Moving to Bali, the steps, in order

Before you decide

Most people who move to Bali came on holiday first. A holiday in a hotel in Seminyak tells you little about working from a villa in the rainy season with a scooter as your only transport.

So the first move should be a test. Come for one to three months, live the way you would live long term, and work your normal hours. The guide to living in Bali lists what daily life is like, with the downsides.

Three questions decide whether the move works.

1. Where does your income come from? You cannot take a local job or sell to local clients without a work permit. A remote job, foreign clients, a pension or savings are what make Bali possible.
2. How long do you plan to stay? Six months and three years lead to different visas and different housing.
3. Who comes with you? A partner needs their own visa. Children need a school. A dog cannot come at all, more on that below.

Step 1, choose a visa

The visa sets everything else, so choose it first.

Apply for the C1 two to three weeks before your flight. Stay permits take one to two months with an agent. Details and costs are in the guide to long stay visas for Bali.

Step 2, set a budget

You need two numbers, the monthly cost and the cash to get started.

The median asking rent in our listings is Rp 30M a month, about $1,680, for homes that are mostly villas. A room is Rp 8M. A single person spends $950 to $2,500 a month depending on the home, and a couple around $3,500. The cost of living in Bali breaks it down.

For the first month, add the following.

A safe starting fund is three months of living costs plus a deposit. If you plan to rent by the year, you will need the full year of rent in cash at signing. That surprises many people.

Step 3, sort out home before you leave

• Taxes. Find out if you stay a tax resident at home and what happens after 183 days in Indonesia. Do it before departure.
• Bank. Get a card with low foreign fees and a multi-currency account. Tell your bank you are moving.
• Phone. Keep your home number for banking codes, on the cheapest plan you can find.
• Driving. Get an international driving permit that covers motorcycles.
• Health. Buy insurance that covers scooter accidents and medical evacuation. Get a dental check and your vaccinations. Bring prescriptions with the doctor’s letter.
• Documents. Scan your passport, birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and driving licence. Carry passport photos with a red and a white background, immigration asks for them.
• Mail. Set up a forwarding address or a virtual mailbox.

Step 4, pack light

Furnished rentals come with beds, linen, a kitchen and wifi. Shipping furniture to Indonesia is slow, taxed and rarely worth it.

Bring what is hard to find or expensive here.

• a laptop, a second screen if you work on one, and spare chargers
• good shoes in large sizes, which are hard to find
• prescription medicine and glasses
• sunscreen you like, since the brands you know cost double
• a universal plug adapter and a surge protector
• a rain jacket for riding

Leave winter clothes, most of your kitchen and anything leather. Humidity ruins it.

Step 5, the first two weeks

Book a guesthouse or a room for the first week, in the area you think you want. Then:

1. Buy a local SIM card at a phone shop, not at the airport. Your phone has to be registered if you stay more than 90 days.
2. Install Gojek and Grab for transport and food, and WhatsApp for everything else.
3. Rent a scooter by the week first, then by the month. Take a lesson if you have never ridden.
4. Visit two or three areas on different days and at rush hour.
5. Start visiting homes.

Canggu and Pererenan suit remote workers who want cafes and people. Ubud is greener and cheaper. Sanur is calm and family friendly. Uluwatu is for surf and space. The guide on where to live in Bali compares them.

Step 6, find a home

Rentals are posted in Facebook groups by owners and agents. This site gathers those posts in one place, by area, type and length of stay.

Start with a monthly rental in Bali. It costs more per month than a yearly contract, and it is worth it, because your first choice of area is often wrong.

When you are sure, a long term rental paid by the year brings the monthly cost down a lot. Before paying, visit in person, check the water, the wifi and the noise, and get a written contract. The process is in how to rent in Bali.

Step 7, settle in

• Money. With a stay permit you can open a local bank account, which makes paying rent and bills easier. Without one, use transfers from a multi-currency account and ATMs.
• Registration. Your landlord reports your stay to the local authorities. With a stay permit you also get a local residence certificate. Your agent handles it.
• Health. Find the nearest clinic and the nearest hospital, and save the numbers.
• Community. Join a gym, a surf school, a coworking space or a class. It is the fastest way to meet people.

Moving to Bali with a family

Bali works well for families who can afford school fees. International schools are in Canggu, Umalas, Sanur and near Ubud, and fees run from about $5,000 to more than $20,000 a year per child. Waiting lists exist, so apply before you move.

Pick the school first and the house second. A daily commute across the south is miserable. Families usually rent a three bedroom villa or a house in Umalas, Berawa or Sanur, and hire a nanny, which is affordable here.

Each family member needs their own visa. Dependants can be attached to the main holder of a stay permit.

Moving to Bali with a dog or a cat

This is the hard one. Bali has rabies, and the province bans bringing dogs, cats and monkeys onto the island, from abroad and from other parts of Indonesia. People have had animals refused or worse.

Do not plan a move around importing a pet. If your stay is temporary, leave the animal with family. If it is permanent, be aware that the legal route does not exist today and may not for years. Plenty of people adopt a Bali dog once they are settled, and many villas accept pets if you ask the owner.

Mistakes people make

• Signing a yearly lease in the first week.
• Paying a year of rent to someone who is not the owner. Ask for the land certificate and the owner’s ID.
• Working for local clients on a visit visa.
• Riding without a licence or insurance.
• Arriving in July or August and judging prices from the peak. See Bali rent by season.
• Underestimating the rainy season. Ask how the road and the roof behave in January.

A simple timeline