Travelling to Bali: What Tourists Need to Know — 2026 Memo
A first trip to Bali usually starts the same way: the tickets are bought and the suitcase is packed. Then, the day before departure, it turns out you need some electronic form, a paid return ticket and a driving licence you don't have. Almost all of this can be sorted out in one evening at home. This memo covers what to know before your trip to Bali and during your first days on the island, so that your holiday in Bali starts without surprises at the border.
Before the trip: visa, documents and packing
First, check your passport: on the date of entry it must be valid for at least 6 more months.
For a short trip, a visa on arrival works well — VOA or the electronic eVOA. It is available to citizens of nearly 100 countries; the full list is on our VOA page. The government fee is 500,000 rupiah. The visa gives 30 days of stay and can be extended once for another 30. You can get it at the airport on arrival, but it is more convenient to apply for an eVOA in advance at evisa.imigrasi.go.id: with an eVOA and a biometric passport you can clear the border through the autogate.
If you plan to stay longer than two months, the C1 tourist visa is more convenient: it gives 60 days of stay and is extended in 60-day steps — up to 180 days in the country in total. The visa is issued electronically at evisa.imigrasi.go.id, usually through a sponsor (guarantor) or an agency.
Apply for an extension in good time: VOA extension applications are accepted no earlier than 14 days after entry and no later than 7 days before your permitted stay ends. Overstaying by less than 60 days means a fee of 1,000,000 rupiah for each day. If the fee is not paid, or if the overstay exceeds 60 days, the result is deportation and an entry ban; more in our article on visa rules and violations. There are no departure taxes for tourists.
Buy a return or onward ticket in advance: for a visa on arrival this is a direct requirement of the immigration rules, and the airline may check it as early as check-in.
Before your flight, fill in the single electronic All Indonesia form on the official website allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or in the All Indonesia app. It combines the arrival card, the customs declaration and the health declaration in one QR code. The form can be filled in no earlier than 3 days before arrival. Cash and other payment instruments of 100,000,000 rupiah or more (or the equivalent in another currency) must be declared. Use only the official website or the official app — search results are full of third-party sites that charge for this. For a detailed walkthrough, see our article on the All Indonesia customs declaration.
Since 14 February 2024, Bali has charged foreigners a tourist levy (Bali Tourist Levy) of 150,000 rupiah. It is paid on every entry to Bali — whether you arrive directly from abroad or via other regions of Indonesia. Payment is cashless only: online in advance through the official Love Bali system, or on the spot — on arrival, during your trip or on departure. Exempt from the levy are aircrew, holders of KITAS and KITAP, diplomatic and service visas, family reunification visas, student and "golden" visas, and some other visa types.
Entering Bali: the airport and the first hours
Taking photos and filming in the immigration hall is prohibited. While you wait in the queue, have your passport and the All Indonesia QR code ready. You don't need to fill in a separate paper declaration: the customs part is already included in the single form.
With an electronic visa arranged in advance, you can clear the border through the autogates in a few minutes — we explain how they work in our article on autogates at Bali and Jakarta airports.
If you go through an officer, check the entry date in the stamp right at the counter. Your permitted stay is counted from the date of entry.
Exchange rates at the airport are noticeably worse than in town. The same goes for mobile service: at the airport a local SIM card costs two to three times more than in town. If you can wait a couple of hours, don't overpay. IMEI registration, however, is not something to put off if you are staying longer than 90 days and will use an Indonesian SIM card: free of duties and taxes, a phone can only be registered in the customs area of the arrivals terminal — details in the "In short" section below.
There is no metro or city bus network in Bali. From the airport you can take a Grab or Gojek — usually cheaper than the taxis waiting at the exit — or book a transfer in advance, for example with MyBaliTrips: you pay ahead and are met with a name sign.
Money and cards
Before you fly, check with your bank that your card works in Indonesia. UnionPay cards are accepted in some places; keep some cash in US dollars as a backup.
Exchange dollars only at licensed money changers authorised by Bank Indonesia. Notes issued before 2013 are often refused. Count your change before you leave the counter: cheating does happen at exchange points.
Spread your money across several cards and accounts, keep a separate card for large purchases, and withdraw cash from ATMs at bank branches. Skimming — copying card data — does occur in Bali, so pay by card only at places you trust.
Transport: driving licences and fines
If you plan to ride a bike or drive a car, get an International Driving Permit (IDP) and carry it together with your national licence: the IDP is only valid when presented with the national one. For a bike, the IDP must include category A; for a car, category B (in Indonesian licences these correspond to SIM C and SIM A). If you don't have a licence or lack the right category, Legal Indonesia can help you get an Indonesian driving licence in Bali.
Law No. 22/2009 on Road Traffic sets fines for typical violations:
Driving without a licence for the right category — up to 1,000,000 rupiah (Art. 281).
Riding without a helmet — up to 250,000 rupiah; the rider is also fined for a passenger without a helmet (Art. 291).
More than one passenger on a bike — up to 250,000 rupiah (Art. 292).
No vehicle registration document (STNK) — up to 500,000 rupiah (Art. 288).
Since 2 January 2026, detention for these offences has been abolished — only fines in the same amounts remain (Law No. 1/2026 on the adjustment of criminal penalties).
Tourists are often stopped for crossing the stop line at traffic lights. Formally, this is a road-marking violation under Article 287 of Law No. 22/2009 with a fine of up to 500,000 rupiah, but in practice the line is often barely visible. On the spot you are given either a blue ticket, if you accept the violation — then you pay the fine (usually the maximum under the article) through a bank without going to court; or a red ticket, if you dispute it — then the court decides the amount.
You can rent a bike through services such as BaliMotion, and find accommodation on platforms like Airbnb or Agoda.
SIM card
On the island, a local data package works out cheaper than roaming. Telkomsel has the strongest coverage, Indosat is cheaper but its signal is weaker outside the tourist areas, and XL Axiata is a good middle ground. Price guide: 120,000 rupiah — 6 GB, 150,000 — 9 GB, 220,000 — 17 GB; packages are renewed through the operator's app or at any minimarket. If your phone supports eSIM, you can get a tourist eSIM online before you fly — no queue and no plastic card are needed.
Health
For most tourists there are no mandatory vaccinations for entering Indonesia. A separate health form (formerly the SatuSehat Health Pass) is no longer needed: since 2025 the health declaration has been part of the All Indonesia form.
Insurance is not required for entry, but we recommend getting it: healthcare in Indonesia is paid and not cheap. Choose a policy with coverage of at least 50,000 dollars. Check two points in the policy: whether it covers riding a scooter (basic plans often don't) and what the deductible is, i.e. the amount you pay yourself in any case. This matters especially if you ride a bike: never ride after drinking, and always wear a helmet.
You can buy insurance from trusted services such as Genki or Safetywing.
If you fall ill, call your insurer first: they will tell you which clinic to go to so that the treatment is covered by your policy. Look for pharmacies (Apotek) on Google Maps: the Watson and Guardian chains are more about cosmetics than medicines. Familiar medicines are sold in Bali, but under different names, so it is wise to bring a standard first-aid kit with you.
In short
A minimum checklist: a visa (VOA/eVOA or C1), a paid return ticket, a passport valid for at least 6 months on the date of entry, the All Indonesia form, insurance (recommended), and an International Driving Permit together with your national licence if you plan to drive.
One electronic form — All Indonesia at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id. It combines the arrival card, the customs declaration and the health declaration in one QR code. You don't need to fill in separate paper declarations.
Most foreign visitors do. For a trip of up to 30 days, a visa on arrival (VOA) works: the government fee is 500,000 rupiah, with one extension for another 30 days. For a longer holiday, there is the C1 tourist visa for 60 days, with extensions up to 180 days in total.
Some cash in US dollars (notes issued in 2013 or later) and a card that works abroad — check with your bank before the trip. Exchange money only at licensed money changers.
For most tourists there are no mandatory vaccinations. The health declaration is part of the All Indonesia form.
Only if you use an Indonesian SIM card. For stays of up to 90 days, the operator registers the IMEI at its store when you buy the SIM. If you are staying longer than 90 days, submit an application on beacukai.go.id or in the Mobile Bea Cukai app and complete it at customs in the arrivals area — this is the only way to register without paying duties. Later, you can still do it within 60 days of arrival at a customs office, but with duties and taxes payable. No more than two devices per person. If you use roaming with your own SIM card, no registration is needed.
Overstaying by less than 60 days means a fee of 1,000,000 rupiah for each day. If the fee is not paid, or if the overstay exceeds 60 days, the result is deportation and an entry ban under Article 78 of Law No. 6/2011.
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