Will Indonesia’s ban on sex outside marriage apply to tourists in Bali?

Indonesia’s government banned extramarital sex in a new criminal code implemented recently. The new rules prohibit sex outside marriage for both domestic and overseas individuals. The laws which will be in force in three years will make it illegal to have sex outside of marriage and put offenders at risk of a prison term of up to a year.

The new law has drawn mixed reactions and there are several questions around it, including the concern around its applicability to tourists going for vacations to popular Indonesian holiday destination Bali.

Will Indonesia’s ban on sex outside marriage apply to tourists in Bali?

Calming nerves, the governor of Bali Island has said that the new sex ban does not put tourists at any risk. Bali governor Wayan Koster has said that travellers ‘would not need to worry’ regarding the changes due to Indonesia’s new criminal code.

There have been concerns that Indonesia's new criminal code may deter tourists from thronging the exotic beaches of Bali. Koster reassured visitors to the island, highlighting that prosecution of an individual can be done only if a spouse, child or parent files a complaint.

The Bali governor said that the criminal code provisions on the extramarital sex ban have been tweaked to make it less stringent in order to provide a “better guarantee” of the privacy and comfort of everyone. 

He added that the government in Bali will ensure that marital status is not checked when checking in to tourist accommodations like hotels, guest houses, lodges, spas, villas and apartments.

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