Sep 20, 2011
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0
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Australia
I will move to Lombok in a few months. I will eventually get a spouse sponsored visa I hope. I assume I won't be able to get a license until my visa is completed. I have an intl. license but it is not for a motor bike. Only a car. In order to get stamp on my intl license I need to be licensed for motorcycle operation here in the U.S. I don't have access to a bike here for the test and am really not too interested in going to all the trouble. So...my question is; Do you think the police are aware that the intl. license requires a stamp for motorbike operation? Think I can get away with the auto license only?

I am not sure about the Police.. however I would be more concerned about if you were in an accident and not being covered by insurance.
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
3
36
Panji, Singaraja.
scan your Int license....crop save the stamp part...paste onto motorlicense area....print....make a black and white copy....Done.
won't work though with the insurance part if, no.. when you get involved in a accident.
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
3
36
Panji, Singaraja.
yeah...that's why you make a black and white copy :icon_wink:
some foreigners on a sosbud walk around with a copy of their passport, with that in mind I think showing a copy of a IDP would be okey too.
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
1,414
88
48
Sanur
Stupid "advice"

If or when you're involved in a serious accident, (irrespective of whose "fault" it was), carrying a fake licence will only make a bad situation much worse.
Getting a local licence can be challenging (and expensive), but explaining why you don't have one to a bunch of irate cops, (rubbing their hands in glee), at the police station is not a fun way to spend the rest of the day.
I leave it to your imagination if somebody was seriously injured or killed.

Even a minor accident will put you in the police sights (if they're called) and will cost far more than the licence in the first place.
Definitely not the way to go, unless you love problems big-time!

:icon_evil:
 

gilbert de jong

Active Member
Jan 20, 2009
3,198
3
36
Panji, Singaraja.
If or when you're involved in a serious accident, (irrespective of whose "fault" it was), carrying a fake licence will only make a bad situation much worse.
Getting a local licence can be challenging (and expensive), but explaining why you don't have one to a bunch of irate cops, (rubbing their hands in glee), at the police station is not a fun way to spend the rest of the day.
I leave it to your imagination if somebody was seriously injured or killed.

Even a minor accident will put you in the police sights (if they're called) and will cost far more than the licence in the first place.
Definitely not the way to go, unless you love problems big-time!

:icon_evil:

just as stupid as a stupid man does :highly_amused:
For someone who has no insurance, I think someone like that (with all due respect to Tom),
doesn't think that far ahead to an extend to what problems can occur when getting involved in an accident.
 

tom

Member
Sep 27, 2009
87
0
6
CA. USA
No offense taken Gilbert. I am not aware of anyone on Lombok who carries Motorbike insurance. This would be a good time for Gemma to speak up.It could be just that..."I'm not aware". I understand that being bule makes one a target for "opportunity". That is one reason I choose not to operate a car except for short distances in areas with little traffic. I figure I am less likely to inflict great bodily harm with just a bike. I know it happens. My wife's uncle was just killed a month ago in a low speed accident with a pregnant lady. Thankfully she wasn't seriously injured. Bike to bike accident. No helmet. What is the general cost of said insurance and is it any good. Btw Gilbert you are much more diplomatic in your observations than some people I've read on this site.
 

motormouth

Member
Aug 29, 2009
213
0
16
Canggu
Why get a license...30% of the drivers here dont have one... I haven't bothered for years.
What with 10 year olds riding to school ....why bother...it's cowboy town.
 

balibule

Active Member
Feb 6, 2009
1,059
1
38
Why get a license...30% of the drivers here dont have one... I haven't bothered for years.
What with 10 year olds riding to school ....why bother...it's cowboy town.

Hi Motormouth. The problem is when you have a serious accident. If you don't have a valid drivers license, you will be in fault, regardless whether you caused the accident or not. Just imagine there are casualties and you will be in big troubles.
 

motormouth

Member
Aug 29, 2009
213
0
16
Canggu
You will still be at fault here in most cases that l have seen/heard of.
Logic here is not a word, when it comes to sorting out traffic related issues.
Even when l had a license here, 1 time a fool came straight of a lane and ran into my car my on the side, he fell off, me, l just kept going.
I have had 1 accident in 38 years of driving, 0 here in 10 years, license or not , the stats say it is very unlikely to happen again before l choof off.
 

Seybo

New Member
Apr 17, 2012
6
0
1
Kuta
and is it possible to get International License here (on motorbike) with ordinary visa (№211), not KITAS?
 

matsaleh

Super Moderator
May 26, 2004
2,471
145
63
Legian, Bali
You must get an International Driving Permit in your own country before you arrive.

If not, on 211 Visa you will need to apply for a Tourist License, valid for one month only and renewable every month.
 

jennmark

New Member
Oct 12, 2012
15
0
1
Apparently the monthly Bali license for those without Kitas is 250,000 per month. Definitely sounds like getting a license at home then an International Driver's Permit is the most sensible way to go (though we are yet to go down that route ourselves - will start on getting our motorbike licenses this year at home me thinks).
 

hmbphd

Member
Mar 31, 2012
34
0
6
It's my understanding that the international driver's permit is really just a "translation" of your driver's license. I've heard of many a tourist/ expat having these documents questioned and even rejected by traffic cops who are really just looking for a way to make a couple hundred easy rupiah.

Somehow the university where I volunteer (who also helped me with the social visa) got me a moto driver's license for a year for $75 US. That seemed steep to me, but much cheaper than Rp 250,000 per month for the tourist license. So if volunteering here is at all part of your plan, it pays to ask around about how to get that license rather than the tourist one.

That said, if you want to start driving right away when you get here you should definitely go through with the international permit to be safe. Agreed with all here - the risk of being held liable for an accident even when not at fault is HUGE and just not worth it.

Good luck!
 

tintin

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2005
2,305
34
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Boston, MA, USA
motormouth wrote: Even when l had a license here, 1 time a fool came straight of a lane and ran into my car my on the side, he fell off, me, l just kept going.

Good for you, motormouth, but I don't know what stats you are talking about. Maybe you could enlighten us, so we all can profit from your knowledge? And I also appreciated what a nice human being you must be, running away after an accident that, you say, you didn't provoked.
 
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tintin

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2005
2,305
34
48
23
Boston, MA, USA
I've heard of many a tourist/ expat having these documents questioned and even rejected by traffic cops who are really just looking for a way to make a couple hundred easy rupiah. I've heard of many a tourist/ expat having these documents questioned and even rejected by traffic cops who are really just looking for a way to make a couple hundred easy rupiah.

The idea of having a valid driver license is not to get the problems resulting from an accident compounded. For any traffic infraction (real of fictitious),the fact of not having a driver license will guarantee you having to pay a bribe, that's for sure. As for what you've "heard from many tourists/expat," it's just another urban legend compounded by newbies.:icon_lol:
 
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