FreoGirl
I've been having a discussion on another forum regarding motorbike licenses in Bali. The poster is saying their friend, who is living in Bali, must pay Rp300,000 per month, renewable monthly at the same rate, for a 'tourist' motorbike license.
They don't have a motorbike license back home, so can't use an international license.
Now I know that a first time license for a local in Lombok is around Rp200,000 for 5 years (the kids are growning up :roll: ), and around Rp180,000 to renew.
So what's the go in Bali? How do you handle your motorbike license?
Bert Vierstra
I have a Kitas, I don't know about the price of a "Tourist License".
I know I paid something like 200.000 per year for a motorbike license...
Bert Vierstra
Ah found this post from Sander in 2005:
[quote]Anyway, you can get a motorbike license at the poldabes (they changed this from samsat). With a KITAS you can get 1 for a year. However with a business visa you can get 1 for 300.000 IDR which is valid for 3 months and valid in whole indonesia (This has changed, before you could only get 1 for 1 month, only bali and the price was 150.000 IDR) [/quote]
Bert Vierstra
[quote]Virtually all prices for motorbike/car "licences", are "negotiable" in Indonesia.[/quote]
Yes. When I got my two 5 year licenses , one care, one bike, I never negotiated.
On my advice some "newbies" went to the same place, but they drove a hard bargain. They got it much cheaper then I did. :oops:
Dasha
after that piece of enlightement looks like your'e driving next week. I wont even bother the RTA in Melbourne here on future visits SB. I got the musac though!
do i need a licence for that?
Sanurian
Halo [b]Dasha[/b]
Unless things have changed, you can't get an [b]IDP[/b] at an RTA. They're issued by automobile clubs (NRMA, RACWA, etc.)
[quote]...I wont even bother the RTA in Melbourne here on future visits SB. I got the musac though!....do i need a licence for that?...[/quote]
Not with me you don't. Surprised you asked.
And don't forget that others on this forum probably haven't got a clue about what we're talking about. Not fair.
:D
Sanurian
Virtually all prices for motorbike/car "licences", are "negotiable" in Indonesia. Just like visa prices. Depends upon whom you know, who [b]they[/b] know, etc. Might not be "fair", but that's just how it is.
I, too, know of expats in Bali being charged [i]Rp[/i] 300,000/month for their motorbike licences. [i]Rp[/i] 200,000 for [b]five years[/b] on Lombok sounds too good to be true. If that's really the case, we can all wonder "how come"? Why the disparity?
I made some inquiries at a big police station in Denpasar a while ago regarding the price of a car licence here (and I have a "Retirement Kitas"). I forget exactly what they quoted me but I remember being appalled by the figure. I pointed out to them that I can and do have an [i]International Driving Permit[/i] from Australia and it costs me about [i]Rp[/i] 175,000/year. They were slightly bemused by this and told me I should make further overtures to the "new" Tourist Police HQ in Kerobakan.
The basic conclusion is this: Most "officials" will still try to bleed you for whatever you've got. Sad but true. Getting around that takes some dedication, foot-work, "contacts", etc, and you [i]might[/i] get a more realistic price for what you're after.
Fake [i]International Driving Permits[/i] are not exactly unknown. Stuffed if I know if I had one and got involved in an "accident". Definitely [b]not[/b] a good scenario.
And just to clear up one point that a lot of people don't seem to realise. An [i]International Driving Permit[/i] is [b]not[/b] an International Driving [b]Licence[/b]. It's a document that states you have a valid driving licence in your own country. No more, no less.
8)
SG
I've paid Rp350.000 per year for a drivers licence, no questions asked, but the set fee is actually, if the schedule at the POLDES is to be belived, RP75.000. The difference I was told allows you to get it in 1 hour rather than two days.
harimau
Hi, On our last visit to Bali we stayed for six months, and I took an International driving license which I bought from The AA in the UK.
I must have been very lucky because it wasn't stamped for motorbike use, but I got stopped by the police several times, and they didn't say anything and let me go on.
I thought that if you had a car license, you could drive a motorbike up to 125cc. I have a 125cc Jetmatic.
Is this wrong? Do I need a separate license for a motorbike?
Thanks, Stuart
Bert Vierstra
I had the same, but the officer that stopped me (6 years ago) was a bit smarter then yours.
50.000 rupiah got me going again.
froggy
Wow, social buaya doubled... alot for a family of 6.... And getting pulled over without a licence and giving a gratuity would be cheaper than that Mats!!!
matahari
One day when I was driving on bypass I was stopped by a young police and after he "gave me a ticket" due to the fact I did not have a licence he offered himself to take me to the policestation in denpasar and get a licence.. A few days later I went with him and I purchased a 3 month Motorbike licence for 300k Rp. It all went very smoothly, around 30 minutes and it was all done.
From what I`v heard it is possible to get a 5year on a social b, but it takes some connections and around 1.500m Rp.. But I guess even that is negotiable if having the right connections and the skill for it :)
matsaleh
[b]Re: RE: Cost of motorbike license in Bali?[/b]
[quote=froggy].... And getting pulled over without a licence and giving a gratuity would be cheaper than that Mats!!![/quote]
Yep froggy, you're probably right. Someone else also suggested this to me just recently, but I really can't be bothered negotiating with police officers.
matsaleh
[quote=FreoGirl]I've been having a discussion on another forum regarding motorbike licenses in Bali. [b]The poster is saying their friend, who is living in Bali, must pay Rp300,000 per month, renewable monthly at the same rate, for a 'tourist' motorbike license.[/b] [/quote]
Hi FreoGirl,
Regarding that discussion on the other forum; the person living in Bali who is referred to in those posts is me. I don't have a current motorcycle licence in Australia, so I couldn't obtain an international licence that included riding a bike.
During a chat with a tourist police officer in Kuta (introduced to me by a local friend), I was advised that I would have to renew my local licence [i]every month [/i]at a cost of Rp300K per month! The only way around this is to apply for KITAS. The charge is exhorbitant, I agree, but having to go to Kerobokan every thirty days to renew it is even more painful.
Oh, and by the way, if anyone is thinking of travelling to Bali on a sponsored Social Budaya which is valid for 6 months, the cost has now increased from April 1 to Rp550K per month, after the initial 2 month stay.
matahari
matsaleh.
300k per month?? that sounds abit much.. have they changed the fee or most recently or what? Cause when I hade it last year it was around 300k for three months.
FreoGirl
[quote=matsaleh][quote=FreoGirl]I've been having a discussion on another forum regarding motorbike licenses in Bali. [b]The poster is saying their friend, who is living in Bali, must pay Rp300,000 per month, renewable monthly at the same rate, for a 'tourist' motorbike license.[/b] [/quote]
Hi FreoGirl,
Regarding that discussion on the other forum; the person living in Bali who is referred to in those posts is me. I don't have a current motorcycle licence in Australia, so I couldn't obtain an international licence that included riding a bike.
During a chat with a tourist police officer in Kuta (introduced to me by a local friend), I was advised that I would have to renew my local licence [i]every month [/i]at a cost of Rp300K per month! The only way around this is to apply for KITAS. The charge is exhorbitant, I agree, but having to go to Kerobokan every thirty days to renew it is even more painful.
Oh, and by the way, if anyone is thinking of travelling to Bali on a sponsored Social Budaya which is valid for 6 months, the cost has now increased from April 1 to Rp550K per month, after the initial 2 month stay.[/quote]
Hi Mats
Wow, what a pain!
This whole discussion just once again highlights that there are no 'rules' in Bali - various people have quoted various rates. I'm used to having to pay more than locals, but obviously there is a big disparity between locals and expats when it comes to motorbike licenses. I double-checked and my step-daughter who got her license in Lombok a couple of months ago paid Rp220,000 for a 5 year license.
And the social budaya going up so much!! I was paying Rp200,000 per renewal (plus about Rp30,000 in incidentals like photos, the papers etc).
Good luck with getting the kitas.
Freo
matsaleh
[b]Re: RE: Cost of motorbike license in Bali?[/b]
[quote=matahari]matsaleh.
300k per month?? that sounds abit much.. have they changed the fee or most recently or what? Cause when I had it last year it was around 300k for three months.[/quote]
Hi Matahari,
You're correct; previously it was for 3 months. According to the police officer, the licence renewal was reduced to one month at the end of 2006. Between the costs of my visa and licence every month, it's becoming rather expensive to stay here.
FreoGirl
Mats, next time you are in Australia I definately recommend you get your motorbike license here, then get the one year international translation for about $20.
It's a good idea to have some formal training in riding a bike on the roads anyway. The process here for me was pretty quick as I knew how to ride already - so you get your permit (which is just the written test), do a couple of lessons with an instructor who knows what you will be tested on (emergency braking, road rules, road positions etc), then book in to do the practical test.
Has the cost of the kitas gone up?
Freo
Bert Vierstra
uhh Speedlimits?
Sanurian
[b]Allan:[/b]
[quote]...Riding a motorbike is far more dangerous than driving a car...[/quote]
Maybe riding a push-bike is more dangerous than a motorbike. Or even just walking. Especially at night when one encounters lots of local idiots driving and riding around with no lights. (Cars included.)
And let's not forget the growing numbers of children riding motorbikes...no licence, no helmets, no brains (probably their family's fault for letting them in the first place). No social conscience, I guess.
In built-up areas of Bali, it's a matter of eternal vigilance. Dodge this, dodge that, watch out for stray pigs, chickens and dogs, people on the wrong side of the road, broken traffic lights (optional if you're in a hurry), speeding thwarted lovers, drug-crazed and tired bus drivers, maniacal truck drivers...etc.
One other thing that gets me here is how nobody observes [i]the official speed limit[/i], any where! When was the last time you saw somebody getting pulled over for "speeding"? That begs the question: Why have "speed limits" if they're not enforced?
The idea of introducing speed cameras in Indonesia is currently being discussed. Some opponents point out that apart from not having enough money to implement such a system, it wouldn't work. Many people don't bother to up-date their registration papers (if they have them). Sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare to me, bound to fail. Unless, of course, these issues are addressed in meaningful ways. Whatever they are.
:(
