The Bali Secret guide
Short answer
You legally need an International Driving Permit endorsed for motorcycles. Without one, most travel insurance will not pay out for an accident — which is the single most common claim in Bali.
In this guide6 sections · 3 min
Scooters are how Bali moves, and renting one is cheap and easy. The part that is not obvious: the paperwork determines whether your insurance pays if something goes wrong, and something goes wrong often enough that it is the most common claim on the island.
The licence question
To ride legally you need an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category endorsed, which in turn requires a motorcycle licence at home. A car licence alone does not cover you.
Rental shops will hand you a scooter without checking. That is not permission — it just moves the risk to you. Police checks happen, and more importantly, an insurer will ask for the licence when you claim.
What it actually costs
| Typical | |
|---|---|
| Daily rental, 110–125cc automatic | IDR 70,000–100,000 |
| Weekly rate | Usually cheaper per day — ask |
| Monthly rate | Substantially cheaper per day |
| Fuel | A few thousand rupiah per litre; a tank lasts days |
| Helmet | Normally included — check it actually fastens |
Cheap enough that cost is never the reason to ride. The decision should be about whether you can ride, not whether you can afford to.
Before you ride off
- Photograph the scooter from every angle before leaving, including existing scratches. Damage disputes on return are routine.
- Check the brakes and tyres yourself. Fleet maintenance varies enormously.
- Wear the helmet properly. It is legally required, and head injuries are what turn an accident into a catastrophe.
- Do not leave your passport as a deposit. Offer a copy or a cash deposit instead.
- Check the horn and the lights. The horn is used constantly here as a signal rather than a complaint, and you will want it.
Riding there
- Traffic is left-hand drive and flows more than it follows rules. Be predictable and go slowly.
- Roads are worse after dark, and many have no lighting or edge markings.
- Wet season afternoons make roads genuinely slick — the first rain after a dry spell is the worst, when oil lifts off the surface.
- Fuel from roadside stalls in bottles is normal and fine.
- Expect to be overtaken on both sides. Hold your line rather than reacting.
- Dogs cross without warning, especially at dusk. This is a real cause of accidents, not a joke.
If you have an accident
Worth deciding in advance, because the moment itself is not when you want to be working it out.
- Get medical attention first, even for injuries that seem minor. Road rash infects readily in a humid climate.
- If an animal was involved and broke your skin, treat it as a rabies exposure and go the same day — it is present in Bali.
- Photograph everything, including the other vehicle and the scene.
- Contact your insurer before agreeing to pay anyone. Informal roadside settlements are common and can undermine a later claim.
- Get a police report if there is any injury or significant damage. Most insurers require one.
The alternatives are genuinely good
If you have never ridden a scooter, Bali is not the place to learn, whatever the internet says — see the wider safety picture.
- A private driver for the day costs little split between two people, and includes someone who knows where things are and where to park.
- Grab and Gojek cover short hops cheaply, though some areas restrict pickups where local transport cooperatives operate.
- Walking works in Ubud centre, Sanur and parts of Seminyak, and nowhere else much — pavements are inconsistent.
Plenty of people do an entire trip without ever riding and miss nothing. The scooter is a convenience, not an experience you are obliged to have.
