Bali is probably the biggest Digital Nomad hotspot in the world right now with a flourishing community of remote entrepreneurs. No wonder it’s trendy. The beautiful beaches, the fascinating culture, the people and the healthy food make almost anyone visiting Indonesia and Bali to stay there for more than just a short holiday.
However, there is one big issue you must keep in mind and solve if you want to stay longer term in Bali. And that is….the VISA. This is a big headache for a lot of digital nomads who are or want to come in Bali and combine business and pleasure.
As you will see below, the VISA concern is quite a hustle right now, but there might be a solution on the horizon very soon thanks to a mix of expats and local entrepreneurs living in Bali. More to come later in the article so stay tuned.
Currently there are 3 types of visas you can get when entering Bali
Visa for Bali Option 1 – 30 day maximum on arrival
30 day Visa on Arrival (VOA). This free tourist visa is perfect if you are coming to Bali for 30 days or less for most countries (all 169 countries). It starts from the day you land and get it so make sure you set up some reminders in the calendar.Â
CAREFUL: Once you enter Bali with this visa, it CANNOT be extended. If later you decide to stay longer you will need to leave Indonesia and reenter.
Visa for Bali Option 2 – 30 to 60 days stay
If you want to stay more than 30 day (and a maximum of 60 days), DO NOT opt in for the free 30 day VOA for Bali, as it can not be extended. Instead, purchase the $38 USD Visa on Arrival at the immigration counter at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, which can be extended up to 60 days.
The 60 day visa on arrival is not equal to 2 months. The day you arrive counts as day 1, so avoid any trouble by counting your days correctly!Â
Again, the smart thing to do is to set up a few reminders on your smartphone.
The fee for overstaying your Visa is now 1,000,000 IDR per day (2020 update) so you’d rather spend that money on a nice Nasi Goreng.
Give yourself at least 14 business days (or more) to take care of your VOA extension, and pay special attention to holidays and local celebrations. 2020 Bali Ceremonies & Holidays Calendar to see when the offices will be closed, which could cause delays. This process must be started before your original 30 day visa has expired.
Remember, even with a visa on arrival extension you can only stay in Bali for 60 days maximum.
Visa for Bali Option 3 – Multiple Business Visa
If you intend to stay longer in Bali and come more often and want to build business contacts, this is probably the best Visa to get. You can apply for it whilst abroad. However, the process for this Bali Visa is more complicated and more documents are needed depending on the country you live in.
One option to get the visa done while here in Bali, Indonesia with the assistance of an agent, you will do the main part for you to apply for multiple business visa .
Because the visa, just like the social visa and multiple entry visa, is collected in an embassy or consulate outside of Indonesia, you would need to collect the visa in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or any other country of your choice (SIngapore best option).The visa does not entitle you to work in Bali as an employee or get a salary in any form. But you can do business related things such as meeting business partners, networking etc.
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Visa for Bali Option 4 – Digital Nomad Visa – What…really?
Unfortunately, we are not there yet. But this type of VISA might be coming sooner than you think.
A group of expats and local Indonesian entrepreneurs want to change the VISA situation for the better in Bali so digital nomads can work in peace. The mixed team of foreign and Indonesian business owners are currently drafting a proposal for a Visa for digital nomads/remote workers to be submitted to the Indonesian government.
The group is focused on a solution that will benefit both locals and digital nomads and they are currently collecting data amongst nomads (spending habits, length of stay,etc) to present a solid proposal. There is no doubt the expats in Bali are having a massive contribution on the local economy.
The proposal is underwork and there is no precise point in time when this type of Visa will come into fruition.
However, it is already great news that someone is working on this project that could save the digital nomads so much hustle. Esentially, this means they could work worry free from Bali for longer periods of time without doing VISA runs.
We had a chat with Olumide Gbenro, the founder of Digital Noamd Summit and one of the biggest promoters of the Digital Nomad Visa in Bali.
