balivillacareThe banjar fee: what a villa owes the village
Key takeaways
- The banjar fee is a contribution to the customary village, not a government tax. Regional taxes are separate.
- Perda Provinsi Bali No. 4 Tahun 2019 puts foreign owners, tenants and guests in the category Tamiu, and says the village's awig-awig binds Tamiu too.
- Tamiu carry limited obligations, in social and environmental matters only, as each village's own rules set them.
- No provincial text sets an amount. It is set village by village, so any figure quoted from elsewhere may not apply to yours.
- Village rules must be written, and registered with the province. Ask for the rule, not just the number.
Every villa owner in Bali is eventually told about the banjar fee, usually as a number on a statement. This page is about where that number comes from, from the provincial law that recognizes the villages and leaves them to set it.
Ten words that come with the banjar
The fee sits inside a system of customary law with its own vocabulary. These are the terms an owner needs.
| Term | What it is | What it means for a villa |
|---|---|---|
| Desa adat | The customary village: a customary-law community with its own territory, temples, property and rules. | Recognised by provincial law as a legal subject. |
| Banjar adat | A part of the desa adat — the neighbourhood unit. | Usually the body a villa actually deals with. |
| Krama desa adat | Registered Balinese Hindu members. | Full obligations and rights. |
| Krama tamiu | Balinese Hindus recorded in the village but not registered as members. | Limited obligations. |
| Tamiu | Everyone else in the village territory, temporarily or as a recorded resident. | The category a foreign owner, tenant or guest falls in. |
| Awig-awig | The village's written rules. | Binds tamiu as well as members. |
| Pararem | Decisions of the village assembly implementing the awig-awig. | Where a contribution is usually set. |
| Dana punia | A donation. | The law lists third-party donations as non-binding. |
| Pecalang | Traditional village security. | Keeps order at ceremonies and in the village. |
| “Banjar fee” | Not a legal term. | Ask which pararem sets it, and for how much. |
What the provincial law says
Perda Provinsi Bali No. 4 Tahun 2019 on Desa Adat, established on 28 May 2019, recognizes the customary village as a legal subject in Bali. It does four things that matter to a villa.
It names the category a villa's people fall in
The law divides people in a village's territory into three: registered Balinese Hindu members (krama desa adat), Balinese Hindus recorded but not registered (krama tamiu), and everyone else who is there temporarily or lives there and is recorded (tamiu). A foreign owner, a long-term tenant and a guest are tamiu.
It makes the village's rules apply to them
Awig-awig is defined as the rule made by the desa adat or banjar adat that applies to members, krama tamiu and tamiu (Pasal 1 angka 29).
It gives tamiu limited obligations
Pasal 9 gives members full obligations in religious, social and environmental affairs, and tamiu limited obligations in social and environmental affairs only. The elucidation explains that full obligations mean material contributions and physical work, and limited obligations mean those in particular matters set by the local awig-awig or pararem. Pasal 9 ayat (3) leaves the detail to each village.
It lists donations as non-binding
Among a desa adat's sources of revenue, Pasal 65 lists grants and donations — dana punia — from third parties that are non-binding. A contribution called a donation and a contribution set as an obligation under the village's rules are two different things, and it is worth knowing which one is being asked for.
A banjar line on your statement with no paper behind it?
Tell us which part of Bali the villa is in. Five questions, and your details are the last step.
Why there is no single amount
Neither the provincial law nor its implementing regulation, Pergub Bali No. 4 Tahun 2020, sets a figure. Both leave the content of obligations to each village's awig-awig and pararem. That is deliberate — the law's premise is the villages' own autonomy — and it is why a figure from one banjar says nothing about another. This page therefore publishes none.
Where the amount is written
Pergub 4/2020 requires every desa adat to write its awig-awig (Pasal 3), to draft awig-awig and pararem in Balinese and Indonesian, and to register them with the provincial office for customary community affairs (Pasal 5 and 12). Other village rules made by the village administration must also be written (Pasal 16). A contribution set by the village should therefore exist on paper.
When the arrangement is with a business
Pergub 4/2020 also lets a desa adat cooperate with other parties, and says cooperation is set out in a joint agreement or a written agreement; a written cooperation agreement covers at least scope, term, rights and obligations, funding, amendment and termination, and disputes (Pasal 29 and 30). A standing arrangement between a villa business and a village can take that form.
The banjar fee is not a tax
This is the point owners most often get wrong, in both directions. Regional taxes are set by the regency under UU No. 1 Tahun 2022 — the accommodation tax on each booking, the annual property tax, the tax on electricity. A banjar contribution is set under customary law by the village. Paying one does not discharge the other.
| Set by | Paid to | |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation tax (PBJT) | The regency, by Perda | The regency |
| Property tax (PBB-P2) | The regency, by Perda | The regency |
| Banjar or village contribution | The desa adat, by awig-awig or pararem | The banjar or desa adat |
| Donation (dana punia) | Nobody — non-binding | The desa adat |
The accommodation tax and the property tax in full.
The banjar on a management statement
In a managed villa, the manager usually deals with the banjar and passes the cost through. Three things are reasonable to ask for.
- Its own line. A banjar contribution is a cost of the villa. It should not sit inside a general operating line or a management fee.
- A receipt. From the banjar or desa adat, in the name the payment was made in.
- The rule behind it. Which pararem or agreement sets the amount, and on what basis — per villa, per room or otherwise.
Every line a statement should show.
Pecalang, and the rest of the relationship
The same law defines pecalang as the traditional security unit a desa adat forms to keep order in its territory. For a villa, the banjar is also the body that handles ceremonies, road closures and neighbor complaints. A villa on good terms with its banjar has fewer of the problems no fee covers.
What this page does not cover
- Any village's actual amount. Not in any provincial text; set village by village.
- The banjar dinas — the administrative neighbourhood of the government village. It is a different body under different law and is not read here.
- Nyepi and ceremony-day rules, which are issued each year.
Common questions
What is a banjar fee in Bali?
A contribution a villa pays to the local banjar or desa adat. It is not a government tax. Perda Provinsi Bali No. 4 Tahun 2019 gives people who are not village members — tamiu — limited obligations in the village's social and environmental affairs, and leaves what those obligations are to each village's awig-awig and pararem. There is no province-wide amount.
How much is the banjar fee for a villa?
No regulation read for this page sets an amount. The provincial law leaves it to each village, so it varies by village and can vary by use. Ask the banjar or your manager which pararem sets it and for a copy.
Do foreigners have to pay the banjar?
The law places foreign owners, tenants and guests in the category tamiu, and says the village's awig-awig applies to tamiu. Tamiu carry limited obligations in social and environmental matters, as set by the village's own rules. Whether a particular contribution is an obligation under those rules or a donation depends on the rule.
Is the banjar fee a tax?
No. Regional taxes are set by the regency under UU No. 1 Tahun 2022 — the accommodation tax, the property tax. A banjar contribution is set under customary law by the village. The two are paid to different bodies, for different things.
Can a banjar fee be charged per room or per guest?
The provincial law does not set a basis; each village's rules do. So the basis — per villa, per room or otherwise — is whatever the village's rule says, which is why the rule itself is worth reading rather than a figure quoted from elsewhere.
Should the banjar fee be on my management statement?
If the manager pays it on your behalf, yes, as its own line with a receipt. It is a cost of the villa, not of the management company, and it should not be folded into a general operating line.
Does the banjar need a written agreement with a villa?
Pergub Bali No. 4 Tahun 2020 says a desa adat's cooperation with other parties is set out in a joint agreement or a written agreement, and that a written cooperation agreement covers scope, term, rights and obligations, funding and disputes. It also requires awig-awig and pararem to be written and registered.
Sources cited on this page
- Perda Provinsi Bali No. 4 Tahun 2019 — Desa Adat di Bali, official copy
- Perda Provinsi Bali No. 4 Tahun 2019 — provincial JDIH record
- Pergub Bali No. 4 Tahun 2020 — implementing regulation
- UU No. 1 Tahun 2022 — regional taxes
Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on 20 September 2026. How we check this.