What happens if the police stop you on a scooter in Bali?

What they check

Police run fixed daytime checkpoints in busy areas like Kuta, Seminyak, Ubud and Pecatu, and they do stop tourists. At the roadside they typically ask for four things:

• Your driving licence from home and a valid International Driving Permit that lists the motorcycle category. Without both, you are not legally entitled to ride.
• The STNK, the scooter’s registration document, which your rental shop should give you. Carry it, not just the bike.
• A helmet that meets the Indonesian SNI standard, worn and fastened. There is no tourist exemption.
• Your passport or a photocopy of it.

Enforcement has tightened since 2023, with impoundments now common for riding without a licence or helmet.

The cash "settlement" versus the official fine

There are two ways a stop can end. The unofficial one: the officer names a violation and offers to settle on the spot for cash, commonly IDR 200,000–500,000 (roughly £10–25 / US$12–30). The official one: a formal written ticket, the tilang, that goes through the bank or court system.

The statutory maximum fines under Indonesia’s traffic law, UU 22/2009, are ceilings set by the courts, not roadside prices:

• No licence held: up to IDR 1,000,000 (Article 281).
• Licence or IDP held but not produced: up to IDR 250,000.
• No registration document (STNK): up to IDR 500,000.
• No standard helmet: up to IDR 250,000 (Article 291), commonly paid at IDR 100,000–250,000.

Worth knowing: these are maximums decided by a judge. The "typical" on-the-spot figures that circulate online are not official amounts.

The under-told part: you can refuse the cash and ask for the tilang

Almost no tourist realises the cash payment is optional. You are within your rights to decline it and ask for the official ticket. The phrase is "Saya minta tilang resmi", meaning "I would like the official ticket". Asking for a paper trail ends a lot of chancy stops, because a formal ticket exposes the officer if the money was never meant to reach the state.

Here is how the official route actually works:

• You receive a written tilang. A blue ticket (surat tilang biru) means you accept the violation; a red ticket (surat tilang merah) means you want to contest it in court within 14 days.
• With a blue ticket you pay the set amount at the bank, or through the e-Tilang system (the e-tilang website or app), usually within 14 days.
• The officer may hold a document, often your IDP or the STNK, until the fine is paid. You get it back on showing the bank receipt.
• Fines are often reduced from the ceiling when the case is actually processed.

The trade-off is time. Choosing the tilang can mean a bank trip or, with a red ticket, a court date. What you should never do is hand over cash into a pocket with no receipt. If you are unsure a stop is even legitimate, staying polite, asking for the official ticket and noting the officer’s details is the safest response.

Your rights in short

• You can ask why you have been stopped and which rule you have broken.
• You can decline an informal cash payment and request the official tilang.
• You should always get a receipt or ticket for any money you pay.
• You can contest the fine in court with a red ticket if you believe you did nothing wrong.
• Carrying the right documents — an IDP with the motorcycle category, your home licence, the STNK and a proper helmet — is what removes the officer’s leverage in the first place.