Travelling to Bali from Australia with Kids: A Step-by-Step Guide to Navigating the Entry Requirements!

Did you know there are some new entry requirements for those travelling to Bali?

This is your comprehensive guide to navigating both the pre-departure and arrival processes, to make sure your family holiday goes off without a hitch!

Entry Requirements Summary:

• Australian passports for all members travelling, with six months validity after your family’s departure date. No damage or tears on any of the documents, or entry will be denied.

• Visas for each person travelling. Can be purchased prior online or on arrival into Bali. The cost is $50 per person.

• Customs declaration form. Can be completed 72 hours prior, or on arrival. One per family/group. This is free.

• Tourist tax. Can be paid for prior, or on arrival. One payment for each person travelling. The cost is $15 per person.

• Proof of an outbound flight due to leave Bali within 30 days.

• Travel insurance – comprehensive, or medical only.

Step One: Bali Tourist Visas!

Every family member, including infants, must have their own 30-day tourist visa, and there are two ways you can apply - online before departure, or on arrival once you have landed in Bali.

Pre-purchased electronic visas:

Bali has recently installed electronic passport gates, which you can use if you have purchased your visas online prior to departure and are over 14 years of age.

If you are traveling with younger children, you can still pre-purchase visas in advance (and avoid the visa on arrival queues) and head straight to the immigration lines for manual checks. However, we personally feel it is best to obtain visas on arrival (VOA).

I say this because, in our experience, the website to purchase visas can be cumbersome and often crashes, which can lead to a lot of time wasted, and end up with you needing to purchase your visas on arrival anyway!

If you wish to pre-purchase your visas though, here is the correct link: 

Visa on Arrival (VOA):

I recommend doing your visas on arrival in Bali.

Once you get off the plane, the first building you enter will be the visa hall, and each visa will cost approximately $50 AUD. You can pay via cash or card, however, we recommend paying with Aussie cash.

Recap, Additional Notes & Pro Tips:

• If you purchase visas prior to travel AND everybody in your party is over 14, head straight from the plane to the e-gates. If you purchase visas prior to travel AND have children under 14, head straight to the manual immigration checkpoint after you land. In both instances, skip the visa on arrival (VOA) queues.

• If doing the Visa on Arrival (VOA) method to obtain your visas, put a $50 Aussie note for each traveller, plus, a spare $10 note (to allow for any exchange rate differences), in a separate envelope along with your passports. This way you are not fumbling around for cash at the airport.

• If you are owed change you will receive it in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). Any change received can be used for tipping. Tipping is not expected in Bali but welcomed.

• Once you disembark the plane, and arrive in the area to purchase visas, head to the far-left line to purchase your visas (VOA). For some reason, this line always seems to be smaller!

• There is no family line in the visa section. However, there is a family line in the immigration section. Once you have obtained your visas, be sure to use the family line for the immigration component if you are eligible. It will make your journey through the airport quicker. More on eligibility below.

Step Two: Immigration!

If you have obtained all your visas online before flying to Bali, you can disembark the plane and head straight to immigration.

If you have obtained your family's visas on arrival, you will proceed straight to immigration once you have paid for your visas.

At immigration, your passport, visas, and identity will be checked. Finger printing may also take place.

Pro Tips:

• If you, or someone in your group, is under the age of 5, has a disability, is over the age of 65, or is pregnant, head to the separate immigration line for families/special needs. It is located to the right-hand side corner, towards the large television/advertising screens.

Step Three: Baggage Claim & Customs!

After you have arrived in Bali, obtained your visas, and cleared immigration, you will then reach the baggage carousels.

If you do not have any baggage, you can skip this step and proceed to customs. (See my blog on ‘what to pack for Bali’ to get your luggage down to carry-on only!)

Before proceeding to customs, be sure to get out your electronic customs paperwork (piece of paper with a printed QR code). This can be completed up to 72 hours prior to arriving in Bali, and you need one customs declaration form per family/group.

If you forget to complete your customs declaration prior to arriving in Bali, there is WIFI at the airport and desktop computers available to complete this step, however, it is an easy step to complete prior to departure, so that is what I recommend to save time.

Here is the link to complete your customs paperwork prior to arriving in Bali. Remember, you only need to do this once per group, not per person.

Additional Notes/Pro Tips:

• Be sure to print out the QR code in case your phone goes flat, and you cannot access your photos to show your completed customs declaration form.

Step Four: Tourist Tax - Helping Keep Bali Cleaner & Greener!

After you have cleared customs, and shown your printed QR code, you will proceed to exit the airport, but before doing so, you must pay a tourist tax for every traveller or show proof that you have already paid this. It is $15 AUD per person.

You can pay your tourist tax paperwork prior to arriving in Bali via this link.

Additional Notes/Pro Tips:

• The tourist tax stand is not well signed. Look for the red umbrellas and tourist tax desk on the left-hand side before exiting the airport. If you reach the area with taxis and drivers, you have gone too far.

Step Five: Leaving Denpasar Airport & Getting to your Bali Accommodation!

Once you have completed your visas, cleared immigration, collected your baggage, cleared customs, and shown that you have paid your tourist tax, you are able to leave Denpasar Airport and head to your accommodation!

You may want to pre-arrange your transport, or you may be happy to grab a taxi/Uber-style option once you land. Ubers in Bali are known as Grab and GoJeks.

Here are your main options, ranked from highest to lowest cost:

Transportation Options:

• Pre-arranged Pickup: Your hotel might provide this service, or you may have been recommended a private driver to use. For families traveling with young children, Bali Kidz Hire offers private drivers, and cars fitted with car seats.

• Bluebird Taxis: Bali’s official taxi service.

• Grab or Go-Jek: Bali's version of Uber. Walk past the pre-arranged pick up and taxi section, and head towards the architectural orange and white brick gate. You will then see the green shopfronts, which are the Grab/Go-Jek pickup points.

Conclusion:

Bali is a fantastic family destination with straightforward entry requirements once you know the steps.

Follow this guide and checklist to ensure a smooth arrival and enjoy your Bali adventure!

Pre -Travel Checklist:

• Australian passports for all members travelling, with six months validity after your family’s departure date. No damage or tears on any of the documents, or entry will be denied.

• Visas for each person travelling. Can be purchased prior online or on arrival into Bali. The cost is $50 per person. If you choose to purchase online prior, do so here: The Official eVisa website for Indonesia (imigrasi.go.id)

• Customs declaration form. Can be completed 72 hours prior, or on arrival. One per family/group. This is free. You can complete prior via this link: Official Website Direktorat Jenderal Bea dan Cukai (beacukai.go.id)

• Tourist tax. Can be paid for prior, or on arrival. One payment for each person travelling. The cost is $15 per person. You can complete prior via this link: Welcome to Bali, the Island of Gods - Love Bali (baliprov.go.id)

• Proof of an outbound flight due to leave Bali within 30 days.

• Travel insurance – comprehensive, or medical only.

Still confused? Perhaps this image will help:

Bonus tips:

WhatsApp is used heavily in Bali, by service providers and private drivers etc, so it’s worth having that already downloaded and set up, ready to go.

If you don’t already have international roaming with your phone provider, it’s worth setting up an eSim so you have mobile data available. We use Airalo and have always found it to be great as it uses the Telkomsel towers, which we find has the best reception in Bali.

Also, make sure you’ve got your My Big Adventure Bali travel diaries ready to go for the kids. They fit nicely into kids back packs and help keep them entertained while waiting in any lines.

You can order yours here.

Happy adventuring!

Kirstin – Travel Writer & Founder of My Big Adventure Kids Travel Diaries.

Ready to pack?

Check out my packing guide, and exactly what I take on the plane to keep kids occupied here!