Bali arrival rules for 2026

What do you need to do before you fly to Bali?

Three things: the visa, the arrival card and the levy. Plus a passport valid for six months beyond your arrival date.

The US State Department's Indonesia page lists the passport rule: six months of validity beyond the arrival date, undamaged, with at least two blank pages. Airlines can refuse boarding if the passport falls short, so check both passports now, not at check-in.

The rest is three separate online steps, on three official sites. None of them depends on the others, and the table puts them in the order we would do them.

How does the Bali tourist levy work?

Foreign tourists pay it once per trip, cashless, preferably online through Love Bali before arrival. You get a voucher with a QR code by email.

The levy comes from Bali Province Regulation No. 6 of 2023 and funds the protection of Balinese culture and the environment, according to the Love Bali portal. Its FAQ says it is paid only once while you travel in Bali, before you leave Indonesia. Cruise passengers pay it too.

Payment is cashless only: Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB cards, bank transfer, virtual account, UnionPay or QRIS. You can pay on the Love Bali site before you fly (the portal encourages this, to speed up arrival), at counters in the airport and port, or at registered hotels, travel agents and attractions during the trip. The voucher arrives by email with a QR code, so type the address carefully. If the email goes wrong, payment can be checked with passport data.

Some travellers do not pay. The FAQ lists the exemptions below, and Smartraveller adds transit passengers.

What is the All Indonesia arrival card?

A free digital form at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id that combines immigration, customs and health declarations. Fill it in within 72 hours before arrival.

The card became mandatory for arrivals in Bali, Jakarta and Surabaya on 1 September 2025 and nationwide from 1 October 2025, as Executive Traveller reported at launch. It replaces the separate immigration, customs and health declarations with one form, and asks for your flight, your departure date and where you are staying. It takes a few minutes per person.

Timing matters. The State Department says the form cannot be completed more than 72 hours before arrival, and that it is free. Fill it in at the hotel the night before your flight, or in the departure lounge. The QR code comes by email; save it to your phone too, because immigration and customs scan it. You can also use the All Indonesia app.

The card is not a visa. You still need the e-VOA or a visa on arrival.

Do you need a visa for Bali: e-VOA or visa on arrival?

Most tourists need one. The e-VOA is the same 30-day visa on arrival, applied for online at evisa.imigrasi.go.id, and it lets you skip the payment queue.

The visa on arrival covers 30 days and can be extended once, for up to 30 more days, at an immigration office in Indonesia (Smartraveller). Smartraveller advises extending within the first 30 days, since an overstay brings fines and deportation. Eligibility depends on your passport, so check your nationality on the official site.

The official e-Visa site takes payment by Visa, Mastercard or JCB card and emails the visa once approved. It also lets one person apply for up to five people at once, handy for a couple. The State Department notes you need your departure date and a booked return flight. Apply a few days ahead. A form rejected for a blurred passport scan is easier to redo at home than at the gate.

Visa on arrival still works, but the booth sits before the immigration counters and the State Department warns that lines can be long. After a long-haul flight, that queue is the first thing you would pay to skip.

Which websites are scams, and how do you avoid them?

Anything that is not a .go.id address. The arrival card is free, so a site that charges for it is not the government.

Search for "Bali levy" or "Indonesia arrival card" and the first results are often agencies offering to fill in the same forms for a service fee. Some look official. The three addresses you need all end in .go.id: evisa.imigrasi.go.id, allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id and lovebali.baliprov.go.id. Smartraveller names the same three official channels.

Three simple checks help. Type the address yourself instead of clicking an ad. Never pay for the arrival card. And be wary of anyone at the airport who offers to sort your levy or visa for cash: the levy is cashless only.

A planned pickup helps on arrival too. Agree the meeting point with your hotel or driver before you fly, so you walk past the touts in the arrivals hall.

A private car and an English-speaking driver for ten hours, for the day you want to string temples, terraces and a beach club together.

★ 4.8 · 10 hours

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What are Bali's do's and don'ts for tourists?

In 2023 the governor published a list: respect temples and ceremonies, dress modestly at holy sites, pay in the local currency, ride licensed transport, no climbing sacred trees or littering.

Governor Wayan Koster's Circular No. 4 of 2023 set out the rules after a run of incidents with foreign visitors, as The Nation reported. Most of it is common courtesy. A few points catch couples out: the inner court of a temple is for prayer only, in Balinese dress, and not during menstruation. Posing for photos in little or no clothing at a sacred site has led to deportations.

Rented scooters are the other trap. The circular asks for a valid international or national licence and licensed transport. Many couples skip the scooter and book a car with a driver for temple days instead. Our Bali safety guide covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions