Foreign tourists visiting Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination, Bali, will have to pay a US$10 tourism tax as part of efforts to preserve the island’s culture and environment. The levy, equivalent to 150,000 rupiah, will be collected electronically upon entry into Bali from abroad or other parts of Indonesia. Domestic Indonesian tourists will not be subject to this charge.
With an impressive-sounding turnaround time promised of 23 seconds per passenger, it is still recommended to make advanced payment online before departure via the Love Bali website or via the LoveBali app available on Google Play and via App Store. This will allow visitors to provide their personal details, make payment for the arrival tax, and then obtain a QR code to scan at the checkpoint at Bali Airport, or at sea ports.
The funds collected will be utilised to improve infrastructure, ensuring a more comfortable and safe experience for travellers. Proceeds from the tourist tax will go towards environmental and heritage protection on the island, known for its picturesque beaches, Hindu temples and rice terraces.
This fee will be in addition to the Visa On Arrival fee of US$35 per person or 500,000 rupiah. Those not holding ASEAN (Southeast Asia) nationality will also have to obtain a Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) when entering Indonesia on an international flight, obtained at a separate counter though or apply online in advance at https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/
Do note that you still need to pay the tourism tax again if you travel outside of Bali to neighbouring islands such as the Gili Islands, Lombok and other parts of Indonesia and then come back to Bali. However, this won’t apply if you travel to the islands within Bali’s jurisdiction such as Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida.
Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism, Sandiaga Uno, is projecting annual tax revenues of 750 billion rupiah (US$50 million) from the new tourist tax. Sandiaga’s estimates are based on an estimated five million foreign tourists visiting Bali annually.
Bali has a population of around 4.2 million, and it welcomed more than 6.2 million tourists in 2019. Between January and December 26, 2023, more than 5.2 million foreign tourists and over 9.4 million domestic tourists visited Bali, according to the Bali Tourism Agency.
There are several exemptions from this tax and they include corporate investors, people here to conduct government business (diplomatic and official visa), golden and student visa holders, and official visa holders for business and other non-tourism purposes (those with a residence permit card, for example).
If you are arriving by air at Bali on an international flight, you should also complete the e-customs declaration before departure and obtain a QR code to show on arrival.
