SIM Internasional and Indonesian Driving License

SIM Internasional is a small booklet. It translates your Indonesian driving license so police in other countries can read it.

• Issued by: Korlantas Polri (the Indonesian traffic police)
• Valid for: 3 years
• Cost: Rp 250,000 for a new one, Rp 225,000 to renew
• Accepted in: 92 countries

Important: it works only together with your Indonesian license. Alone, it is not valid.

No. You need an Indonesian driving license first, plus an Indonesian ID card (KTP) or a permanent stay permit (KITAP).

A tourist has none of these. There is no way around it.

What you need instead is an International Driving Permit from your home country. See our IDP guide.

No. This surprises many people who live here.

The rule says KITAP, not KITAS. KITAP is permanent residency. You usually need several years on a KITAS before you can get a KITAP.

So most foreigners living in Bali cannot get a SIM Internasional, even after many years. No agent can change this. And there is also no need for it. In most cases, expatriates still have there national driving license from their home country and can get an IDP (International Driving Permit) in their home county.

If you still need one and you are a KITAP holder, you need all of these:

• A valid Indonesian driving license (SIM A, BI, BII or C)
• KTP if you are Indonesian, or KITAP if you are a foreigner
• A valid passport
• A recent photo
• Your signature on white paper, written with black ink
• Your old SIM Internasional, if you are renewing

The photo rules are strict. Most applications are refused because of the photo. It must be:

• On a white background
• In colour, not black and white
• Without glasses and without contact lenses
• Facing the camera, with no teeth showing, no smiling
• Not wearing a white shirt or white hijab

The whole process is online. You cannot apply in person.

1. Register on the Korlantas website, or use the Digital Korlantas app
2. Fill in the form and upload your documents
3. Choose delivery, or collection in Jakarta
4. Give your bank details, in case they refuse your application and refund you
5. You receive a payment number, then you pay
6. You receive your registration number by email

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 15:00 WIB. Closed on weekends and national holidays. Outside these hours the website shows a “closed” message. This is normal.

Delivery to Bali works well. It costs around Rp 51,700 with tracking.

• SIM A – cars up to 3,500 kg
• SIM C – motorbikes up to 250cc
• SIM C1 – motorbikes 250cc to 500cc (you must have held a SIM C for at least 1 year)
• SIM C2 – motorbikes above 500cc

Most people in Bali need SIM C. A normal Scoopy, Vario or NMAX is well under 250cc.

You need a KITAS or a KITAP.

This is the important difference: for an Indonesian license, a KITAS is enough. For SIM Internasional, it is not.

Tourists cannot apply. If you are here on a tourist visa, use an International Driving Permit.

Where: Polresta Denpasar, Jl. Gunung Sanghyang No. 110, Denpasar Barat 80117.

What happens:

1. You hand in your documents
2. Health check (eyes, colour blindness, blood pressure)
3. Psychological test
4. Theory test on a computer, about road signs and traffic rules
5. Practical riding or driving test
6. Photo and fingerprints
7. You usually receive your license the same day

Bring: your passport, your KITAS or KITAP, your foreign driving license, passport photos, and a black pen.

Tips: plan a full day. Come early in the morning. Avoid the end of the month, because that is when many local people renew. If you can, bring a friend who speaks Indonesian.

The theory test is available in English at some offices, including Denpasar. Ask before you go.

This is the real, official price. There are agents who help you through the process and charge a fee for this. That can be a really helpful service to consider.

Yes, you will see offers to arrange your license for you and assist you with the process for s fee.

Part of that surcharge is real help. Someone prepares your documents, speaks Indonesian for you, and you wait less. If a full day at a government office in a language you do not speak sounds hard, paying for help is reasonable.

Not in Indonesia. Your Indonesian license is all you need here.

You would only need an IDP or a SIM Internasional if you want to drive in another country.