PBG and SLF in Bali: What the Permits Mean, How to Check Them, and How Many Villas Have Them
AB
Andrei Balinsky
Founder of Balinsky
Two documents decide whether a villa in Bali is a legal building: PBG, the building approval, and SLF, the certificate that the finished building is fit for use. Most listings don't show either. Here is what they mean, how to check them, and what our catalogue data shows.
PBG — building approval
- PBG (Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung) is the approval to build, renovate or change a building. It replaced the old IMB in 2021 under Government Regulation PP 16/2021.
- It must be issued before construction starts. Building without it risks a stop order, fines, or demolition.
- It is tied to a specific plot, design, floor area and function — for example, a house versus tourist accommodation.
SLF — certificate that the building is fit for use
- SLF (Sertifikat Laik Fungsi) is issued after construction, once inspectors confirm the building matches the PBG and is safe to use.
- Without SLF, the building may not legally be used. That matters for renting it out, for bank financing and for resale.
- An SLF has to be renewed. For houses it is usually valid for 20 years; for other buildings the period is shorter.
The numbers: how many villas list permits
In our catalogue, 359 villas, September 2026, as reported by the developers:
Completed villas (101):
- SLF listed: 8 (8%)
- SLF applied for: 9
- PBG only: 18
- PBG applied for: 15
- No permit data: 51 (50%)
Villas under construction (257):
- PBG listed: 68 (26%)
- PBG applied for: 24
- SLF listed or applied for: 11
- No permit data: 154 (60%)
Across the whole catalogue, 26% of villas list a PBG or an SLF.
"No data" does not prove a villa has no permit — the developer may simply not have told us. But it does mean you have to ask. For a finished villa, the question is not "is there a PBG?" but "where is the SLF?". Only 8% of completed villas list one.
How to check a permit
- Ask for the documents, not a status. Get the PBG and SLF themselves as PDFs with registration numbers and QR codes. "In process" or a screenshot of an application is not a permit.
- Check them in SIMBG. SIMBG is the government system where PBG and SLF are issued. Each document carries a registration number you can verify there or with the regency office (PUPR).
- Match the document to the building. The address, land certificate number, floor area and function must match what you are buying. A PBG for a private house does not cover a villa run as a holiday rental.
- Check the zoning. The plot's zone in the local spatial plan (RDTR) has to allow the use. See zoning and permits of Bali villas in numbers.
- For off-plan: put it in the contract. Write down when the SLF will be issued, and what happens to your money if it is not.
Why this is getting more important
In 2026 Bali's authorities started closing villas that break planning and permit rules. The province has also told rental platforms to remove villas without a licence. A villa without a valid PBG or SLF is harder to license, to insure and to resell.
Sources
- Government Regulation PP 16/2021 on buildings, which introduced PBG and SLF
- SIMBG, the Ministry of Public Works system for PBG and SLF: https://simbg.pu.go.id
- Balinsky catalogue, 359 villas, September 2026 (permit status as reported by developers)
- Zoning and permits of Bali villas in numbers
- How we calculate