What Is Required To Enter Bali From Australia?

What Is Required To Enter Bali From Australia?

So you want to go to Bali, now what? Well, the absolute first thing you have to do is figure out what is required to enter Bali from Australia.

I will go through everything in the ONE post to save you from having to go down the rabbit hole of what to do online about what is required to enter Bali from Australia.

Why Bali?

Well, the Indonesian island of Bali is point-blank stunning. It’s known for its pristine beaches, vibrant culture, and lush landscapes and continues to remain a super popular destination for Australian travellers seeking a tropical escape.

It seems like most Australians’ have been to Bali at some point. It’s also one of the closest countries to visit from Australia making it a cheaper option to get out of our sunburned country.

However, in a world post-COVID where our travelling freedoms are restricted, many more rules and precautions are around these days. There is also an increase in travel traffic mixed in with economic hardships which have led scams to skyrocket. This leads to lots of confusion when researching what is required to enter Bali from Australia.

Understanding What is Required To Enter Bali From Australia

Australian visitors must be well-versed in Bali’s entry requirements, which are influenced by various factors such as the Indonesian government mandates, and specific guidelines set by airlines facilitating the journey.

The number one thing any Australian needs to do when going outside of Australia at all is visit the government set-up site Smartraveller. Its got detailed information about what is required to enter Bali from Australia.

It’s all well and good to look online at websites, but how do you know what’s relevant today or whether what you are looking at is a scam site? Stick with the government sites and this one is the mother site.

You can also subscribe to emails about countries you are visiting so you will get up-to-the-minute emails about what’s going on in the country that may impact your travel.

So Let’s Get To It!

We can really break down the mandatories into 4 main categories;

A passport with at least 6 months left on it

Visa on Arrival or E-visa

Customs declaration

Tourist tax

There are other things you will need like vaccinations, travel insurance and proof of exit from the country within your visa allowance, but let’s just start at the basic 4.

Passport

If you haven’t got a passport go get one. This is the main Australian website.

If you have got one make sure it isn’t damaged is valid and has a minimum 6 months on it at the time of the date you intend to return home.

2 consideration points;

Some airlines will knock you back to travel if your return date is too close to the 6 months left on your passport expiry.

Passports are notoriously a headache to get. They can also take up to 6 weeks to receive. Don’t leave things until the last minute.

Get your passport first THEN book your travel. You wouldn’t want to waste your money buying tickets and then you can’t go because your passport didn’t arrive in time.

An extra tip is to keep copies in email accounts so that even if you lose your phone you can access your email. I keep a copy in my email accounts of all my travel documents. Carry extra passport photos and photocopies just in case. There is always a risk of being hacked or losing things so you can take it or leave it with how you like to secure yourself with copies of things.

Visa on Arrival or E-visa

It used to be that you just got a Visa on Arrival at Bali’s airport. Now they have introduced the E-Visa and I’ve heard increasing accounts of fake websites selling them. This is the official website.

This website should be navigated through official websites like Smartraveller or your airline carrier. Don’t just google it and follow any old link to pay, exposing yourself to scams and be cautious you aren’t clinking on ad sites.

If you want to just do it at the airport that is good too. As you come out of your plane and into the airport there is a separate line to go pay for your Visa on Arrival which is roughly IDR 500.000 per person whether children or adults. This is approximately $50 AUD each. You can read more about this on Welcome Back to Bali website.

The basic VOA-Visa on Arrival is for a single Entry into Bali/Indonesia, for a stay of up to 30 days and can be extended for a maximum 1 time at the local Immigration Office. If you leave and come back, you have to pay it again. Even if it’s within the 30 days you bought a VOA for.

You also need a ticket leaving the country within those 30 days. If you are flying with the same carrier, they may not ask. However, immigration will ask you the date of your departure and you need to have one. They may also ask for evidence, so have that prepared.

Custom Declaration

If you are just a basic tourist or traveller the custom declaration is the easiest part of what is required to enter Bali from Australia.

Go to the customs declaration website and fill in the questions about your declarations 3 days before your travel. You will be emailed and can screenshot the QR code on completion. Show your airline carrier if asked before boarding and after clearing immigration show this to the customs officers before leaving the airport. Easy!

Be very serious in declaring everything and educating yourself about laws and allowances. If you have any concerns, highlight them directly to customs. It’s better to ask than end up in any legal trouble in another country. Always remain a responsible and respectful traveller. Again, more on different laws are on the Smartraveller website.

Tourist Tax

This was introduced on February 14 2024 as an extra cost to international travellers to Bali.

The Bali Tourist Tax costs IDR 150,000 per person (ca. USD 10 and AUD 15). Regardless of the age of the traveller.

It seems, that for the online payment, there is also a surcharge of Rp 4,500

Please make sure you go to the correct website as many scams exist for fake links. The official site is here and if you ever want to double-check go to Smartraveller and click on the travel section about the latest updates.

A few extra key points on what is required to enter Bali from Australia

Another thing to note in what is required to enter Bali from Australia that I haven’t covered is getting yourself a COVID-19 vaccine certificate or other vaccinations.

The certificate is recommended by the passport office. There is more information here on this and how to do it.

If you have an iPhone you can keep your certificate in wallets. Having a printed copy together with your passport is always handy – just in case. If you aren’t vaccinated, that’s ok. In most places, it isn’t mandatory. Just make sure you check at official websites what the requirement is. Bali has stopped checking for some time now, although whether you need COVID-19 cost-related insurance or not changes. So keep updated.

Other vaccinations are for you to know whether you have had or want in addition. See a travel clinic or GP. The younger generation has a vaccine register which you will find on MyGov under your medicare section in proof of vaccines. Do this BEFORE you leave the country as MyGOv has a text message on your mobile to log in and you won’t be able to access it if you are using a foreign SIM.

Travel Insurance

This will be brief. Get travel insurance. Make sure it covers COVID-19-related costs. Read your insurance and understand your activities. Motorbikes, some outdoor activities and alcohol-related accidents will not be insured or you have to pay extra. Take a copy of the insurance certificate with you along with insurance claim contact numbers.

The Take-Home Message For What Is Required To Enter Bali From Australia

At the base of the message in “What is required to enter Bali from Australia” is that you should be familiarising with departure protocols. This aids in a hassle-free departure when travelling from Australia to Bali and returning. Comply with local and international regulations when you go.

Stay up to date with reliable sources for up-to-date travel information. Accessing reliable sources like government websites and reputable travel advisories assists in staying informed about travel advisories and entry requirements.

So there you go! What is required to enter Bali from Australia is covered. I hope you get planning and thoroughly enjoy your trip to Bali!

For more content head over to our blog and website to learn or follow us on social media to help grow the community of Travelling Marsupials!