International Driving Permit in Indonesia

🗓 Facts checked against Indonesia's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 28 July 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Indonesia: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Indonesia?
• What side of the road does Indonesia drive on?
• How long can you drive in Indonesia with a foreign licence?
• Is Indonesia a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Indonesia with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Indonesia? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Indonesia tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Indonesia
• Sources

Driving in Indonesia: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Indonesia?

Indonesia's Road Traffic Law does not create a blanket inbound-IDP rule. Article 85(4) of Law 22/2009 recognizes a foreign licence only where a bilateral or multilateral agreement exists. Per the UN Treaty Collection, Indonesia is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention (absent from all 103 parties, status list XI-B-1) and signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on 8 November 1968 but never ratified it (XI-B-19) — so neither convention is a proven 'multilateral agreement' basis under Article 85(4). The verified treaty route is the 1985 ASEAN domestic-licence agreement (ten fellow parties after Timor-Leste's 24 Nov 2025 accession). For non-ASEAN visitors, an IDP has no proven statutory basis, but in enforcement practice it is treated as mandatory: police guidance and Bali's 2026 enforcement drive expect national licence + IDP, and IDP-less foreign drivers are processed as unlicensed under Article 281. Both 1949- and 1968-format IDPs circulate and are accepted in practice; Indonesia's own outbound 'SIM Internasional' is 1968-format, reflecting its unratified 1968 signature. The listed accepted IDP types are practice-tier, not statute-tier.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most non-exempt licences that is an IDP.
• Car renters: Scooter-rental availability is not evidence of legal entitlement. A rental may hand over a motorcycle even when the rider lacks a recognized motorcycle-class licence; insurance may then be ineffective.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Secondary source.

What side of the road does Indonesia drive on?

Indonesia drives on the left-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the right. Cars in Indonesia are right-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Indonesia with a foreign licence?

For qualifying full (non-temporary/provisional/learner) domestic licences from the ten fellow ASEAN-agreement parties: valid for the temporary-stay period while the licence itself remains valid in its country of issue. For other countries, no general lawful visitor period was established because Article 85(4) requires a bilateral or multilateral agreement and Indonesia is party to neither UN road-traffic convention. (Article 85(4), Law No. 22 of 2009; Articles 1-4, 1985 ASEAN domestic-licence agreement)

Planning to move to Indonesia? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Indonesia a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Indonesia is party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. An official convention IDP cannot be issued in Indonesia, and convention rules do not bind it — licence acceptance is governed purely by local law and bilateral arrangements.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Indonesia with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Indonesia as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Indonesia is agreement-gated. The verified visitor route is a full domestic licence from one of ten fellow parties to the 1985 ASEAN agreement (Timor-Leste acceded November 2025), with a certified English translation when the licence is not in English. Indonesia ratified neither UN road-traffic convention (it signed but never ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention), so a 1949/1968 IDP is not a proven statutory route — but in enforcement practice non-ASEAN visitors are expected to carry national licence + IDP, and driving without one is treated as unlicensed driving (up to IDR 1,000,000 or 4 months). Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• IDP required — the destination requires an IDP in addition to your national licence. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says which IDP to carry and what else to carry with it.
• Not recognised — the record shows no route to drive here as a visitor on this licence; ask the local authorities about conversion or a temporary permit. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what stands in the way.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] Article 85(4), Law No. 22 of 2009; 1985 ASEAN Agreement on the Recognition of Domestic Driving Licences, Kuala Lumpur 9 July 1985, Articles 1-4 (CIL NUS text)

[2] UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General — status of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-1) and of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-19) — XI-B-1, XI-B-19

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Indonesia? Indonesia's IDPs are issued by Korlantas Polri (National Police Traffic Corps) — applications are accepted online. Official site. Indonesia is party to neither road-traffic convention, so the permit is issued outside the UN convention framework and is not an official convention IDP — check that your destination accepts it.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Indonesia? Rules for new residents

A foreign resident does not receive an automatic exchange. Perpol 5/2021 requires a full Indonesian SIM application: immigration-status documents (passport plus ITAP for permanent-stay holders; diplomatic visa/ID for diplomats and embassy staff; ITAS categories for foreign workers/experts and students), an accredited driving-school certificate not older than 6 months, health and psychological eligibility, biometrics, and theory and practical testing. No tourist-visa conversion shortcut exists. Official source.

Driving rules in Indonesia tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: PP 55/2012 Article 57(3): a four-or-more-wheeled vehicle must carry seat belts, a spare tyre, warning triangle (reflective, red), jack, wheel wrench and a first-aid kit; helmet and reflective vest are required only for drivers of open-cab (no-body) four-wheeled vehicles, not as a universal private-car rule. Missing kit is punishable under Law 22/2009 Article 278 (up to 1 month or IDR 250,000).
• Drink-driving: No numeric nationwide BAC threshold was verified. Law 22/2009 Article 106(1) requires driving 'dengan wajar dan penuh konsentrasi'; alcohol-impaired driving is prosecuted under the impairment/attention provisions. Treat the safe operational limit as zero. Article 283: up to 3 months' detention or IDR 750,000 for driving unreasonably / with impaired concentration. No dedicated numeric-BAC fine exists.
• Speed limits: Government Regulation 79/2013 Article 23: toll/freeway maximum 100 km/h and minimum 60 km/h in free-flow; intercity roads maximum 80; urban areas maximum 50; residential areas maximum 30 — subject to posted/local limits.
• An IDP does not replace the original national licence. Police guidance distinguishes not having a licence (Article 281: up to 4 months or IDR 1,000,000) from failing to produce it (Article 288(2): up to one month and/or IDR 250,000) — both penalty figures are in the consolidated law.
• Enforcement reality for non-ASEAN tourists (esp. Bali, incl. the April-2026 'Dharma Dewata' task-force drive): police roadside checks treat national licence + IDP as the expected paperwork; foreigners without it are processed as unlicensed under Article 281 and may face vehicle impoundment.
• Scooter-rental availability is not evidence of legal entitlement. A rental may hand over a motorcycle even when the rider lacks a recognized motorcycle-class licence; insurance may then be ineffective.
• The Indonesian police issue an outbound 'SIM Internasional' explicitly based on the 1968 Vienna Convention (valid, per the portal, in 92 countries). This is consistent with Indonesia's unratified 1968 signature and is outbound-only — the portal defines it as for driving outside Indonesia and does not establish inbound recognition.

Read more about driving in Indonesia

• 10 Interesting Facts About Indonesia
• Best Places to Visit in Indonesia

Watch what driving in Indonesia looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Resident licence conversion rule
3. 1985 ASEAN agreement full text (CIL NUS; the asean.org legal-instrument page redirects)
4. CIL NUS treaty record: ratifications and accessions incl. CLMV 1997-1999 and Timor-Leste 24 Nov 2025
5. UNTC status, 1949 Geneva Convention — Indonesia not among the 103 parties
6. UNTC status, 1968 Vienna Convention — Indonesia signature 8 Nov 1968, no ratification
7. ASEAN agreement page (redirects; kept as canonical pointer)
8. Korlantas outbound international-driving-permit portal (1968-based, outbound-only)
9. Police explanation of no-licence versus failure-to-produce penalties (2 May 2026)
10. Government Regulation 55/2012 vehicle equipment (Art 57)
11. Government Regulation 79/2013 speed limits (Art 23)
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic