Is Prostitution Legal in Indonesia?

Indonesia's new Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023) took effect on 2 January 2026, replacing the Dutch-era code (Jakarta Globe). As Indonesia's leading legal publication Hukumonline points out, it doesn't make selling or buying sex a crime in itself. Three national rules cover the ground instead. Sex outside marriage carries up to a year in prison. Police can act on it only after a complaint from the spouse of a married person, or the parent or child of an unmarried one (Article 411). Living together as a couple outside marriage carries up to six months, under the same complaint rule (Article 412). Connecting or facilitating someone else's 'obscene acts', which covers pimping, carries up to two years (Article 420), and a third more when it's done for a living (Article 421).

The local layer is often stricter. Many regions have their own bylaws (perda). Jakarta's 2007 public-order bylaw, for example, bans both being a sex worker and using a sex worker's services (Article 42).

Nightclubs, bars, karaoke and spas are licensed tourism businesses under the Tourism Law, Article 14. The risk comes from what happens inside. Jakarta revoked the Alexis hotel's business licence over alleged prostitution in 2018 (Jakarta Post). In May 2026 it pulled two West Jakarta venues' permits after a drug case, saying it has no tolerance for tourism businesses involved in illegal activity (Antara).

The Pornography Law (Law No. 44 of 2008) also bans offering or advertising sexual services (Article 4). In Bali, police and immigration have raided villas and hotels over online sex work. In May 2026 three foreign women on tourist visas were detained (Jakarta Post).

The new code applies to foreigners as well as Indonesians, but the complaint rule matters a lot. Only a spouse, parent or child can start a case under Articles 411 or 412. When the code passed in 2022, Deputy Justice Minister Edward Hiariej said foreign tourists 'cannot be charged with these articles' for that reason (Jakarta Globe). In January 2026 the tourism industry association said the complaint rule had eased its worries (Jakarta Post).

Immigration is the faster route. The Immigration Law (Law No. 6 of 2011) lets officers deport and blacklist foreigners suspected of endangering public order or not respecting Indonesian law (Article 75). In September 2026, Bali immigration detained 13 foreigners over suspected prostitution, and they face deportation and a five-year entry ban (Antara). The same month, an Australian man was deported with a 10-year ban over a public sex act in North Kuta (Antara).

Under Indonesian law, anyone under 18 is a child (Criminal Code, Article 150). Sex with a child is treated as rape, with up to 15 years in prison (Article 473). The Child Protection Law (Law No. 35 of 2014) draws the same under-18 line. In practice the age of consent is 18, and for unmarried adults sex is itself an offence on complaint (Article 411). The minimum age to marry is 19 for both sexes (Law No. 16 of 2019).

Indonesia is rated Tier 2 in the US State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons report. The report says commercial child sexual exploitation by foreigners is prevalent in tourist areas. Signs worth acting on: a child in a bar, someone who can't leave, or someone being offered by a third party. The women and child protection ministry's SAPA 129 service takes reports by phone on 129 or by WhatsApp on 08111-129-129. In an emergency, call the police on 110.