New to Bali? The first-week checklist for remote entrepreneurs (2026)

New to Bali? The first-week checklist for remote entrepreneurs (2026)

Your first week in Bali comes down to five jobs: arrive on the right visa, get through the airport with the arrival card and tourist levy done, get a working phone and a legal way to get around, set up money that doesn't bleed fees, and get into a room with people building what you're building. This moving to Bali checklist puts those jobs in order, with every rule and fee linked to the page we checked it on (26 October 2026). It's for SaaS founders, agency owners, ecom operators, freelancers turning into businesses and creators with products, not just startup founders.

Rules here change often, sometimes with little notice. This guide isn't legal, tax or immigration advice; for that, start with our visa guide and tax guide, then talk to a licensed agent or adviser.

The moving to Bali checklist at a glance

When	Do this	Cost (checked 26 Oct 2026)
Before you fly	Passport with 6+ months left and blank pages	Free
Before you fly	Visa: e-VOA, C1 visit visa or E33G remote worker visa	IDR 500,000 to IDR 7,000,000
Up to 3 days before landing	All Indonesia arrival card (immigration, customs and health in one form)	Free
Before you fly or at the airport	Love Bali tourist levy	IDR 150,000
Airport	Customs, IMEI registration if you'll use a local SIM for more than 90 days	Free to register; duty may apply
Days 1 to 3	SIM or eSIM, ride-hailing apps, check your licence before renting a scooter	From about IDR 150,000 for a tourist SIM
Days 1 to 3	Make sure your stay is registered	Free
Rest of week one	Coworking trial, first community event, health insurance	Varies
Weeks 2 to 4	Visa extension date, days-in-country count, bank and company questions	Varies

Before you fly

Passport

Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months after you arrive and have at least two blank pages, according to the UK government's Indonesia entry advice (updated 18 Sep 2026, checked 26 Oct 2026). Indonesia's own visa pages also ask for six months' validity.

Pick your visa

This is the decision that matters most, because the wrong visa limits what you can legally do once you're here.

Visa	Stay	Official fee	Good for	Watch out for
Visa on arrival (B1), or e-VOA if applied for online	30 days, extendable once to 60	IDR 500,000	Short first trips	Needs a return or onward ticket; fee rise announced
C1 visit visa	60 days, extendable to 180	IDR 1,000,000	A longer first stay	Apply online before you fly; US$2,000 bank statement
E33G remote worker visa	1 year	IDR 7,000,000	Working for an overseas company	US$60,000 a year income and a contract with a foreign company
Second home, Golden Visa, KITAS via your own PT PMA	Years	Varies	Long-term bases	See our visa and PT PMA guides

Sources: Indonesia's immigration pages for the B1 visa on arrival, the C1 visit visa and the E33G remote worker visa, plus the E33G page on the official eVisa site, all checked 26 Oct 2026.

A few things those pages say that most guides skip:

• The visa on arrival price may be changing. The official B1 page still showed IDR 500,000 on 26 Oct 2026. But on 12 Aug 2026, Indonesia's state broadcaster RRI reported a tiered fee of IDR 750,000 for an e-VOA bought before departure and IDR 1 million on arrival, with no start date given. We couldn't find an official start date on 26 Oct 2026, so check evisa.imigrasi.go.id when you book. The e-VOA is probably the cheaper and quicker option either way.
• Visit visas don't cover local work. The C1 page says holders can't sell goods or services or take pay from people or companies in Indonesia. It also says C1 holders can't appear as a speaker at an event. Neither the B1 nor the C1 page lists remote work as a permitted activity.
• The E33G is the one built for remote work. The eVisa site says it lets you "carry out assignments from overseas company" for up to a year, with re-entry allowed. It asks for a bank account showing at least US$60,000 a year in salary or income, an employment contract with a company set up outside Indonesia, a three-month bank statement with at least US$2,000, a CV and an itinerary. You must enter within 90 days of the visa being issued. If you're self-employed or paid by your own overseas company, ask an agent how you'd show the contract; we couldn't find official guidance for that case on 26 Oct 2026.

Our Indonesia visa guide covers the longer-term routes, and the Remote Builders digital nomad visa comparison shows how Indonesia stacks up against other countries.

Fill in the All Indonesia arrival card

Since 1 October 2025, every international arrival has had to complete one declaration covering immigration, customs, health and quarantine through All Indonesia, on allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or its app (immigration press release, checked 26 Oct 2026). You can fill it in from three days before arrival. It's free: the UK advice warns against lookalike sites that charge for it. Skip it and you'll be checked manually at the counter, which the immigration minister said takes longer.

Pay the Bali tourist levy

Bali charges foreign tourists IDR 150,000 per person, once per trip, under the Love Bali scheme (official Love Bali FAQ, checked 26 Oct 2026). Pay online before you fly, at the payment counters at Bali's airport and port, or through registered hotels and travel agents. Cards, bank transfer, virtual account, UnionPay and QRIS are accepted, and the QR voucher arrives by email.

KITAS and KITAP holders are exempt by showing their card. Golden Visa holders and holders of some other visas have to apply for the exemption through the Love Bali site.

Customs basics

From Indonesian customs (checked 26 Oct 2026):

• Personal goods worth up to US$500 per person per arrival come in free of duty and tax; you pay on the excess.
• Duty-free limits for adults: 1 litre of alcohol (21 and over) and 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or 100g of tobacco. Extra is destroyed.
• Declare cash of IDR 100 million or more (or the same in foreign currency).

Your customs declaration is now part of the All Indonesia form.

At the airport

1. Have your All Indonesia QR code, your e-VOA or visa, and proof of an onward ticket ready.
2. If you didn't get an e-VOA, the visa on arrival is paid at the designated bank counter in the immigration area (per the B1 page).
3. Have your Love Bali voucher on your phone, or pay at the counter.
4. If you'll use an Indonesian SIM for more than 90 days, register your phone's IMEI at customs before you leave the arrivals area (see the next section).

Days 1 to 3

Phone, SIM and the IMEI rule

You have three options:

• Roam on your home SIM. No registration needed (Bea Cukai Ngurah Rai, published 8 Aug 2023, checked 26 Oct 2026). Expensive for data, but useful for keeping two-factor codes coming in. The Remote Builders guide to keeping your phone number abroad covers cheaper ways to do that.
• A tourist SIM or eSIM. Telkomsel says its Tourist Prepaid Card can be ordered on its website and collected when you land (Telkomsel FAQ). An undated Telkomsel article lists "WNA Tourist Starterpack" eSIM packs from IDR 150,000 for 25GB to IDR 800,000 for 200GB, each for 30 days (both checked 26 Oct 2026). Telkomsel's eSIM product page blocked our request, so confirm prices in store.
• A regular local SIM once you're settled.

The IMEI rule: a phone bought overseas needs its IMEI registered before an Indonesian SIM will work in it. Customs at Bali's airport says:

• Staying 90 days or less: register at the mobile operator's outlet when you buy the SIM.
• Staying longer than 90 days: register through the Bea Cukai website or the Mobile Beacukai app, up to two devices per passenger.
• Register inside the arrivals customs area and the US$500 duty and tax exemption applies. Register after you've left, within 60 days of arrival, and there's no exemption, so you may pay import duty and tax on the phone.

Getting around

Most newcomers use the Grab and Gojek apps for rides and food. The UK government suggests checking that the driver matches the one in the app, and sharing your trip with a friend (UK safety advice, checked 26 Oct 2026). Grab's website was down for maintenance when we checked.

Scooters need the right licence. Here's what we could confirm on 26 Oct 2026:

• Bali's Governor's Circular 7 of 2025 says foreign tourists must hold a valid international or national driving licence, wear a helmet and not ride under the influence (Bali government, 24 Mar 2025).
• Under Indonesia's road traffic law, riding without a licence carries up to four months' jail or a fine of up to IDR 1 million (Article 281); riding without a helmet, up to IDR 250,000 (Article 291) (Indonesian National Police summary).
• An International Driving Permit (IDP) is a 1949-convention document you get at home. In Australia, only state and territory motoring clubs issue it; online "international driving licences" aren't IDPs (NRMA).
• NRMA says Australians need an IDP and a valid Australian motorcycle licence before riding a moped overseas, and that without them your travel insurance could be void (NRMA, 15 Oct 2025). If you're from somewhere else, check the same two things with whoever issues IDPs in your country.
• Once you hold a KITAS, you can apply for an Indonesian licence, according to the UK government.

If you don't hold a motorcycle licence, use the apps or hire a driver. The UK government's advice notes motorbike accidents in Bali, some fatal.

Money

The short version: bring a multi-currency card and a backup card, take rupiah from bank ATMs, always choose to be charged in rupiah, and only change cash at licensed money changers. Most people on visit visas can't open an Indonesian bank account, because the big banks ask for a KITAS or KITAP. QRIS works for visitors whose home banking app is linked to it, which covers six countries so far. Full details, fees and sources: money and banking in Bali for foreigners.

Make sure your stay is registered

If you stay in private accommodation, the UK government says you must register with the local police and could be fined IDR 5 million if you don't; hotels do it for you (UK entry advice, checked 26 Oct 2026). If you've booked a villa, ask the host whether they've registered you.

The rest of week one

Where to stay

BSTC's events are in Canggu, which makes it (or nearby Pererenan) an easy first base while you work out where you actually want to live. Our living in Bali guide covers the trade-offs, the Canggu neighbourhood guide covers the area street by street, and the cost of living guide has real monthly budgets. Book a week or two at first, then look at places in person.

Coworking

Buy a few day passes before committing to a month, because Bali spaces open and close often. See our coworking guide, and check any space's own site before paying.

Health insurance

Sort it before you need it, and make sure it covers scooter accidents and medical evacuation. The Remote Builders guide to health insurance for remote founders compares the options.

Where founders and builders meet

The fastest way to know people is to go to the same weekly event two or three times in a row. In Canggu in November and December 2026:

When	What	Where	Cost
Every Wednesday, 4 Nov to 9 Dec 2026, 6 to 9pm	How I AI, Season 2 (BSTC)	Seoul Soul Project, Canggu	Free
Thursday 12 Nov 2026, 6:30pm	Networking Drinks & Dinner #39 (BSTC)	Yema Kitchen, Canggu	Free entry

Bali Startup & Tech (BSTC) is a founder-led community for startup founders, builders and tech people in Bali, with 2,700+ on Meetup (25 Oct 2026). RSVP on the events page, and sign up before you land so you can say hello in the community chat. For a day-by-day plan see how to meet founders in Bali, and for every other group, startup and tech communities in Bali.

Weeks two to four

• Diary your visa deadline. Extend a visa on arrival within its first 30 days; overstaying costs IDR 1 million a day, according to the UK government. e-VOA extensions are done online.
• Count your days. How long you spend in Indonesia can make you an Indonesian tax resident, whatever your visa says. Read our Bali tax guide and the Remote Builders guide to tax residency for remote founders.
• Decide whether you need an Indonesian company. Most people selling overseas don't. If you want to hire locally, invoice Indonesian clients or sponsor your own KITAS, read the PT PMA playbook. If you're still choosing where to incorporate, see Remote Builders on where to incorporate as a remote founder.
• Get paid properly. Business accounts, Stripe and merchants of record are covered in the banking guide.
• Go back to the same event. The second and third Wednesday are when the useful conversations start.

By type of business

• Agency owners (dev, marketing, AI automation): running an agency from Bali, and the rise of AI agencies in Bali. For the general playbook, Remote Builders has a guide to starting an AI automation agency.
• Ecom operators (Shopify, Amazon, DTC): running an ecommerce business from Bali.
• SaaS and tech founders: why founders choose Bali, hiring developers in Indonesia and finding a technical co-founder in Bali.
• Freelancers and creators: the digital nomad community guide explains which groups help you build a business rather than just a social life.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to do before flying to Bali?

Check your passport has at least six months left and blank pages, choose and apply for your visa (an e-VOA, a C1 visit visa or the E33G remote worker visa), fill in the free All Indonesia arrival card in the three days before you land, and pay the IDR 150,000 Bali tourist levy on the Love Bali website. Sign up at /join too, so you're in the community chat when you land.

How much is the Bali tourist levy in 2026?

IDR 150,000 per foreign tourist, paid once per trip, according to the official Love Bali FAQ checked on 26 October 2026. Pay it on lovebali.baliprov.go.id before you fly, or at the counters at Bali's airport. KITAS and KITAP holders are exempt by showing their card.

Can I work remotely in Bali on a visa on arrival?

The visa on arrival and C1 visit visa pages don't list remote work as a permitted activity, and both bar you from selling goods or services or taking pay from anyone in Indonesia. The E33G remote worker visa is the one designed for working for an overseas company. Get advice from a visa agent or lawyer for your situation.

Do I need to register my phone's IMEI in Indonesia?

Only if you put an Indonesian SIM in a phone bought overseas. Roaming on your home SIM doesn't need it. If you're staying 90 days or less, the operator's outlet registers it; if you're staying longer, register with customs, ideally in the arrivals hall where the US$500 exemption applies.

Can I ride a scooter in Bali with my car licence?

Don't count on it. Bali's 2025 rules for foreign tourists require a valid international or national driving licence, and Australia's NRMA warns that without an International Driving Permit and a valid motorcycle licence from home, your travel insurance could be void.

Where do remote entrepreneurs meet people in Bali?

In Canggu, BSTC runs How I AI every Wednesday from 4 November to 9 December 2026 at Seoul Soul Project, 6 to 9pm, free, and Networking Drinks & Dinner #39 on Thursday 12 November 2026 at Yema Kitchen. Coworking spaces are where the follow-up coffees happen.

Join BSTC before you land

Sign up at balistartupandtech.com/join. The Telegram community link arrives straight after you sign up, so you can ask your first-week questions before your first Wednesday. Free events are on the events page.