Hey! Welcome to our official guide about the laws and rules for flying drones in Bali and in the whole Indonesia. The laws are separated into two categories depending on if you fly for your private use or if it’s for a professional purpose.
What kind of activities will you use your drone?
Great! All is ready for your trip: you have the ticket, passport, sunscreen, but before to close your luggage some questions are in your head:
Can I bring my drone to Bali?
Is it allowed to fly in Indonesia even I am a foreigner?
How to transport the drone and the batteries?
How about the rules?
The answer is…
But !! you have to respect some rules and restrictions during the transportation and also here, on the Indonesian territory
Most of the airlines are strict on one point: EVERY battery has to be with you in your hand luggage in the cabin, and not in your checked baggage. Some companies ask to transport the batteries detached from the drone and inside a fire-case (called also lipo safe) to avoid any fire during the flight in the case the batteries explode (yes, you read right, they can explode) So try to empty your batteries around 30% before your flight to reduce the risk of fire. Anyway, even the company doesn’t ask for the fire-case it is better to use it for more safety. The price of these kinds of pockets is between 5$ and 20$. It is easy to find on Amazon or any other online shop. The drone without a battery can be placed in checked-luggage or with you in the cabin.
The drone’s batteries are allowed in planes but all the companies have different rules for the batteries onboard. If your drone is a kind of “public” drone-like DJI, GoPro, Parrot etc…normally, all the batteries are accepted. But if your drone is “homemade” be sure to respect the power limit imposed by the airline company and protect the extremity of the cables. Please find your airline below and check the recommendations. If you know already the rules you can pass to step 2
Some countries, like India, forbidden to leave the country with a drone. Read the laws in your country before to bring your material with you thanks to this google map : https://goo.gl/oX9LG3
If you need more information about how to package your batteries, we invite you to watch this video:
Finally, you have arrived after a couple of flight hours and you start to sweating, yes, it’s normal, Welcome to Bali 🙂 and congratulation, you will see, the life here is amazing.
The good thing is that you don’t need any permit or license if you fly for your own and without commercial purposes. The recreational uses are considerate as category 1, the professionals are category 2. “Drone” is the common name for a UAV system (unmanned aerial vehicle). Some Technical documentation use only UAV to designate a drone.
Before to fly your drone take notes of the different rules:
Special case: If your drone is over 2kg, or if you want to fly over 150m or close to a profited area you will need to be at least 20 years old and get a special permit delivered by the ministry of transportation. For this you can contact:
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation:
Airnav:
If you have any doubt if you need a permit (or not) read the guide from the law firm HPRP
Curious about the laws in the other countries? Visit the website drone-made.com
Now, you know the most important for flying a drone for private use. Easy no? But we will give you some tips to improve your experience and avoid bad surprises. If it is already enough for you, don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of this page, we really appreciate it.
Please follow the guide… 😉
The website app.airmap.io listed all the restricted zone and prohibited zone. It could be a great tool if you don’t know if you are inside a restricted zone. Bali is very drone friendly, so even you want to fly in a purple area (see below), just respect the rules listed above and all will be fine.
The culture and religion are very strong in Indonesia, it is why it is your duty to adapt your comportment and habit to the local rules.
The temples, called “Pura” or “Candi” in Indonesian, are sacred and very respected by the local population. The non-respect of the religious places will expose you to serious problems.
It is true, it’s tempting to fly over a beautiful temple and get THE shot of your travel… but it is also forbidden if you don’t get the approval of the responsible of the temple.
Some temples like ” Pura Uluwatu” doesn’t allow to fly a drone, and some other temples, like “Tirta Ganga Water palace” or “Tanah Lot” allow to fly a drone in exchange of a donation (apx 500’000 IDR). Be sure to ask permission before flying to avoid any problem or misunderstanding.
Bali is also a peaceful place where people come for relaxing and stay in a quiet space. Don’t disturb anyone by flying a drone over private property or over a hotel which does not give you the authorization. It is better to ask permission first, then get trouble with police or people.
Some famous place, like tegalalang (rice terraces close to Ubud), is a paradise for the drones, but it is also crowded during the high season, so keep in your mind that the drones are not toys and can hurt seriously in the case it falls on someone.
Don’t fly stupidly and try to imagine the position of the other one. If you think “I will not appreciate it if it was me” Don’t do it!
In Bali, the temperature average is 32°c – 34°c. The temperature inside a car under the sun can reach the 50°c in only 20 minutes and 80°c in 1 hour. So never let the batteries of your drone inside a car or on the beach under the sun. The batteries are very sensitive to high temperatures and can easily inflate due to the gas evaporation. If your battery has bulged, stop to use it, it’s now dangerous to use it. Try to contact your reseller if you still under the warranty…or buy a new one.
It is also important to cool down your batteries before to recharge. The new batteries are equipped with overheat security, but the classic lipo is not protected.
Choose the best time
The light in Bali is very bright. After 10 am the sun is already high and the light very strong, it why it is not easy to get the best result because the contrast between the shadow and the sunlight is very big. During the period 10 am-3 pm the temperature is hot and it will be difficult to see the image on your screen. A screen hood could be a good option, like this one :
Our advice is to fly before 10 am and after 3:30 pm. Like this, you will get the best and epic light. Otherwise, if you still want to fly during the mid-day, you can improve your shot with a lens filter. The filters are essential if you want to give a cinematic look to your videos and photos.
Another trick is to shoot in DLOG, or with a low contrast setting in the “style” tab in the video settings. Like this, your video looks like more flat but you don’t lose too many details in the shadow or bright area. Also, it is better for the post-production 😉 (See the video below)
Before each flight, check visually around you if there is no danger in the sky. BE CAREFUL TO THE KITES !! Between June and August, the Balinese peoples make a competition to elect the King of the kites: Nagaraja. During this period there are hundred and hundred kites flying over Bali, some of them are very high and far from the owner. The ropes are very dangerous, and by experience, we know that the ropes will not be cut by the drone.
Don’t forget that you are not the only one who flies drones, so try to keep an eye on your drone and around your drone during your flights.
Bali is a volcanic island. All the ground is charged with iron and magnetic particles. if you take-off from the ground directly, all the dust will stay sticky on the magnet inside the motor or stay stuck inside the fan of your drone (mostly for the Mavic air). Our advice is to use a landing pad to avoid any damage to your drone or if you have enough skill or someone who can help you, prefer to take-off from your hand.
Before each flight, check if your drone doesn’t have any damages, check if the propellers don’t have any scratch or broken part. If yes do not hesitate to replace it even the default looks small. Otherwise, this is a list of workshops that can fix your drone.
Check all your settings of your drone as the compass state, return to home altitude, flight mode (sport, GPS, atti), sensor state (obstacle avoidance, vision positioning). Be sure to get the last firmware for your drone and the no-fly zone database is up to date. Think to calibrate the compass if you fly in a different spot.
Yes of course, as long you respect the rules explained above. And don’t forget: fly safe and keep the privacy of other people.
Yes, they are. Most consumer drones are licensed and already comply with local laws. For more information check the laws just above and documents at the footer of this page.
Yes, you can, but be sure to keep the batteries with you in cabin. The drone can go in the checked luggage. Check also in our article the rules from the different airline company to know how many batteries you can bring 😉
Yes, it is possible as long there are no dangerous parts on your drone like artificial parachute etc … check the airlines’ rules right above. Verify that the case size of your drone fits with the airline rules, habitually 22”x14”x9” or 56x36x23 in centimeters.
Yes, you can buy drones in Bali and Indonesia. You can easily find the major brands like DJI but for the other brand or spare parts, it is a bit more complicated, so think to bring some extra propellers with you. You can find some addresses where to buy and repair your drone on this page: Where to Buy and repair drones in Bali.
It is forbidden to fly over temples unless to get the approval, but people are kind and can allow you to fly at a reasonable distance if you ask nicely. You can’t fly close to restricted areas such as airport, military camps etc… Finally, more and more hotels forbidden the use of drones to preserve the privacy of the guests, so think to ask the authorization of the management before to takeoff. In Bali, a lot of people come for peace, silent, and meditation, so please, respect everyone’s well-being 😉
The maximum altitude for a drone in Bali and in Indonesia is about 150 meters ( 500 feet) from the ground. You have to stay away also from crowds (300meters) and 15km from airport. Do not fly inside the cloud and keep a safe distance from them: 150meters below and 600m distance).
Yes they are, and it is why it is important to follow the local law to try to keep it like this.
Hello the pros, and nice to see you coming in Bali (or Indonesia) I think you will not be disappointed, Indonesia is a big source of inspiration and it is quite easy to get nice shots due to the amazing landscape and traditional culture. We assume that you know already how to transport your material and batteries, and you have already the good practices for flying drones. The rules are not really different than the other countries. Flying drones is quite new in Indonesia so don’t be surprised if some authorities are not very aware of the laws and can’t answer your questions.
Before buying your ticket, be sure to get all the permits of filming, because some procedures can take a couple of months to get approved depending on your project. If you need help, you can contact us. The non-respect of the law can expose you to a punishment of up to IDR 5,000,000 & up to 3 years of jail.
To get the permits (for the drones only) you will need to contact the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil aviation, called also DGTA) or AirNav to make a request for your flights. For this, you will need :
You have to send all the details to one of these branches:
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation:
Airnav:
if you have any doubt about which permit you need, read this guide from the law firm HPRP
We assume that you know already how to transport your material and batteries, but please take a look to this section to remember the best practices and get the details for your airline company: Batteries Packaging and airlines rules
Before to fly your drone take notes of the different rules:
Special case: If you want to fly over 150m or close to a profited area you will need to be at least 20 years old and get a special permit delivered by the ministry of transportation as mentioned above.
That’s all !! If you respect the 3 first steps, all will be fine! And you will be able to enjoy Bali and your shooting at 100%. I hope this guide helped you, and don’t forget to read our advices. We joined all the official documentation below, so if you are courageous do not hesitate to take a look. And let a comment at the bottom of this page, we will appreciate it.
Ministry of transportation : http://dephub.go.id
Airspace Regulation : https://airnavindonesia.co.id/
World-wide drone laws :
https://www.drone-made.com/post/indonesia-bali-drone-laws
https://www.droneregulations.info/Indonesia/ID.html
