Informational only, not legal advice. Verify with official sources before relying on this.

Know Abroad

IndonesiaIndonesia

Local Laws & Customs

Last verified August 21, 2026

Written for U.S. passport holders

Public Conduct

  • Dress modestly when visiting temples (a crop top and shorts won't be acceptable); many upscale bars and rooftop lounges, especially in Bali, enforce a smart-casual dress code of their own.

Medicines You Can't Bring

  • Bring medications in original packaging with the prescription; given how severely Indonesia treats controlled substances generally (see below), it's worth confirming any stimulant or opioid-based medication's status before you travel, not assuming a prescription alone is sufficient protection.

Photography & Drones

  • Avoid photographing government and military facilities. Flying a drone above 150 meters requires a permit, and no-fly zones cover airports, military areas, and national parks.

Drugs & Alcohol

  • The legal drinking age is 21, higher than most countries on this page; carry a copy of your passport since you may be asked for ID.
  • Indonesia has some of the strictest drug laws in the world. Cannabis possession for personal use alone can mean 4–12 years in prison; trafficking or importation can mean life imprisonment or the death penalty. If the quantity exceeds 1 kilogram of raw drugs (or 5 grams of processed drugs), the death penalty becomes a real possibility, not a rare theoretical maximum. Undercover police actively operate in popular tourist nightlife areas like Kuta, Seminyak, and Canggu.

Carrying ID

  • Carry a copy of your passport; it's what you'll be asked for when purchasing alcohol or if stopped.

The Gotcha

The 4-12 years for personal cannabis possession alone (before even getting into trafficking-level penalties) is a genuinely severe baseline that catches tourists who assume 'personal use' means lenient treatment the way it might in parts of the U.S. Combined with active undercover policing specifically in the nightlife areas most tourists frequent, this is one of the highest-stakes categories on this entire page.

Sources

This page was drafted from the primary sources below. Rules change, so check the linked page directly before relying on any of this.