Updates on travelling to Bali and current regulations – a full guide (November 2021)
Bali – the island of Gods. Or rather: the island countless travellers are endlessly in love with and the island which is high on many bucketlists. Since the pandemic started almost 2 years ago, travelling to Bali has been banned. The borders have been closed since April 2020 for most international tourists. And only certain visa holders were allowed to enter Indonesia. A country, which highly relies on international tourism has been closed for months. And even with some restrictions being lifted, travelling to Bali is still complicated. In the past weeks, some regulations have been lifted and changes have been made. But what are the updates on travelling to Bali and what should you know if you plan to travel to Indonesia in the near future?
Current regulations, expected changes and updates on travelling to Bali in 2022
At the moment, there are still certain regulations for travelling to Bali. Only fully vaccinated travellers are allowed to enter Indonesia. This goes for almost all South Asian countries. Moreover, you need to quarantine after your arrival. A couple of weeks ago, you had to do a mandatory quarantine in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia for 8 days in total. In the middle of October, these regulations changed to 5 days of quarantine. It is also expected that it might be possible to quarantine in Bali itself and not only in Jakarta. For now, this only applies for the following countries:
- Saudi Arabia
- UAE
- New Zealand
- Kuwait
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- China
- India
- Japan
- South Korea
- Liechtenstein
- Italy
- France
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Poland
- Hungary
- Norway
Please note: they will check your passport upon arrival. You cannot fly to a country of the mentioned list and get the benefit of quarantine in Bali directly. You need to have the nationality of one of those countries to avoid quarantine in Jakarta. If you are a citizen of the named countries you can fly directly into Bali and do your mandatory 5 days of isolation.
Update from November 9th: if you are double vaccinated, you only need to quarantine 3 nights in Jakarta.
A full overview: updates on travelling to Bali and what you need for it
Let´s start with the basic preparations for a trip to Bali.
- Firstly, you need pply for a business visa
- Secondly, to enter Bali you need to be fully vaccinated
- Thirdly, sign a letter of statement of agreement to abide to all health protocol applicable within Indonesian territory.
- Lastly, book your desired quarantine hotel in Jakarta or Bali (if you are a citizen of one of the listed countries
What about the journey itself? Here is what you need to show at the airport and therefore, need to prepare a few days in advance
- Proof of a negative PCR Test upon arrival (even if you´re vaccinated)
- a full health insurance (as well you need to sign a confirmation that you´ll pay the full expenses of a possible covid infection)
- there are 2 more PCR tests during the process of arriving in Indonesia (the first at the airport and the second at the end of your quarantine)
The best hotels in Bali for quarantine
First of all, the main question for the updates on travelling to Bali is: where can you quarantine in Bali? These rules are identical to Jakarta. There is an official list of hotels offering the quarantine. Depending on your budget and personal liking you can choose freely where to spend the 5 days. Remember, that you are not allowed to leave the room and having a pool or a nice outside area will not make any difference as you are not allowed to use it.
Depending on the hotel you choose, both in Jakarta and Bali, the prices can vary and be very different from each other. From more or less budget-friendly versions to more luxury hotels – and yet, the quarantine in total is not cheap at all. You can either book 3 meals a day or order from food delivery services such as Gojek whenever you like. You can get deliveries into your hotel room which makes it easier if you do not like what the hotel has to offer. Some hotels even offer vegan or vegetarian options. Which is perfect for those avoiding meat and dairy.
The hotels are located here:
- Badung Regency
- Denpasar
- Gianyar Regency.
The official list of hotels in Bali:
Badung Regency
- Melia Bali
- Nusa Dua Beach Hotel
- The Westin Nusa Dua
- The Laguna, A Luxury Collection
- Courtyard by Marriot Nusa Dua
- The Mulia Resort & Villa Bali
- Hilton Bali Resort
- Ritz-Carlton Bali
- Conrad Nusa Dua
- Sol by Melia Nusa Dua
- Merusaka Nusa Dua
- Novotel Bandara Ngurah Rai
- Aston Kuta Hotel & Residence
- Swiss-Belhotel Tuban
- Bali Dynasty Resort
- Fairfield by Marriot Bali Kuta Sunset Road
- Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport
- Harper Kuta Bali
- Ramada By Wyndham Bali Sunset Road Kuta
Denpasar
- Hyatt Regency
- Griya Santrian
- Taksu Sanur Hotel
- Tandjung Sari
- Prime Plaza Suites Sanur
- Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar
- Grand Hyatt Bali
Gianyar Regency
- Maya Ubud Resort & Spa
- The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud, Bali
- The Ubud Village Resort & Spa
- The Ubud Village Hotel
- The Sankara Resort & Spa Ubud By Pramana
- The Royal Pira Maha
- Komaneka Resorts
- Viceroy Bali Luxury Resort
- The Payogan Villa Resort and Spa
The best hotels for quarantine in Jakarta
- Grand Hyatt Jakarta
- Grand Sahid Jaya Jakarta
- Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta
- Mandarin Oriental Jakarta
- Shangri-la Hotels
- Sahid Jaya Lippo Cikarang
- The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Mega Kuningan
- Wyndham Casablanca Jakarta Hotel and Residence
- Hotel Borobudur
- Arcadia by Horison
- Best Western Kemayoran
- JS Luwansa Hotel Jakarta
- Java Palace Hotel Cikarang
- Harris Suites Puri Mansion Jakarta
- Holiday Inn Express Pluit
- Hotel Orchardz Jayakarta
- Zuri Express Mangga Dua
- Fairmont Jakarta
- Grand Mercure Jakarta Kemayoran
- Raffles Jakarta
- Jl. Kali Besar Tim. No. 44 46, Roa Malaka, Kec. Tambora, Jakarta Barat 11230
- Mercure Jakarta Gatot Subroto
- Novotel Tangerang
- Novotel Jakarta Gajah Mada
- Mercure Kota
- Holiday Inn & Suite Gajah Mada (Special for foreigners from India)
Which visa do you need to enter Bali?
Unfortunately, things are not like they used to be. This is one of the important updates on travelling to Bali. The typical tourist visa which lasted for 1 month is currently not an option. The only way to be allowed to enter Indonesia and Bali in particularly is to apply for a business visa. The so-called “B211” Business Visa is a must-have for anyone planning to visit Bali in the foreseeable future. Even if you are not travelling to Bali on business, you are allowed and able to apply for the visa and get your official entry into the country.
Firstly, make sure to apply at least 2 weeks before you plan to start your journey. Recommend is to apply as early as possible. Secondly, as the whole process is quite complicated, you need to hire an agent who will help you get your visa. This is mandatory and not optional. And thirdly, the good thing is that all the steps can be done online and you do not have a lot of extra work. Most of the agents work via WhatsApp and communicate clearly what the next steps are and what you will need for the immigration.
The visa is valid for 6 months and you need to extend it every 2 months. need to extend it every 2 months. Actually, this is perfect, if you are looking for a long-term stay in Bali. Or if you plan to spend a few months on the island.
How much does the visa cost? The price can totally depend on your agency. It usually starts at around 350-400 Euros and can be as high as 600 Euros. Most agencies charge you between 450 and 500 Euros.
Why the locals are suffering the most
And lastly on updates on travelling to Bali, some real talk.
Yes, the restrictions is a pain in the a** for travellers, for all those wanting to visit Bali and explore the surrounding islands. Since almost two years, many plans and dreams have been put on hold. We are all waiting for Bali and other countries in South East Asia to re-open and to be easily accessible for travelling again. But to sum it up, we are still lucky. The ones really suffering under the regulations in Indonesia are the locals. Especially Bali as an island which is 100% living off tourism.
The island closed down immediately in April 2020. Since then, every now and then the government has announced the official re-opening. It´s been September 2020, it´s been January 2021 and then finally July 2021. But none of it happened. Therefore, Bali did not re-open on any of those dates. So far, no other dates have been released. The locals are hoping each day for the regulations to be lifted. The streets of Canggu and Seminyak are empty, almost looking like ghost towns. Luckily, it did get better with the business visa available. Especially expats and digital nomads are now in the main area of Canggu. This allowed a lot of restaurants and cafés to finally re-open. But still, nothing compared to the usual tourism in Bali.
Good to know
Click here to find out how to help the locals and donate to FeedBali, a fantastic organization helping those in need.
Therefore, it is of great importance to not only raise awareness for those in need. But as well to inform yourself on the current regulations. If you really want to travel to Bali and even spend a few weeks or months on the island, it is possible.
Decided to travel to Bali? Lastly, click here to find out what you should know BEFORE visiting the island.
