Age of Consent in Indonesia

Under the Criminal Code in force since 2 January 2026, anyone under 18 is a child (Article 150), and the Child Protection Law draws the same line. Sex with a child counts as rape and carries up to 12 years in prison, or up to 15 years if force is used (Article 473, as amended by Law No. 1 of 2026). Hukumonline, Indonesia's leading legal publication, reads the amended article the same way (Hukumonline). A child's agreement is no defence: even consensual sex with a child is still rape (Hukumonline).

There's no close-in-age exception: the rule applies to everyone, whatever their age (Law No. 1 of 2026). Suspects aged 12 to 17 go through the juvenile justice system (Law No. 11 of 2012, Article 1), which only diverts cases out of court for offences punishable by less than seven years (Article 7).

The new code replaced the Dutch-era code on 2 January 2026 (Jakarta Globe).

For anything paid, the line is the same 18, but there's no single offence for it: several laws apply at once. Giving or promising a gift to get a child into an obscene act carries up to nine years (Criminal Code, Article 417). Connecting or helping someone else to have sex with a child carries up to seven years (Article 419). These articles, like Article 415, cover anyone 'known or reasonably suspected' to be a child.

The Child Protection Law bans the sexual exploitation of a child, with up to ten years (Articles 76I and 88). The Sexual Violence Crimes Law punishes sexual exploitation, including through payment, with up to 15 years, and a third more when the victim is a child (Article 15).

Since 2 January 2026, sex between people who aren't married to each other carries up to one year in prison (Criminal Code, Article 411). Police can act only on a complaint from the spouse of a married person, or the parent or child of an unmarried one, and the complaint can be withdrawn before trial. Living together as a couple outside marriage carries up to six months, under the same complaint rule (Article 412).

Bali follows the same national code as the rest of Indonesia, because it applies to anyone on Indonesian territory (Article 4). ECPAT Indonesia warned in September 2025 that many children in Bali are vulnerable to exploitation in tourism (Antara Bali).

Your own country's law travels with you. A US citizen or permanent resident who pays anyone under 18 for sex abroad, or commits a sexual act with someone under 18 that would be a federal sex crime on US federal territory, faces up to 30 years in US federal prison (18 U.S.C. § 2423). The Justice Department says the reason for the trip doesn't matter (US Department of Justice).

A UK national who does something abroad that would be a listed sexual offence in England and Wales is guilty of it there, even if it was legal where it happened (Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 72). Paying for sex with anyone under 18 is one of those offences (section 47). Canadian citizens and permanent residents who commit a listed sexual offence abroad against anyone under 18 are treated as if they did it in Canada (Criminal Code, section 7). That includes paying for sex with anyone under 18, which carries up to 14 years and at least six months for a first offence (section 286.1).

Australia draws its line at 16. Its citizens and residents face up to 25 years for sex with a child under 16 anywhere outside Australia, and sex with a 16- or 17-year-old is covered when the adult is in a position of trust or authority, such as their employer (Criminal Code Act 1995, Division 272).

Indonesia coordinates with foreign governments to deny entry to known child sex offenders, the US State Department reports (2026 Trafficking in Persons report). In January 2024 Bali immigration deported a Japanese man after he served five years for molesting children at a Denpasar preschool, and put him on the entry ban list (Republika).

Alcohol may only be sold to customers aged 21 or over who show an ID card to the staff (Kontan, on Trade Minister Regulation No. 20 of 2014). Immigration acts on paid sex too: in September 2026 Bali immigration detained 13 foreigners over suspected prostitution, and they face deportation and a five-year entry ban (Antara).

Indonesia is rated Tier 2 in the US State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons report, which says commercial child sexual exploitation by foreigners is prevalent in tourist areas (2026 Trafficking in Persons report). The women and child protection ministry's SAPA 129 service takes reports by phone on 129 or by WhatsApp on 08111-129-129 (SAPA 129). In an emergency, call the police on 110 (UK travel advice). From the US, you can also report suspected child sex tourism to NCMEC's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or on 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day (NCMEC).