Bali Arrival Checklist: All Indonesia, DPS eSIMs, Airport Transfers and Car Rental

A good Bali arrival checklist separates five different things that travelers often mix together: Indonesia’s All Indonesia arrival declaration, your visa or entry permission, Bali’s provincial tourist levy, your mobile-data plan and your transport out of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS).

None of these replaces the others. A completed arrival declaration is not a visa. Paying Bali’s tourist levy is not an immigration fee. An eSIM does not solve document access if your phone dies. And a cheap rental car is not automatically a sensible first-hour choice after a long flight.

Planning more than a short holiday? Compare legal fit and everyday practicality in Trailandra’s Digital Nomad Destinations Research Hub.

1. Complete All Indonesia before flying

Indonesia now uses All Indonesia as the integrated international-passenger arrival declaration for immigration, customs, health and quarantine information. Current government guidance says it can be completed from three days before arrival, and official materials state that submission is free.

For an international air arrival at Bali DPS, use All Indonesia rather than completing a separate airport customs e-CD as well. Indonesia Customs currently describes All Indonesia as the one-stop arrival system for air and sea arrivals.

What to have ready

• passport details;
• flight and arrival information;
• your address in Indonesia;
• customs information for goods you are carrying;
• health and quarantine information requested by the form.

Once submitted, download the QR code and keep a screenshot in an offline folder. Email can be a useful backup, but it should not be the only place the code exists.

Customs still matters

All Indonesia simplifies the declaration process; it does not remove customs obligations. If you are carrying unusually valuable goods, high-value cash or payment instruments, commercial goods, restricted products, animals, plants or temporary imports, check current Indonesia Customs rules before travel.

Indonesia Customs continues to publish a personal-goods duty exemption of up to US$500 per passenger per arrival. That is a customs allowance, not a blanket exemption for commercial imports or restricted items.

2. Check your visa or entry permission separately

All Indonesia is not a visa. It does not establish your right to enter Indonesia, extend a stay or authorize work.

Travelers who are eligible for Indonesia’s B1 Visa on Arrival route currently receive an initial stay of up to 30 days. Immigration guidance states that it can be extended once, and the current B1 fee is Rp500,000. Eligibility depends on nationality and should be checked against current Indonesian Immigration guidance before travel.

If you are planning to live in Bali while working remotely for an overseas employer, the relevant question may be very different from a short tourist arrival. Trailandra’s Indonesia E33G Remote Worker Visa Guide covers the longer-stay route, employment structure, cost and tax questions in more detail.

3. Check Bali’s separate tourist levy

Bali’s Foreign Tourist Levy is separate from your Indonesian visa, e-VoA/VoA fee and All Indonesia declaration.

Current Bali Provincial Government guidance sets the levy at Rp150,000 per foreign tourist. Payment is cashless and can be made through the official Love Bali system before entering Bali, at designated airport or port counters, or through registered endpoints.

Payment generates a levy voucher with a QR code. Paying online before travel is the simplest approach for travelers who know the levy applies to them.

Who may be exempt?

Official Love Bali guidance lists exemption categories including diplomatic and official visa holders, transport crew, KITAS/KITAP holders, family-unification visa holders, student visa holders and Golden Visa holders, together with certain other non-tourist visa holders.

The procedure is not identical for every category. Some groups receive exemption automatically, while Golden Visa holders and certain other visa holders need to apply through Love Bali and receive approval. Check your exact visa category instead of assuming that every non-tourist stay is automatically exempt.

4. Check travel medical or long-term health cover

Insurance is separate from your Indonesian entry permission, All Indonesia declaration and Bali tourist levy. If you want cover for the trip, choose based on the type of protection you actually need rather than assuming one plan fits every traveler.

SafetyWing currently separates its lighter travel-medical product from its broader long-term international health product. For a shorter trip focused mainly on unexpected medical events abroad, Nomad Insurance Essential is the more travel-oriented option. For longer stays where broader health-care needs matter, Nomad Insurance Complete is the deeper product to compare.

5. Set up mobile data before you need it

A working connection helps with maps, hotel-driver messages, Grab or Gojek bookings and last-minute travel changes. It should still be treated as a convenience layer, not your only access to essential documents.

Smartfren’s tourist eSIM page currently says the process can be completed online and that tourist-plan validity may be extended up to 90 days. The carrier also makes clear that “unlimited” plans use a fair-use policy, so do not interpret unlimited as unrestricted high-speed data.

Carrier prices, registration requirements and coverage change. Check the live product page before buying, particularly if you plan to work from areas outside Bali’s main tourism corridor.

6. Leaving DPS: hotel transfer, taxi, Grab or Gojek

DPS Airport currently lists official taxis, a Grab Lounge and Gojek Customer Lounge locations. The Grab Lounge is listed in the international and domestic arrival-terminal pickup zone, while the Gojek lounge is listed at the international drop-zone area and domestic arrival hall.

Pickup points can change, so follow the current airport signage and the live instructions inside the app on the day you arrive.

Lowest-friction option: accommodation transfer

A pre-arranged hotel or villa transfer can be the simplest first-hour choice after a long-haul flight. Before boarding, save the driver name, meeting point, phone or messaging contact, vehicle details and confirmed fare.

Grab, Gojek or official taxi

If you use an app ride, wait until you have collected your luggage and have a reliable connection. Match the driver, vehicle and plate number with the booking before entering the car.

For airport taxis, use the official airport channel and confirm the destination and fare arrangement before departure. Avoiding unsolicited rides makes it easier to keep the driver and pricing details documented.

7. Should you rent a car in Bali?

Self-driving can be useful when your accommodation and itinerary are spread across the island, but it also adds legal, insurance and road-safety questions immediately after an international flight.

If you plan to drive, carry your original valid home-country licence, obtain an International Driving Permit where your issuing country provides one and confirm in writing what the rental company accepts for your specific booking.

• confirm the deposit or card hold;
• check the damage excess and insurance exclusions;
• confirm fuel, mileage and geographic restrictions;
• check authorized-driver rules;
• photograph the exterior, tyres, windshield, interior and fuel level at pickup and return;
• do not assume a car licence automatically covers scooters or motorbikes.

Bali arrival checklist for your first hour at DPS

1. Get connected. Join airport Wi-Fi or activate the data plan you prepared before travel.
2. Open the All Indonesia QR code. Use the offline copy you saved before boarding.
3. Clear immigration. Use the visa or entry route appropriate to your passport and purpose of stay.
4. Collect your luggage. Keep passport and arrival documents accessible.
5. Complete customs formalities. Use the All Indonesia flow and declare relevant goods accurately.
6. Handle IMEI registration only if your circumstances require it. Short-term tourist connectivity and permanent device registration are separate questions.
7. Use your confirmed transport. Meet the hotel driver or follow the official taxi, Grab or Gojek process.
8. Keep the levy voucher and entry documents accessible. Do not bury everything in checked luggage or an account that requires a fresh login.

Common mistakes that can break a Bali arrival checklist

If Bali is becoming a longer remote-work base rather than a short trip, continue with Trailandra’s Indonesia E33G Remote Worker Visa Guide and Digital Nomad Tax & Permanent Establishment Guide.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources checked

1. All Indonesia — official integrated arrival declaration
2. Indonesia Ministry of Immigration and Corrections — All Indonesia national rollout
3. Indonesia Customs — arrival declaration guidance
4. Ngurah Rai Immigration — Visa on Arrival guidance
5. Love Bali — Foreign Tourist Levy FAQ
6. Smartfren — Tourist eSIM Indonesia
7. Telkomsel — Tourist Prepaid Card price and data
8. Telkomsel — eSIM eligibility and registration
9. I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport — taxi, Grab and Gojek transport information