizen or legal entity, with that kind of citizen or entity filing the application.

Drone Traveller says tourists cannot register a drone in Indonesia, citing an application rejected in September 2026. That is a reader report on a hobby site. Terasor, a service directory whose page was reviewed in July 2026, takes the same line for drones over 250 g: not in a visitor's own name.

Put those next to the hobby clause and you can see why the question remains open. One clause requires registration for operating. Another limits who may apply. A third lists hobby conditions that leave registration out. This guide does not state whether a visitor needs to register, because no official text or reply we know of says so. The drone registration guide goes through the clauses in more detail.

Does a sub-250 g drone escape the rules?

Do not assume it does. The 250 g line in Part 107.89 decides who falls within registration, and it decides nothing else. Height, daylight, line of sight, crowds and airspace are written separately, and no clause we know of switches them off for a light aircraft. Owners of a small drone should check the take-off weight of their exact setup, then treat every other limit as still applying.

What should a traveller do before flying?

1. Write to the Transport Ministry and ask your exact question, with the aircraft weight, your nationality, your visa and your purpose. A written reply is worth more than any blog, including this page.
2. Find out whether your spot sits in controlled airspace or near an airport. See the Bali drone no-fly zones guide.
3. Ask the site manager, because each one decides for itself, as filming at temples in Bali shows.
4. Check for ceremonies. Bali Bliss Concierge, in a blog aimed at pre-wedding shoots, warns that temples may shut to shoots during prayers or ceremonies and that drones need their own permission.
5. Be honest about money. If the footage is for a client or a monetised channel, you are no longer asking a holiday question, and the content creator rules apply as well. A foreign company also has to consider Indonesia's national film permit.

Treat distance figures with care. Drone Traveller passes on a ministry reply to one of its readers that put the minimum distance from airports at 15 km, and adds that the Denpasar control zone reaches further. That figure is not in the regulation text, so it works as a warning and not as a legal boundary. Separately, Dronesgator and Your Happiness Tours describe a mandatory pre-registration scheme for Bali called SIPP-TA and a 5 km temple zone. PM 37 and Part 107 do not contain them, so ask to see the document before you act on either.

What is safe to assume?

Assume the operating limits apply to you, because they are written without any carve-out for visitors. Assume a site manager can say no. Assume nothing about registration until someone with authority answers in writing. And assume that packing a drone answers none of these questions, since PM 37 and Part 107 are about flying and do not deal with customs or your airline's battery policy.

If you cannot get an answer before your trip, the option that removes the question entirely is to leave the drone at home. That is an unsatisfying outcome for a holiday, but a drone left at home raises no question under the sanctions PM 37 sets out.

What do travellers ask about bringing a drone?

Are drones legal in Bali?

Drones are regulated, and neither PM 37 nor Part 107 bans them outright. Whether a visitor may fly one for leisure is the unsettled part, so get a written answer from the Transport Ministry before relying on any summary.

Can I bring a drone to Bali?

PM 37 and Part 107 regulate flying and say nothing about packing. Check customs and your airline separately, and remember that arriving with a drone does not settle whether you may fly it.

Is a drone under 250 g allowed in Bali?

A light drone falls below the registration floor in Part 107.89, but that floor concerns registration only. The operating and airspace limits are written separately, so do not treat a small drone as exempt.

Can I fly a drone at sunset in Bali?

Part 107.29 permits operation only between sunrise and sunset, unless excepted. A flight that continues after the sun has set is outside that rule, so plan to land before then.

Where can I legally fly a drone in Bali?

We know of no official list of permitted spots. You need to check airspace, then get the manager's consent for the site, and the visitor question above remains open even in a spot that clears both tests.

Which sources support this page?

• PM 63 of 2021, Part 107, state legal database
• PM 37 of 2020, state legal database
• Drone Traveller, drone laws in Indonesia (hobby site)
• Terasor, drone laws in Indonesia (service directory)
• Dronesgator, drone laws in Indonesia (unconfirmed claims)
• Bali Bliss Concierge, pre-wedding photo permits (operator blog)

How do I reach the desk?

The desk can respond to questions from travellers, though it cannot give an official ruling or approve a flight. Write with your drone model and planned locations on WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or to bd@juaraholding.com. Requests can lead to a paid booking, so we have a commercial interest, and the disclaimer has the details.