We often get asked about the visa situation and how we manage to stay in Bali for an extended period of time. This is what we have done to stay in Bali. Be aware that the rules change all the time so make sure you get the most up to date information.

Old man in Bali
Old man in Bali

If you live in Bali as an ex-pat for an extended period, you become very knowledgeable about the different types of visas, and what you can and cannot do with them. Here is some information based on our experiences at this time (2014).

Most people who come to Bali on holiday will get a 30-day visa on arrival (called a VOA for those in the know). We actually organised our visa at the Perth embassy before we left, and were able to get a 60-day tourist visa instead of the 30 day one. The 30-day visa can be extended once when you are in Indonesia, but the 60-day visa is not extendable.

After 60 days we had no choice, we had to leave the country. We flew back to Perth on what we called our supply trip to Perth, and could have returned doing the same thing, starting a 60-day yo-yo process. That is what many people do. From Bali you can fly cheaply to Singapore, Darwin or KL, get your visa organised, and fly back. Repeat. If you are happy with doing it every 30 days, you can actually just get back on a plane at your destination and come back for another 30 VOA.

Stay long enough and you begin to turn Balinese
Stay long enough and you begin to turn Balinese

When we returned from Perth, we just got a 30-day visa at the Denpasar airport, as before it would expire we had a holiday to Singapore organised – our Singapore Visa Run. While in Singapore, we got ourselves a social visa (Sosial Budaya), which gives us another 60 days, but with this type of visa, you can extend it a few times (at a cost), and stay legally up to 6 months without having to leave the country.

Getting a social visa takes a bit of planning. You need the paperwork, a visa agent, a local who will act as your sponsor. Although it is possible to do this all yourself, it is much easier with a visa agent. You can easily find one. Remember, with a VOA or social visa you can’t work. There are other types of visas, such as for business or retirement, but we don’t need such a visa … yet.

dressed 4 temple