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Exa: thebalisun.com
Exa: thebalisun.com
Bali Zero handles visas, company setup, tax and property compliance in Indonesia. Ask us directly on WhatsApp.
Chat with Bali Zero on WhatsAppBali's authorities have spent two years tightening enforcement of rules that were always on the books. The difference in 2026 is not the rules themselves — it is the consistency and visibility with which they are now applied.
Bali's provincial and national authorities have spent the past two years recalibrating how they handle foreign visitor conduct. What was once managed through informal warnings now frequently results in deportation orders, visa bans, and coordinated enforcement sweeps involving the Immigration Office (Imigrasi), the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), and in serious cases, the national police.
Visa Classification Update: Indonesia has restructured its short-stay visitor visa system. The old B211A tourist visa classification no longer exists. Visitors now enter on either a B1 Visit Visa (for social, tourism, and certain business visits) or a C1 Tourist Visa, which covers the standard Visa on Arrival (VOA) and Electronic Visa on Arrival (eVOA). Both visa types carry identical restrictions: foreigners are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any paid work, whether directly for an Indonesian entity or remotely for a foreign employer while physically present in Indonesia.
The prohibition is enshrined in Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration and its implementing regulations. The 2023 introduction of a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa (the Second Home Visa pathway and the E33G remote worker category) was intended to address this gap, but uptake has been slow and enforcement against non-compliant tourist-visa holders has accelerated.
Beyond work restrictions, Bali has enforced a set of conduct rules that target behaviour deemed disrespectful to local customs and sacred sites. Foreigners have faced deportation for actions including climbing sacred trees or temple structures, posting offensive content about Balinese Hindu culture on social media, behaving indecently near religious sites, and operating vehicles without valid Indonesian or international licences. The viral nature of such incidents has made social media itself a vector for enforcement, with the Immigration Office openly monitoring posts that surface in local and national press.
On the practical side, the rules around temple dress codes, ceremonial processions (ngaben, melasti, odalan), and the prohibition on entering temples during menstruation remain in force and are actively communicated by local banjar (community councils). Violations, while usually handled locally, can escalate to formal proceedings.
Property and vehicle regulations also feature prominently in 2026 guidance. Foreigners cannot legally own freehold land (Hak Milik) in Indonesia. Arrangements structured through Indonesian nominees carry legal risk and have been the subject of increasing scrutiny. Similarly, renting a motorbike without a valid SIM International or Indonesian SIM (Surat Izin Mengemudi) and an International Driving Permit remains technically illegal and voids most travel insurance policies, a fact frequently overlooked by short-stay visitors.
The 2026 refresh of tourist conduct guidance is less about new rules and more about a new enforcement reality. Bali's authorities are not improvising — they are applying a legal framework that has existed for years with considerably more consistency and public visibility than before. For our clients, this distinction matters enormously.
The clients most exposed are those in the grey zone: digital nomads working remotely on tourist visas (B1 or C1), entrepreneurs running Indonesian ventures under nominee structures, and property buyers who have relied on informal arrangements to hold land. None of these situations were ever legally clean, but the tolerance margin has narrowed sharply. The question is no longer whether these arrangements comply with Indonesian law — they do not — but how quickly enforcement catches up.
For clients who are genuinely invested in Bali for the medium or long term, the calculus is straightforward: the cost of proper structuring (PT PMA company, appropriate working visa, Hak Pakai or Hak Guna Bangunan property title) is a fraction of the cost of a deportation, a visa ban, or a forced business wind-down. The rules Bali is enforcing in 2026 are the rules that have always been on the books. The difference now is that ignoring them is no longer a viable strategy.
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