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Due Diligence Before Buying Property in Bali: 2026 Checklist
Before any money moves, check four things — the land title, what the land may be used for, the building permits and the deal itself — through your own notary, not the seller’s.
Published 21 September 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026 · Rules checked 13 October 2026 · 12 min read
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The order that matters
Most failed purchases in Bali fail on something knowable. The sequence below is ordered by how expensive the surprise is, not by how easy the check is.
- Certificate authenticity and the registered owner’s identity, verified at the land office (BPN) — not the photocopy an agent hands you.
- Zoning: green belt, residential, tourism, or protected farmland (LP2B), whose conversion Bali’s Perda 4/2026 puts under tighter provincial control.
- Encumbrances: is the certificate pledged against a loan (Hak Tanggungan)?
- Legal access: a right of way in the title, with a usable width.
- Boundaries: a fresh survey, not the fence line. Fences move.
- Water: source, yield, and whether a well is permitted.
- Outstanding land and building tax (PBB): arrears attach to the land, and an unpaid balance left unresolved at completion becomes the buyer’s problem.
- For anything already built: the building permit (PBG, which replaced the old IMB in 2021) and confirmation that what stands matches what was approved.
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Check 1: the land title
The title check answers one question: does the person selling hold the right they are selling, free of claims, over the land you have seen?
| Check | What to ask for | Who checks it | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| The certificate is genuine and matches the land office record | A copy of the certificate (sertipikat), with its number and land office | Your PPAT, by a formal check at the land office before the deed | PP 24/1997 on land registration; ATR/BPN Regulation 3/1997 art 97 |
| The seller is the registered holder, or has written authority to sell | The seller’s ID card (KTP), family card and marriage certificate; a notarised power of attorney if someone signs for them | PPAT | Law 1/1974 on marriage, art 36: joint marital property needs both spouses |
| No mortgage or court seizure is registered | The land office check result, in writing | PPAT | Law 4/1996 on Hak Tanggungan |
| The right and its term fit your structure | The right on the certificate (Hak Milik, HGB, Hak Pakai) and, for HGB or Hak Pakai, its expiry date | PPAT; your own lawyer for the structure | PP 18/2021 on land rights |
| Boundaries and area match the ground | The survey map attached to the certificate (surat ukur); a fresh survey for land | Land office or a licensed surveyor (KJSB) | PP 24/1997 |
Check 2: permitted use and zoning
Zoning is set by spatial plans: the province’s, the regency’s (RTRW), and, where one exists, the regency’s detailed plan (RDTR), which is the one that names a plot’s zone. A plan says what may be built; it is not a permit to build it.
| Check | What to ask for | Who checks it | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| The plot’s zone allows the use you plan — a home, a rental villa, or holding land | The zone for this plot from the RDTR, or the RTRW where there is no RDTR; a KKPR confirmation of the planned use | You, as a first screen on the Bhumi or GISTARU maps; then the regency spatial planning office (Dinas PUPR) or a planning consultant | Law 26/2007 on spatial planning, as amended by Law 6/2023; PP 21/2021; Bali Perda 2/2023 (provincial spatial plan 2023–2043) |
| The land is not protected farmland (LP2B) or green belt | Written confirmation of the land’s classification | Regency agriculture and spatial planning offices; your PPAT | Law 41/2009 on sustainable food farmland; Bali Perda 4/2026 |
| The plot is outside coastal, river and temple setbacks | The distance from the high-tide line, rivers and temples, and the setback that applies | Regency spatial planning office | The provincial and regency spatial plans; Bali Governor Regulation 24/2020 on protecting lakes, springs, rivers and the sea |
| Legal road access of usable width | The access shown on the certificate’s survey map, or a registered easement | PPAT; land office survey | PP 24/1997 (the parcel as registered) |
Check 3: building permits, PBG and SLF
Since 2021 a building needs two documents: the PBG (building approval, which replaced the IMB) before it is built, and the SLF (certificate of fitness for function) before it is used. Both are issued by the regency through SIMBG, the national building-permit system.
| Check | What to ask for | Who checks it | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| The building had approval to be built | The PBG, or the pre-2021 IMB, with its approved drawings | The regency office that issued it, through SIMBG | PP 16/2021 on buildings: PBG before construction (art 253) |
| The building may lawfully be used | The SLF | The regency office, through SIMBG | PP 16/2021: SLF before use (art 274) |
| What stands matches what was approved | The approved drawings, compared on site: floors, footprint, use | A building surveyor or engineer you appoint | PP 16/2021; sanctions run from written warnings to demolition orders |
| A rental villa holds its business licences | The business identification number (NIB) and the licence for accommodation | The OSS system; your lawyer | PP 28/2025 on risk-based business licensing |
| Off-plan: the project has its PBG | The PBG number and the land title the project sits on | PPAT; the regency office | PP 16/2021 |
Check 4: the deal
The last set of checks is about the people and the paper: who you pay, through whom, when, and what the contract promises.
| Check | What to ask for | Who checks it | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your notary is a licensed PPAT you chose | Full name, appointment decree number and working area | You: a notary on the AHU portal (ahu.go.id), a PPAT on ATR/BPN’s Sentuh Tanahku app or at the land office | PP 37/1998 on PPATs, as amended by PP 24/2016 |
| Land and building tax (PBB) is paid up | The recent years’ PBB bills (SPPT) and proof of payment | Regency revenue office (Bapenda) | Law 1/2022 on regional taxes |
| Transfer taxes are paid before the deed | Proof of the buyer’s BPHTB and the seller’s 2.5% final income tax | PPAT, who signs the deed only once both are paid | Law 1/2022; PP 34/2016 |
| A lease protects you | Years remaining, the extension price or formula, the right to sublet and assign, and what happens on a sale | Your own lawyer, not the seller’s agent | Civil Code arts 1548–1600, including art 1576 |
| Money moves only after the checks, in rupiah | A conditional sale agreement that refunds the deposit if a check fails | Your lawyer and PPAT | Law 7/2011 on currency, art 21; Bank Indonesia Regulation 17/3/PBI/2015 |
| No nominee anywhere in the structure | Whose name goes on the certificate or the lease | You and your lawyer | Basic Agrarian Law art 26(2); Bali Perda 4/2026 |
Who actually verifies each check
Not all of these run through the same office, and knowing which one saves time chasing the wrong document.
| Check | Who verifies it | Can you screen it yourself first? |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate authenticity & owner identity | Licensed PPAT, at the land office | No — needs land office access |
| Zoning / agricultural restriction | Local spatial plan (RTRW/RDTR), OSS-RBA | Yes, as a first screen |
| Encumbrances (Hak Tanggungan) | PPAT, from the certificate itself | No |
| Outstanding PBB | Regency Bapenda (revenue office) | Yes, with the certificate details |
What you can reasonably check yourself
Two of these do not require a licensed professional. Bhumi, ATR/BPN’s public portal at bhumi.atrbpn.go.id, lets anyone search a plot and see its basic registration status without visiting a land office in person — a useful early screen, not proof of a clean title, since it does not surface encumbrances, disputes, or whether the seller matches the registered owner.
Zoning can similarly be checked against the local spatial plan before you engage anyone, and since Perda 4/2026 it is worth confirming a plot is not protected farmland (LP2B) before getting attached to it. Title verification itself — the identity match, the encumbrance check — still has to go through a licensed PPAT with land office access.
A dated example: the Bingin demolitions, July 2025
On 21 July 2025 Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, and the regent of Badung, Wayan Adi Arnawa, began demolishing 48 buildings — villas, hotels, homestays and restaurants — at Bingin beach in Pecatu, on the Bukit peninsula (detik.com, 21 July 2025). The governor said the buildings stood on land owned by the Badung regency government, not private land, and the regent said owners had received three written warnings. Metro TV (23 July 2025) reported the legal basis as the coastal-zone law, Law 27/2007, and Bali Governor Regulation 24/2020, which bars building on coastal setbacks and cliffs.
These were operating tourist businesses. Trading for years answers none of the questions that mattered: who held the land, whether the zone allowed a building there at all, and whether the building had a permit. Those are checks 1, 2 and 3 above, and each has a document behind it.
What listings tell you, and what they do not
A listing is an agent’s description, not a document. Read it for what it claims, then ask for the paper behind each claim.
- ‘Freehold’ offered to a foreigner: ask whose name goes on the certificate. Anything other than yours (Hak Pakai), your company’s (HGB) or a lease in your name is a nominee.
- ‘Leasehold, 30 years’: ask how many years remain from today, and whether the extension has a price or formula in the deed.
- ‘Tourism zone’ or a zone colour: ask for this plot’s zone from the regency’s RDTR or RTRW, in writing.
- ‘PBG in process’ or ‘IMB in process’: there is no permit yet. Price it as a building without one.
- ‘Steps to the beach’: ask the distance from the high-tide line. Bingin shows what can happen inside a coastal setback.
- A price in US dollars: the deal must be settled in rupiah, so the dollar figure is an estimate until it is converted.
What a notary does not do unless asked
A PPAT verifies title and executes the deed. They are not obliged to tell you the road is too narrow for a cement truck, that the neighbouring plot is zoned for a nightclub, or that the well runs dry in August. Those are your questions, and they are worth asking before the deed, not after.
Why it should not be the seller’s notary
Engage your own PPAT, not one the seller or their agent introduces. Since 2016 a PPAT’s authority runs across their entire province rather than a single district, so there is no shortage of qualified, independent PPATs to choose from in Bali — no practical reason exists to default to the seller’s.
Common questions
How long does due diligence take in Bali?
Two to four weeks is normal for a clean title. Longer if the certificate is inherited, subdivided, or pledged. Any seller who will not wait that long is telling you something.
Can I do due diligence myself?
You can screen a plot’s registration status on ATR/BPN’s Bhumi portal and check zoning against the local spatial plan yourself. Verifying the certificate against the seller’s identity still requires a licensed PPAT with land office access.
What is the Bhumi app, and can I rely on it instead of a notary?
Bhumi is ATR/BPN’s public land-information portal. It is a genuine first screen, but it does not surface encumbrances or disputes, so it does not replace a PPAT’s formal title check.
Does Bali’s Perda 4/2026 change what I need to check?
It adds checks, not a map. Confirm in writing that the plot is not protected farmland (LP2B) and that its use may change, and that no nominee sits anywhere in the chain of ownership. Earlier versions of this guide limited the farmland rule to six regencies; we found no source tying the Perda to those six, which come from a separate July 2025 agreement on hotel and restaurant tax.
What happens if the seller has unpaid property tax?
Unpaid PBB attaches to the land, not just to the seller personally. Settle it, or have it settled from the sale proceeds, before completion — not after.
What documents should I ask for before a second viewing?
A copy of the certificate, the most recent PBB tax receipt, and, if anything is built, the building permit (PBG). None of these confirm the deal is clean on their own, but a seller who cannot produce them quickly is worth noting before you spend more time.
How do I check a notary or PPAT in Bali?
Ask for their full name, appointment decree number and working area. A notary can be looked up on the Ministry of Law’s AHU portal (ahu.go.id, under registered notaries); a PPAT on ATR/BPN’s Sentuh Tanahku app, which lists active PPATs by working area, or at the land office. Since PP 24/2016 a PPAT’s working area is a whole province, so you can choose any active Bali PPAT the seller did not introduce.
How do I check a building’s PBG and SLF?
Ask the seller for the PBG, or the pre-2021 IMB, with its approved drawings, and for the SLF. Confirm the numbers with the regency office that issued them through SIMBG, the national building-permit system, and have a surveyor compare the drawings with what stands. Under PP 16/2021 a building needs its SLF before it is used.
Does a zone colour on a map mean I can build?
No. A colour on a spatial-plan map shows the use the plan intends; it is not a permit. Building also needs the zone’s limits on plot coverage, height and setbacks to fit your design, a KKPR confirmation of the planned use, and a PBG. Online maps are a screen and can lag the regency’s current plan, so get the zone for your plot in writing.
Looking for a home in Bali?
Tell the Baliestate assistant your budget and dates. It replies in minutes with homes that fit and books the viewings.
General information, not legal advice. Rules checked 13 October 2026 against the regulations named in each table. Bali Perda 4/2026 is described from press and law-firm reporting; we could not find its text on jdih.baliprov.go.id or peraturan.bpk.go.id. The Bingin account is from detik.com (21 July 2025) and Metro TV (23 July 2025). Confirm a specific plot’s status with a licensed PPAT before paying anything.
Sources and further reading
- PP 18/2021 on land rights (JDIH BPK)
- ATR/BPN Regulation 33/2021 on PPAT fees, art 1 (State Gazette 2021 No. 1157)
- PP 24/2016 amending PP 37/1998 on PPATs (JDIH BPK)
- Bali Perda 2/2023, the provincial spatial plan 2023–2043
- Bhumi, ATR/BPN’s land map
- GISTARU, ATR/BPN’s spatial-plan map
- SIMBG, the national building-permit system (PBG and SLF)
- detik.com, 21 July 2025: 48 buildings demolished at Bingin beach (Indonesian)
- Metro TV, 23 July 2025: the legal basis for the Bingin demolitions (Indonesian)
Related guides
- Leasehold vs Freehold in Bali and Indonesia (2026): Who Can Own
- Buying off-plan in Bali without getting burned
- What a notary (PPAT) does, and what they do not
- Bali property scams: how deals actually go wrong
- Zoning in Bali: green belt, residential and why it decides everything
- Building permits in Bali: PBG, SLF and what replaced the IMB
- Access and road width: the cheapest check that saves the most