Smoking in Indonesia and, thus, Bali is a complicated thing. While the whole world seems to be trying to avoid smoking now, Indonesia is not.
In fact, Indonesia is one of the very few places on Earth where smoking is on the rise rather than the decline!
76% of Indonesian adult men are smokers. 30% of Indonesian kids under the age of 10 have smoked!
In short, this country is a paradise for the tobacco companies and the healthcare facilities are far busier than they need to be.
Here’s everything you need to know about Bali and smoking and how to ensure that if you must smoke in Bali, you stay safe while you do so.
Cigarettes In Indonesia
Cigarettes and tobacco products are ubiquitous on the island and while local smokers tend to smoke “kretek” (a cigarette that includes cloves as well as tobacco) you can find a wide range of smoking products designed to appeal to every kind of smoker here.
Tobacco products are cheap with a pack of cigarettes fetching as little as a couple of Australian dollars.
The Legal Age For Smoking In Bali
The legal age for smoking in Indonesia is 18. However, this is rarely enforced and children are often seen smoking here.
Famously, a two-year-old child in Indonesia received international attention for being a heavy smoker. We are pleased to point out that this story has a happy ending and the child has now given up smoking.
Black Market CigarettesÂ
Bali has long been a haven for black market cigarettes which are even cheaper than the cigarettes that you can buy in the stores here.
However, we would point out that these cigarettes are dangerous and are not subject to any quality control – you may end up with heavy metal poisoning or smoking rat droppings if you buy cigarettes from untrustworthy sources.
The “Public Smoking Ban”
And while, officially, as with many countries the consumption of cigarettes in public places and on public transport services is banned, in reality very few public areas are smoke-free zones.
The penalty if you are caught breaking the smoking regulations is a massive 50,000 IDR fine (that’s about $3 USD or $5 AUD) and while potentially you could be sentenced to three months in jail too, this doesn’t appear to have ever happened in practice.
You will find, however, that most people don’t smoke in front of pregnant women and most people don’t smoke while they drive (it’s a criminal offence to smoke while driving in Indonesia).
Smoking And The Airport
If you visit Ngurah Rai International Airport you will find that it’s still one of the very few airports in the world with designated smoke lounges, which is good because it means that there are smoke-free zones in the rest of the airport.
Public awareness of the problems with smoking here is next to zero and even with local communities adding community support to try and improve compliance with public health protections – the reality is that it’s a long, uphill battle for Indonesia to become smoke-free like other countries.
Where To Find No Smoking Areas
You can, however, find smoke-free areas frequented by high-end tourists and most of the major hotel chains, shopping malls, etc. are no smoking areas though they probably all have some space allotted for those who like to smoke.
Most hospitals and other medical facility centres are completely non-smoking and are one of the few places where smoking regulations might actually be enforced.
Smoking In Forbidden Places In Bali
However, you can often see people smoking in places that are entirely inappropriate such as recreation areas, children’s playgrounds, and even in designated areas meant for non-smokers in restaurants, cafes, bars, next to gas bottles, etc.
Complaining about this is not likely to result in people putting out their cigarettes, either.
E-Cigarettes & Vapes In Indonesia
Technically, vaping is illegal in the regulations laid out around smoking here and it’s banned everywhere not just in public places.
However, as with the awareness campaigns, this law has been utterly unsuccessful in stemming the use of vapes.
Bringing Your Vape To Bali
In theory, you might be stopped bringing in a vape at the airport but in reality, the worst punishment you face is the confiscation of a vape but, normally, they’re simply ignored and most tourists who vape bring in their own vape without issue.
They may be “strictly prohibited” but the reality is that there are vape shops all over Bali and Indonesia and the products are sold in plain sight just like tobacco products in the supermarket.
We warn you that many of the vape products here in Bali, particularly those sold by street or beach vendors are entirely unregulated.
That means the chemicals they contain may be far more dangerous than those in standard tobacco products and yes, that means tobacco smoking might be healthier than using your vape here.
Shisha And Bali
You can find shisha products and shisha lounges all over Bali. We’ve got a list of the best shisha lounges in Bali.
However, shisha isn’t the cheapest habit on the island and it tends to appeal more to visitors than to locals.
Cigars And Bali
You can buy cigars legally in Bali and there are even some local cigar brands that you can try, though they’re not on a par with Cuban cigars, they are usually much cheaper.
We have a range of good cigars on hand at FINNS Beach Club.
Note: We have to stress that FINNS Beach Club doesn’t endorse smoking. While we recognize that many of our guests will smoke, we’d encourage you to quit as soon as you are able to do so – it’s just not good for you and we’d like you to live as long and healthy a life as possible.
We would also stress that cigarette butts, cigar butts, single-use vapes, etc. are all polluting materials and it would be best if you disposed of them in a bin rather than discarding them in the streets. It can take a decade or more for these things to biodegrade.
FAQs
Are Cigarettes Banned In Bali?
No. Cigarettes are entirely legal in Bali and the greater Indonesian archipelago.
In fact, Indonesia has the highest rate of adult smoking in the world and the most relaxed attitude towards smoking of any nation on Earth.
Indonesia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) has the third-highest total number of smokers in the world after China and India.
Cigarette packets do come with health warnings but the smoking culture is such that these warnings are pretty much entirely ignored.
The whole nation consists of smokers and passive smokers (whether they want to be or not) and smoking prevalence means that you can buy cigarettes in pretty much any corner store or supermarket.
There is no plain packaging for cigarettes in Bali and while the official legal age to buy cigarettes in Indonesian smoking regulations is 18, the reality is that you will find that even children under 10 are caught smoking in public all the time.
You will find that smoke-free zones are something of a rarity and that cigarette butts litter nearly every street, particularly near places selling cigarettes.
Can You Smoke In Restaurants In Indonesia?
Officially? No. In fact, it’s been illegal to smoke in restaurants in Bali since 2012 and it’s against the law in much of the rest of the country too.
In practice? You will find that as soon as you arrive at Bali airport there are restaurants acting as designated smoke lounges and that while other restaurants may have no smoking signage installed, they are rarely smoke-free zones.
Apart from in the high-end restaurants associated with Bali’s upmarket and upscale resorts – smoking is very common in restaurants here in Bali.
Secondhand smoke is a fact of life and there’s no point in complaining about it, people won’t even understand why you’re upset in most places.
Fortunately, this law also applies to public transport services and you will find that the smoking laws are upheld in most public transport except for the occasional taxi if the driver smokes (which is relatively rare).
Can I Bring A Vape To Bali?
Officially? No, you can’t bring a vape to Bali. It’s technically illegal to vape in Indonesia.
However, as with other smoking laws here, government authorities don’t tend to enforce the restrictions imposed on vaping.
You may find that if you’re caught with a vape at customs, it will be confiscated and disposed of.
However, the vast majority of users visiting Bali will simply be waved into the country with their vape.
And if your vape is confiscated? You can find a vape shop on every street corner in Bali – often near hospitals and other medical facility centres, ironically.
We would strongly urge you to avoid buying vape materials from street vendors though, and not because of smoking laws, but because there’s no quality control over these products and some of them are far more dangerous to your health than tobacco smoking could ever be.
How Much Is A Packet Of Cigarettes In Bali?
The price of a packet of cigarettes varies based on the brand you want but the better-known Western brands are roughly $2 USD ($3 AUD) for a packet of 20 cigarettes.
If you’re not fussy about what you smoke, then you can buy packets of cigarettes here for as little as $1.40 USD or $2 AUD.
Can You Import Cigarettes To Bali?
You are allowed to bring up to 200 cigarettes per adult over the age of 18 into Bali.
If you bring in more than this you may have the excess number of cigarettes confiscated or be required to pay duty on them.
However, given how cheap cigarettes are at the airport on arrival, it’s usually cheaper to buy them here rather than picking them up in Australia or other Western nations.
Final Thoughts On Tobacco Control And Tobacco Smoking, Bali
Smoking regulations in Bali are very similar to those in most of the rest of the world, though they’re not as strict as they are in New Zealand or Australia.
However, they’re rarely enforced and the penalties (except for ignoring the no-smoking signage installed at Bali airport) for contravening these laws are minimal.
Tobacco companies love Indonesia and it’s one of the few places on the planet where smoking remains common.
