Permanent Residency in Bali and Indonesia: How to Move in 2026/27
You can obtain permanent residency in Bali, but only certain categories of foreigners receive permanent status right after arrival, for example spouses of Indonesian citizens. The usual route starts with a KITAS, a temporary residence permit in Indonesia. Once you meet the requirements of your chosen ground, you can switch from KITAS to KITAP, the permanent residence permit.
If you are planning a move to Bali for permanent residency, decide in advance on the ground on which you will live in Indonesia. This can be investment in an Indonesian company, employment, marriage to an Indonesian citizen or retirement. The ground determines which KITAS you get first, how long it will take before you can apply for a KITAP and which documents you will need.
What permanent residency in Indonesia is
Permanent residency in Bali is an Indonesian permit for permanent residence. It is valid throughout the country; there is no separate status for the island alone.
A KITAS (temporary residence permit) is the first step towards a KITAP, that is, permanent residency. A KITAS allows a foreigner to live legally in Indonesia for a limited period on a specific ground: work, investment, family or retirement. Each ground has its own KITAS category.
Unlike a KITAS, which is issued for a limited period, a KITAP is intended for permanent residence in the country. Workers, investors and retirees can switch from KITAS to KITAP after three years of continuous residence in Indonesia on a KITAS; when applying, they sign an integration statement (Pernyataan Integrasi). A KITAP is issued for five years and is then extended.
The law also provides for a KITAP with unlimited validity. Holders of an indefinite KITAP must report to the immigration office every five years to confirm their status.
A KITAP does not make a foreigner an Indonesian citizen. You keep your citizenship, your passport and your civil-law status as a foreigner, but you gain a more stable basis for living in the country.
With a KITAP you can move from Bali to another region of Indonesia. By law, a change of address, as well as of marital status, employment or sponsor, must be reported to the immigration authorities.
Getting a KITAP does not remove your tax obligations in Indonesia. Your tax status depends not only on the type of residence permit but also on how long you actually stay in the country and other circumstances. For details, see our article on taxes and tax residency in Bali.
Who can get permanent residency in Bali
Permanent residency in Bali for foreigners is granted when there is a ground recognised by Indonesian law. These grounds include, for example, investment, marriage to an Indonesian citizen, family ties, employment or retirement. You first obtain the corresponding KITAS and only then switch to a KITAP.
The main options are as follows.
Investor. This option suits foreigners who invest in an Indonesian business. The route to permanent residency starts with an investor KITAS. It requires a personal stake of at least 10 billion rupiah in an Indonesian company with foreign capital (PT PMA), and an investor KITAP requires at least 15 billion rupiah. These thresholds apply to an investor KITAS valid for up to two years; investor visas for 5–10 years have different conditions.
Spouse of an Indonesian citizen. Since 2026, spouses can also use the Global Citizen of Indonesia (GCI) programme, a special regime of indefinite permanent residence. The application is filed online, and after entering Indonesia the indefinite KITAP is issued within 24 hours without a visit to the immigration office. The foreigner's citizenship does not change. Official announcements on GCI do not address the right to work separately, so clarify this with a specialist before you move.
GCI and the regular switch from KITAS to KITAP are different procedures. For a standard family KITAP, the spouse of an Indonesian citizen must have been married for at least two years; for GCI, official announcements do not name a minimum length of marriage.
Family member of a KITAP holder. The spouse and children of a foreigner with a KITAP can also obtain a KITAP on the basis of family ties.
Employment in Indonesia. A foreign professional with a work KITAS can also switch to a KITAP if they meet the special requirements for this category. In particular, they must have lived in Indonesia on a KITAS for at least three consecutive years and hold a top management position in a company or head the representative office of a foreign company. The application also has to be supported by the employer's documents and valid work-related permits.
Retirees. Foreigners aged 55 and over can get a retirement KITAS, E33F. It is one of the categories eligible for a switch to KITAP. The application is checked for documents confirming age, income or financial means and the other conditions of the category.
Each category has its own requirements, and it is easier to check the documents once the ground has been chosen.
How to move to Bali for permanent residency: a step-by-step plan
If you want to move to Bali for permanent residency, the process usually has several stages: first you choose a ground, then you obtain a KITAS, and after the required period of residence and once the requirements are met, you apply for a KITAP.
1. Choose your ground for residence
The first question is on what ground you intend to live in Indonesia.
If you invest in an Indonesian business, you need an investor KITAS. If you work in the country, a work KITAS. If you are married to an Indonesian citizen, a family KITAS. Retirees have a separate category.
This decision shapes the rest of the process. Everyday questions — areas, housing and the cost of living — are not covered in this article.
2. Obtain a KITAS
The next stage is the KITAS, that is, the temporary residence permit.
A KITAS can be issued for investors, workers, family members or retirees, and there are other categories too. Each has its own requirements and restrictions.
You can read more about the categories of temporary residence permits and how to obtain them in the Legal Indonesia article.
3. Live in Indonesia for the required period
Once you have a KITAS, the period of residence required for the later switch to a KITAP begins. How long it takes depends on the ground. Workers, investors and retirees need three years of continuous residence in Indonesia; spouses of Indonesian citizens need two years of marriage.
4. Apply for a KITAP
Once the conditions are met, you can apply for a permanent residence permit.
Immigration checks the ground, the applicant's documents, previous residence permits and the sponsor's documents if a sponsor is required for the category.
Here are two examples from Legal Indonesia's practice of what the switch to KITAP looks like.
Case 1. Investors and family. In 2022, Legal Indonesia set up a company in Indonesia for clients who then lived on a KITAS for all those years, and four years later they switched to a KITAP. Three applications were filed at once onshore, that is, from within Indonesia without leaving the country: two investor KITAPs and one family KITAP. The clients went through an interview with detailed questions about the company, and all three KITAPs were approved.
Case 2. A work KITAP for a director. A client from Australia lives in Indonesia on a work KITAS: since 2019 she has owned a cheese-making company in which she holds the position of director. She set up the company herself and came to Legal Indonesia for the switch to KITAP; she was granted a work KITAP for the director position.
If you plan to live in Bali permanently, Legal Indonesia's specialists can check your current status and work out exactly when you will be able to switch to a KITAP.
What documents you need for permanent residency
There is no universal list of documents for all applicants. The set depends on the ground on which the KITAP is issued.
Depending on your situation you may need documents issued in your home country confirming your marital status and family ties, such as marriage and birth certificates. If they are used in Indonesia, they may need an apostille and a translation into Indonesian.
In some cases a police clearance certificate is required. Whether you need one, and in what form, depends on the category and the specific procedure.
On the Indonesian side, you may need previous KITAS permits, the sponsor's documents, proof of family ties, company documents or other documents confirming the ground for residence. For a family KITAP these may be documents on family ties, for a work KITAP the employer's documents, and for an investor documents related to the company and the investment.
That is why it is not worth collecting a full set in advance without checking the category. First the ground is determined, and then a specialist checks which documents are needed in your case.
Second Home: can you get permanent residency through a deposit or property?
Second Home is sometimes described as a way to get "permanent residency in Bali for money", but that is not quite accurate.
Second Home is a separate long-term immigration status. It allows you to stay in Indonesia for a long period, initially up to five years, provided you meet a financial condition: at least $130,000 in an account in your name at an Indonesian state-owned bank, or the purchase of an apartment (rumah susun) in Indonesia worth at least $1 million. This condition must be met within 90 days of the KITAS being issued.
The main difference from a regular KITAP is the basis of the status and its purpose. A regular KITAP is tied to a specific ground, such as family, investment, employment or retirement, and is usually obtained after a KITAS. Second Home, by contrast, does not require such a ground: its key condition is the applicant's financial means.
Second Home is not designed for employment: people who plan to work or run a business in Indonesia are usually better served by a work or investor KITAS. Check with a specialist whether Second Home gives you the right to work.
Second Home suits those who want to live in Indonesia for a long time without working and have the required funds. Over time, a Second Home holder can also switch to a KITAP.
The KITAS-to-KITAP route suits those who have a specific ground for residence, such as marriage to an Indonesian citizen, investment, employment or retirement. It is also the route for those who want to work in Indonesia.
How not to lose permanent residency
Getting a KITAP is not enough: you need to comply with its conditions, renew the permit on time and keep in mind the rules for leaving Indonesia.
The first KITAP is issued for five years and is then extended without a time limit. A holder of an indefinite KITAP must report to the immigration authorities once every five years.
If you travel abroad regularly, keep track of your re-entry permit. It is issued together with the KITAP and, since October 2024, is by law valid for as long as the KITAP itself. A KITAP does not prohibit you from leaving the country, but even with a valid permit, staying outside Indonesia for more than one year is a ground for terminating the status.
Problems can also arise if the ground changes. A KITAP obtained through marriage to an Indonesian citizen may be cancelled after a divorce if the marriage lasted less than ten years; the exception is when the foreigner has a new sponsor after the divorce. For the investor ground, changes to the company or the end of its operations may matter.
If your situation changes — a divorce, closing a business, a change of employer, a long move to another country — what you need to do depends on your specific ground. In such cases, check the rules with a specialist in advance.
Permanent residency and Indonesian citizenship
To become an Indonesian citizen, a KITAP holder has to go through a separate procedure: naturalisation.
Among other things, this requires being over 18 (or married), having lived in Indonesia for at least five consecutive years or ten years in total, knowing the Indonesian language, having a job and/or income, having no conviction for a crime punishable by imprisonment of one year or more, being physically and mentally healthy, and recognising the Constitution of Indonesia and Pancasila, the five principles of the country's state ideology. The law does not require you to adopt a particular religion or change your faith.
You do not need citizenship to live in Bali permanently; a KITAP is enough. With naturalisation you will have to renounce your current citizenship: Indonesia does not allow dual citizenship for adults.
FAQ
As a rule, no: first you need to get a suitable KITAS, live in the country for the required period and meet the conditions for switching to a KITAP. The exception is spouses of Indonesian citizens: since 2026 they can get an indefinite KITAP straight away under the Global Citizen of Indonesia (GCI) programme.
To move to Bali permanently, you first need to choose a ground for residence: investment, employment, marriage to an Indonesian citizen, family ties or retirement. You then obtain the corresponding KITAS, and once you meet the requirements you can get permanent residency in Indonesia by switching to a KITAP.
For workers, investors and foreign retirees, the standard route to a KITAP requires at least three years of continuous residence in Indonesia on a KITAS from the date it was issued. After that you can apply to switch from KITAS to KITAP. Spouses of Indonesian citizens can switch to a KITAP after two years of marriage or get one straight away under the GCI programme.
Buying property does not in itself give you the right to a KITAP. Owning an apartment worth at least $1 million is one of the conditions for Second Home status, but Second Home and KITAP are different statuses.
No. Permanent residency allows a foreigner to live in Indonesia permanently while keeping their foreign citizenship. Citizenship means acquiring the status of an Indonesian citizen and is granted through a separate naturalisation procedure. After naturalisation, the applicant must renounce their current citizenship, because Indonesia does not allow dual citizenship for adults.
Yes. When you get a KITAP, you keep your current citizenship: a permanent residence permit does not change your citizenship.
If you plan to move to Bali for permanent residency, Legal Indonesia's specialists can guide you through the entire process of getting a KITAP, from preparing documents to obtaining the status. If you already live in Indonesia, they will check when you become eligible for a KITAP and help you apply.
