Bali governor sets April 2027 deadline for Balinese script on signs

In brief: Bali Governor Wayan Koster has told businesses and property operators to bring their name signs into line with the province's Balinese-script requirement by the end of April 2027. The rule is already in force under a 2018 governor's regulation; the new development is his deadline for compliance.

Koster made the announcement on 26 September 2026 during a ceremony at Puncak Duwur Sari Temple in Pancasari, Buleleng. In his remarks, he singled out private offices, shops, small eateries, buildings and public facilities that still lacked Balinese lettering. ANTARA reported the statement the following day. It concerns Bali province, not a nationwide change to Indonesian signage law.

A new target date for a requirement dating back to 2018

Bali Governor Regulation No. 80 of 2018 came into effect on 26 September 2018. It forms part of the province's policy on protecting and using the Balinese language, script and literature. The governor's September 2026 announcement did not establish an entirely new signage requirement or replace that regulation.

The end-April 2027 deadline is aimed at premises that have yet to incorporate Balinese script into their names. Existing signs should not be assumed compliant simply because they were installed before the latest announcement. For hotels, restaurants and shop operators, the immediate issue is whether their current sign satisfies the wording of the longstanding regulation.

What the regulation actually requires on a name sign

Article 6 requires Balinese characters to appear above Latin letters when displaying the names of Hindu places of worship, customary institutions, building inauguration plaques, buildings, government bodies, private institutions, roads, tourism facilities and other public facilities. The two scripts must be presented in balanced proportions. The same article allows Balinese script on the names of places of worship belonging to other religions, without making it compulsory in those cases.

The provision is about specified names and their presentation. It does not, by itself, say that every line of advertising copy, product information or a restaurant menu must be reproduced in Balinese script. Businesses using foreign-language names should also take care with the lettering: a visually convincing sign can still contain an incorrect rendering of the name.

Commercial tenants need to settle sign approvals and costs

A shop operator may own the brand on the sign while the property owner controls changes to the building exterior. The governor's statement does not decide who pays for replacement lettering or who authorises the work. Those questions need to be resolved under the lease and any building-management arrangements, particularly in properties with shared signs or several commercial tenants.

Neither the cited provision of Regulation No. 80/2018 nor the September announcement provides a specific fine for an individual non-compliant sign or a detailed inspection timetable beginning in May 2027. It would be premature to describe the governor's deadline as an automatically triggered penalty date. What operators can establish now is the correct spelling, layout and approval process for any replacement signage.

• ANTARA News Bali, “Koster: Saya beri waktu sampai April 2027 semua pihak harus gunakan aksara Bali” — 27 September 2026 (reporting the 26 September statement).
• Bali Post, “Gubernur Koster Beri Batas April 2027, Semua Pihak Wajib Gunakan Aksara Bali” — 26 September 2026.