Guide · For crews from abroad
Filming in Bali
Permits, visas, drones, customs and locations: what a foreign crew needs to shoot in Bali, from a team that does it.
Three things, in this order.
Coming to Bali to shoot from abroad? You need a film permit for foreign productions, then C14 film visas for your crew, then permission for the places you want to film.
Start 8–10 weeks before your shoot. On paper the permit takes 7 working days. In practice it takes 4–8 weeks, on our shoots too.
The film permit
Foreign productions need a location permit for filming by foreign parties, issued by Indonesia's Ministry of Culture. The rules are set out in Permendikbud 48/2018.
A local partner
The application goes through an Indonesian film company registered with a TDUP, a film business registration. We'll sort that side for you.
What goes in
Your company profile; the crew list with roles, CVs and passport copies; your partner's TDUP; the schedule, the locations and the equipment list; a cooperation agreement; and a signed statement that you'll respect local laws and customs.
Where it's filed
Through an Indonesian embassy or consulate in your country, which passes it on to the ministry.
How long
The regulation says 7 working days once the file is complete. In practice it's 4–8 weeks, because the review passes between ministries. That's what it has taken on our own shoots.
Changes
If a location or a date changes, the ministry needs written notice at least 7 working days before you shoot there.
Visas for your crew
The C14 is Indonesia's visit visa for film production. It covers feature films, music videos, documentaries, reality shows, and TV and radio programmes.
Who applies
Your Indonesian sponsor, through the official eVisa site, evisa.imigrasi.go.id. We arrange the sponsorship through our partner.
What it needs
A passport valid for at least six months, three months of bank statements, and the filming permit for your locations. That's why the permit comes first.
How long you can stay
Up to 60 days at first, extendable to 180 days in total. It's single entry, and you have 90 days from issue to use it.
Processing
5 working days after payment.
The catch
C14 holders can't be paid by anyone in Indonesia.
A tourist visa or a visa on arrival doesn't cover filming, and immigration does check. In April 2024 two Korean TV producers were deported and blacklisted for shooting a reality show in Bali on tourist visas without the film permit. In April 2025 a crew in Batam had their location permit but the wrong visas, and nine of them were deported.
Bringing your kit
ATA Carnet
Indonesia has accepted carnets since February 2015, and customs has said they can be used for film production. KADIN Indonesia issues and guarantees them. Expect the kit to be inspected.
Through the permit
The film permit also covers bringing your equipment in temporarily, so the equipment list in your application matters. Keep the serial numbers handy.
Or travel light
We have a cinema camera, a drone and a crew in Bali, and we've brought visiting crews' kit through customs before.
Drones
Commercial drone work in Bali needs permissions. We've done them before, and we fly our own drone.
Conservation areas charge a Rp 2,000,000 drone fee on top of the shooting fee. Ngurah Rai airport sits at the south of the island, near Kuta, Jimbaran and the Bukit, so aerials around there need extra planning.
Locations
There's no separate Bali film permit: the national permit and C14 visas apply here as anywhere in Indonesia. Particular places set their own rules.
Conservation areas
BKSDA Bali manages Batukau, Buyan-Tamblingan, Sangeh, Batur and Penelokan. Foreign productions pay Rp 20,000,000 per project for ads, music videos, films and reality shows, plus Rp 2,000,000 for a drone, and need a Simaksi entry permit arranged in advance. A shoot was cancelled in February 2026 for lack of one. We've filmed in these areas and arranged the Simaksi.
Temples
Ask the temple and the village, the desa adat or banjar, and expect to make a donation. Dress codes and ceremonies come first. We've filmed at temples and know how to ask.
Beaches, clubs and villas
Private venues and beach clubs set their own terms. Book them like any location, with a location agreement.
Dates to plan around
Nyepi
The Day of Silence, usually in March. Bali shuts down for 24 hours: the airport closes, nobody goes outside, and village patrols, the pecalang, enforce it. In 2026 the airport closed for 24 hours from 6am on 19 March. Check the date before you book flights.
Temple ceremonies
Galungan, Kuningan and temple anniversaries keep temples and villages busy. Plan temple shoots around them.
The timeline
10 weeks out
Brief us: dates, locations, crew list and kit list.
8–10 weeks out
The permit application goes in through the embassy.
4–8 weeks later
The permit comes through. The C14 visas, the Simaksi and the location permissions go in.
1–2 weeks out
Visas issued, about 5 working days after payment.
The shoot
We're with you from the airport to the wrap.
That's our estimate, from our own permit times and the visa processing time, not an official schedule.
How we help
We're a film production team in Canggu, and we've shot all over Bali: beaches, clifftops, rice fields, temples, villas and volcanoes.
We handle the film permit and your crew's visas with our partners, get you into temples and conservation areas, sort the drone permissions, bring your kit through customs, and give you a producer, a crew and kit on the ground.
Questions
Can I film in Bali on a tourist visa?
No. Commercial filming by a foreign crew needs the film permit and C14 visas. Crews filming on tourist visas have been deported.
How long does a film permit for Bali take?
Plan on 4–8 weeks, which is what it has taken on our shoots. The regulation says 7 working days once the file is complete, but the review takes longer in practice.
Do I need an Indonesian partner?
Yes. Foreign productions apply through an Indonesian film company with a TDUP registration. We'll sort that side for you.
Can I fly a drone in Bali?
Yes, with the right permissions for commercial work. We sort them and fly our own drone. Conservation areas charge an extra Rp 2 million drone fee.
What does it cost to film in a Bali conservation area?
Rp 20 million per project for a foreign production, plus Rp 2 million for a drone, and you need a Simaksi entry permit arranged in advance.
When can't you film in Bali?
On Nyepi, the Day of Silence, usually in March. The whole island stops for 24 hours and the airport closes.
Sources
Checked Nov 2026- Permendikbud 48/2018, location permits for filming by foreign parties: pasal.id
- Yang & Co, Location permits for filmmaking in Indonesia by foreign parties (2019): yangandco.com
- Directorate General of Immigration, the C14 visa: imigrasi.go.id
- Indonesia eVisa, frequently asked questions: evisa.imigrasi.go.id
- The Jakarta Post, Korean nationals deported for illegal TV shoot in Bali (April 2024): thejakartapost.com
- Batam News Asia, Foreign film crew deported over visa violation (April 2025): batamnewsasia.com
- Ministry of Finance, PMK 228/PMK.04/2014 on the ATA Carnet: jdih.kemenkeu.go.id
- DDTC News, customs on ATA Carnets for film production (2026): news.ddtc.co.id
- WKO, Carnet ATA in Indonesia: wko.at
- Antara Bali, BKSDA Bali on entry permits for conservation areas (February 2026): bali.antaranews.com
- Antara, Bali airport's 24-hour suspension for Nyepi (2026): en.antaranews.com
Contact
Go ahead, SHŌ off.
Tell us what you're planning.
Or email film@sho.media.
Our production team answers every message, and our director builds every quote. We shoot across Asia, from Jakarta and Singapore to Hong Kong.
