Arriving at Bali Airport (Denpasar or DPS) after a long flight can be stressful. You need to know about the electronic customs declaration and how to navigate from the plane through the arrivals hall, immigration, baggage collection and then customs. I’ve flown in and out of Bali airport more times than I could possibly count, and through hard-won experience, I can tell you there is an easy way and the hard way. Read this and get through Bali Airport faster with less stress.
1. Vaccination Requirements for Travel to Bali
The short version is that yes, there are vaccination requirements, but with caveats. The most recent data I have is from the Indonesian Government’s Vaccination Requirements for entry into Bali for all travellers.
I’m keeping this in a separate post as it is updated frequently and often included in my newsletter.
2. Updated Visa Requirements for Bali
Entry Visas for Indonesia have been a moving target even before Covid, so I am keeping a separate post about visa-free and Visa on Arrival restrictions for Bali.
3. Bali Tourist Tax (2024)
As of February 14th 2024, the Bali provincial government has implemented a new Bali Tourist Tax that applies to all international travellers that arrive in Bali. This 150,000 IDR can be paid online or upon arrival at Bali Airport. I have a detailed breakdown on all you need to know about the Bali Tourist Tax, including how to pay it before you arrive.
4. Electronic Customs Declaration
Indonesia now supports submitting the required form on arrival via an online electronic customs declaration. There are two methods for completing the form.
First, you can fill in the online electronic customs declaration provided by the Indonesian Government within two days of travel to Indonesia and not earlier. I tested the form myself for an upcoming arrival and the form won’t allow an arrival date earlier than 2 days before the flight.
Alternatively, you can fill in the form online at the airport using your smartphone. You can access the free Internet at Bali airport – the WiFi network is called “NgurahRai” and can be accessed without a password.
The electronic customs declaration form can be submitted in Indonesian, English or Chinese languages.
At the end of the declaration process, you are provided with a QR code which you then present to the customs officials after collecting luggage and before the customs security screening and inspection.
This is a huge improvement as the arrivals hall frequently runs out of customs declaration forms (and there are never any pens).
5. Toilets at Bali Aiport
The thing that everyone wants to know but never wants to ask – where are the toilets at Bali airport and what are they like?
First up, in the transit hallways between departing your aircraft and before the immigration hall are several toilets and they are western standards (while I dislike the term) being flush toilets, not squat, and suitable for families with children.
However, these will only slow you down if you are keen to get through immigration quickly, which in my opinion is absolutely your number one objective because the queues can be brutally slow.
6. Get to the immigration queue quickly.
After landing your best strategy is to get to the immigration queue as quickly as possible. Depending on the time of day the queues can be long — very long — with waiting times from less than an hour if you’re lucky to more than 2 hours if you landed at the same time as other international flights.
Hi Michael, I just wanted to thank you for the taxi service and very detailed instructions regarding the airport. My flight was one of two international flights that landed earlier today but I still took your advice and ran through the airport like a bat out of hell! There’s that initial series of checks for your covid related docs, then paying for the visa, then immigration and then customs. As long as you have your docs in order it’s pretty straightforward, but it’s a slow process so I’m glad I got ahead of the crowd. It meant that from disembarking the plane through to meeting Dewa, the whole process was just under an hour which was great. Dewa was really lovely so thank you again. I’m going through your website for more travel ideas for once I move on from Canggu. It’s one of the better online resources for a pragmatic look at Bali, what to do and how best to do it, so thank you for that too.
Pro tip: take a bathroom break on the plane before arrival, and after landing get to the immigration queues as quickly as possible. If you still need a bathroom break do so while waiting for your luggage. It’s imperative you get to the immigration queue as quickly as possible.
The arrivals hall at Bali Airport is huge, so expect a long walk from your gate to the immigration queues, unless you are unlucky enough to have a flight that requires a bus ride from the airport to the arrivals hall. If so, get on that bus quick.
7. Fast Track service is only for official business.
The rumours are not true. It is not possible for travellers to book a Fast Track service through Bali Airport unless on official business. We were offering a fast-track service for a week until we found out it was not officially sanctioned so we immediately stopped providing it.
Beware of other websites selling Fast Track Services through Bali Airport as they are likely not officially sanctioned and quite possibly breaking the law.
8. Visa Exemption Arrangement (VEA) or Visa on Arrival (VOA).
If you are from one of the lucky countries on the Visa Exemption Arrangement list then you don’t need to apply for a visa before arrival. These are only valid for 30 days are not renewable, and there are heavy fines for overstaying.
The most common entry permit is the VOA which is applied for at the Visa Desk after arrival at Bali Airport. It is valid for 30 days and can be renewed once for a total possible stay of 60 days.
Outstanding news for travellers to Bali, you can now apply for your VoA electronically before arrival, avoiding the long queues that slow your arrival down. You can apply for e-VOA 14 days before your travel and at least 48 hours before your departure.
Please note that if you are from a country that is not on VEA or VOA list then you must apply for a visa to enter Indonesia before coming to Bali in a consulate or embassy outside Indonesia.
Please be aware that before you leave baggage collection and go through the customs inspection you must have a completed immigration form. No excuses.
Make sure you have already completed your immigration arrival form on the plane. There are often no forms left in the arrivals hall at Bali Airport and never any pens, so make sure you have one and complete the form on the plane before arrival.
You need to present it at immigration along with your passport and your boarding pass, so don’t forget to keep it with your passport and immigration form.
There have been a number of issues with immigration forms not being provided on the desks before the immigration lines. Sometimes pointing this out to the immigration officer has an effect because they already know, and they may let you through to the baggage collection. Or not. Preparation is key.
9. Fast-track queues for elderly and young children.
There is now a separate queue on the far right-hand side of the immigration queues that cater to families with small children (under 5) and the elderly (over 60) along with diplomats, flight crew and those lucky enough to have an ABTC.
Please note: I have had reports this has been moved to the far left-hand side (the old location) for recent travellers. Please check for signage as to which side this is now located. It is helpful to note the far right-hand side is the first you will encounter entering the immigration hall.
If you have small children or elderly passengers in your group ask for assistance when making your booking. You will likely be assigned someone to meet you off the plane and escort you to the fast-track immigration queue. If you don’t have assistance, get moving to the immigration lines as fast as you can. Elderly and small kids to the right, everyone else into the long lines to the left.
10. Be prepared for a long wait for your luggage.
Bali Airport is renowned for its slow baggage handling, so the best option is to get through immigration as quickly as possible and take a bathroom break afterwards in the baggage and customs hall.
Checked luggage will come out onto the conveyors slowly. Painfully slowly, with 20 minutes considered extraordinarily fast and up to an hour is normal.
Before you leave baggage collection to go through customs checks you must have your immigration form, which can sometimes be in short supply. At the far end of the baggage carousels are some desks with immigration forms. Get there fast and grab an immigration form first, then go and look which carousels have your luggage being delivered.
Now you have plenty of time to fill out your form because your luggage isn’t coming out anytime soon. And rather than waiting at the customs end, hoping beyond hope that your luggage is going to be delivered early (how sweet and naive you are), the entry end has the destination boards – which often change – so hang around there until you know you have the right carousel.
Oversized luggage, like surfboards, mountain bikes or anything deemed by the local baggage handlers as “heavy” will be deposited at the entry end of the carousels. Which may change anytime.
11. Bali Airport Now Has a Duty-Free Store.
Before the recent Bali Airport renovations, there was no duty-free store before customs. There was what can only be described as a fake duty-free store after exiting customs and before the arrivals hall. It was called Dufree and because it was located outside of customs it wasn’t duty-free at all, stocking wines and spirits at exorbitant prices.
But now there is a new duty-free store inside Bali Airport that is actually duty-free located just after the immigration queues. The prices are still steep by international standards, but much lower than you will pay elsewhere in Bali so I highly recommend you buy spirits here before you get to customs inspection.
The prices are relatively cheap. You’ll pay IDR330k for a bottle of Smirnoff vodka, around IDR750k for a bottle of Grey Goose (if they have it in stock) and around IDR550k for a bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label.
I came through Bali Airport in the first week of November, and while premium vodka was out of stock, there were plenty of premium whisky brands. The premium rum selection is woeful. And as for wine, you are far better off bringing something from home before you get here.
Indonesia has a “sin” tax on alcohol making it one of the few things probably much more expensive than where you came from. The only real exception is Bintang, the world-famous-in-Bali beer found everywhere, which retails for around IDR20k per 375ml bottle in supermarkets.
Wines and spirits in Indonesia – and therefore Bali – are particularly expensive. Some local wine brands get around this by importing grapes and bottling them in Indonesia. The cheapest wine brand (Discovery) will still set you back IDR159k from the supermarket. The quality isn’t great and it is locally known as paint-stripper.
Two Islands is a slightly better brand and reasonably drinkable in my experienced opinion. The company imports grapes from South Australia It comes in a number of varietals — Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon at the time of writing. The supermarket price is generally around IDR 229k.
Restaurant pricing is whatever the market will bear, usually around IDR80-120k per glass and IDR450-650k for local wines, to IDR 120-170k per glass and IDR750k upwards for relatively inexpensive imported wine.
And remember, there is only a single bottle allowance, so choose wisely. If you bring more than 1 bottle per person prepare to have it confiscated if you are selected for a search inspection at customs.
12. Getting through customs.
Once you have collected your luggage proceed to the customs queue where you hand over your arrival form and will be directed either directed straight to the exit or towards the X-ray screening.
Here’s a tip — if you stay on the left of two queues you have a better chance of not being selected for x-ray inspection because it leads straight to the exit and depending on the flow of traffic you may be allowed straight through.
This is just a tip, not a guarantee. If you are selected for x-ray screening of your luggage you may then also be selected for a personal inspection by customs officers. Always be nice and polite, give them a smile and comply with all requests. You may be tired after a long flight, but without a doubt, a bad attitude will be met with more questions and a thorough inspection of your luggage.
Customs officers at Bali Airport will confiscate any alcohol over the limit — so if you have accidentally brought in more than one bottle simply hand over the cheaper one and don’t argue — and you may have to explain any electronics or expensive-looking goods that may require an import duty to be paid.
Technically the value allowed per person for electronics and other goods is USD$500 but this is generally not enforced for items that are clearly of personal nature like laptops and cameras.
If you happen to be bringing something unusual and expensive — household appliances not readily available in Bali are a favourite as gifts for locals or ex-pats you may know in Bali — you may need to pay customs duty.
If you are being asked to pay duty then you will do no better than paying 10% of the value for whatever you are bringing in. If you can achieve that, then count yourself lucky and just pay it! It’s the law, not a scam like some people purport.
Customs will often “assess” the value as being much higher than what you paid, so my tip is to carry the receipt with you stored somewhere else, like in your wallet, so if push comes to shove (figuratively speaking) you can prove the value.
13. Withdraw local currency or exchange cash for rupiah.
After exiting customs one of the newest additions to Bali Airport is a number of ATMs run by major local banks. These are completely safe to use and I highly recommend that you stop and either withdraw local currency from the ATM or use the bank branches if they are open to exchanging your cash for Indonesian Rupiah.
I have written extensively about safely using ATMs in Bali and the number one tip is to get some local currency while you’re at Bali Airport in a safe environment with no risk.
There are also a couple of reputable money changers now at the airport alongside the ATMs. While I have written about safely changing money in Bali you can use these without any risk of being ripped off as they are completely trustworthy. Although the exchange rate is not as competitive as a money changer in Seminyak, they’re within 2-3 points, making the convenience and security worth it, especially for first-time visitors with no local currency.
The best option is to change what you need for a couple of days before changing larger amounts at a money changer elsewhere once you have settled in.
After exiting customs through the arrival gates you will be confronted with a wall of drivers holding signs behind a barrier all trying to catch your attention. There are also a number of touts inside the barrier that will start harassing you for a taxi fare. These are never a good idea to accept.
Recently there have been some improvements to the arrivals hall that include taxi and transport companies where you can book a taxi to your destination. However, it can still be hit-and-miss. On my last arrival, I tried to organise a taxi fare to my destination in Seminyak but was consistently being quoted around IDR300-350k, which is way too much for a simple taxi service (and they are never taxis, they are always private drivers on contract).
There is also a new taxi ticketing machine after the telecom kiosks, but I’ve tried to use this 3 times to see how it works. Twice it wasn’t operating, and the third time I got issued a ticket only to have the driver try to up the price on me before leaving, so I ditched him.
15. Get a local Telco SIM card for your phone.
On your way out past the row of taxi and transport drivers, there are a couple of telco kiosks selling local SIM cards. Buying a local SIM card is a great idea because they are cheap and while WiFi is almost ubiquitous in Bali at hotels, cafes and restaurants you are better of having full-time reliable internet connectivity via a local SIM card.
Telkomsel (the bright red kiosk) is what I use and find the most reliable. Mobile internet speeds in Bali are spectacularly fast and incredibly cheap. I consistently get over 20Mbps down and 10Mbps up using Telekom’s 4G network. Expect to pay around IDR120k for a 20 Gigabyte data package with a one-month expiry. The one and 7-day options are generally more expensive, so get a SIM card package good for 30 days.
XL and Telkomsel kiosks are open from 7.00 am — 2.00 am.
Pro tip: download the MyTelkomsel app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to manage your data usage and top it up on the go, or buy a top-up voucher at pretty much any convenience store.
If you need to visit a Telkomsel store after you have left the airport, there is one at Bali Mal Galeria. There are several others located on Google Maps in the Seminyak area, but they are out of date and have been permanently closed.
16. Avoid the Porters and Taxi Touts.
There are also a large number of porters keen to take your luggage to your transfer service. They can be quite aggressive, even for seasoned travellers and will expect a tip – and most will always push you for more than you offer, so my recommendation is to simply ignore them.
They are seasoned operators who will try their best to direct you to “taxi drivers” for your transfer to your destination.
You would be far better off arranging for a private car and driver to meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel or villa for a friction-free experience.
17. Food and drinks at arrivals.
Just past the telco kiosks, there is a couple of small convenience stores where you can buy water and other snacks and refreshments (yes, they sell Bintang), the first on the right-hand side, the second on the left-hand side before the waiting throng of transport operators.
There is also a small coffee kiosk a bit further around to the right opposite the information desk (easily seen with a huge arrivals/departures board hanging above it) and directly behind the waiting wall of drivers looking back towards the sliding exit doors.
If you are feeling hangry and don’t want to wait until you get to your destination before getting something to eat, head upstairs to the departure hall where there are a number of cafes. Just outside the convenience store on the left-hand side is an elevator.
Take it to the 3rd floor for something to eat or drink, or just relax and get your bearings. It’s also the best place if you need to hang out while waiting for fellow travellers to arrive after you or are meeting someone picking you up.
18. Book your Bali Airport transfer beforehand.
If you want to organise your own transport read my guide on getting from the airport to your destination for the best tips on each of the transport options available (plus a neat hack for solo travellers and couples that I use frequently).
But the easiest and lowest friction to get from the airport is to pre-book your transfers to your destination before you arrive with an optional Fast Track service. That way you will avoid the hassle of trying to navigate the throng of touts, which is the last thing you need after a long flight and working your way through immigration and customs.
The perfect start to our holiday!!
We were so thankful we planned ahead and booked your driver. Immigration took ages and we were hot and sweaty and the kids were getting tired when we got through, so it was such a welcome relief that we saw Putu exactly where you instructed us to meet him. So many taxi drivers yelling for our attention!!! If we didn't have your advice arriving would have been a disaster. Thank you so much Michael. You're the best!!!
The transfer rate includes being met at the airport personally by a private, English-speaking driver with a recognisable sign and an air-conditioned SUV. Each car comfortably holds 1-4 people with checked luggage and suitcases. You can book as many cars as you need. My rates are all-inclusive and there are no hidden costs.
My collaboration with local drivers has seen us serve over 300+ satisfied customers and can transfer you to any hotel or villa in Bali.
What if my flight is delayed or early?
No problem. My drivers use flight tracking apps on their smartphones to ensure they are up to date with your flight status and will be waiting even if your flight has been delayed or is arriving earlier than scheduled.
Who will be my driver?
After making a booking, you will receive a confirmation email with reservation details, expert tips on navigating the arrivals hall, and directions on how to connect with your driver at the airport, and I will email your driver’s details, including name, phone number and profile photos before your trip.
Book Online.
Booking your Bali Airport Transfer online is easy and secure. You will receive an email confirming all your details with a personal follow-up from your driver the day before your transfer to Bali Airport. You may want to read the reviews or check out more about me.
19. Can I book an airport transfer with a driver for the whole day?
Yes, you can. But instead of booking an airport transfer, you need to use the Bali Airport Transfer + Day Tour Booking form instead. Then you can get a pickup from the airport and also have a dedicated driver for the rest of the day to go shopping, hit the beach or one of the excellent beach clubs to make the most of your first day in Bali.
