Index
Every answer, in one place
50 answers across eight sections, written from the regulations rather than from the sales pitch.
Ownership8
What foreigners can actually own, and how the three legal routes really work.
- Can a foreigner own property in Bali?Not freehold. But three legal structures exist, and one of them puts a certificate in your own name.
- What makes a Bali leasehold extension clause actually safe?The initial term is not the asset. The extension clause is, and most of them are worthless.
- What is the difference between SHM, SHGB and Hak Pakai?Four land rights, four different answers to who can hold them and for how long. Getting this wrong is how people end up with nothing.
- HGB or leasehold: which is actually better?One is a registered right you can mortgage. The other is a contract that expires. The right answer depends on what you intend to do with it.
- What actually happens if you buy through a nominee?The agreement is void the day it is signed, and since February 2026 it is criminal in Bali.
- How does Hak Pakai work, and who can actually get it?The one route that registers land in a foreigner's own name. Requires residency, and most people are never told it exists.
- What are the actual steps to buy property in Bali?Five stages, and the money should not move until the second one. Where the deposit sits decides whether you get it back.
- What happens when your Indonesian land right expires?Every land right in Indonesia is temporary except freehold. On expiry it reverts, and renewal is approval, not entitlement.
Visas9
Every stay permit that matters, with the real requirements and costs.
- Which Indonesian visa do you actually need?The index codes changed. Here is what each one lets you do, and which ones unlock property ownership.
- What are the real requirements for the E33G remote worker KITAS?One year of residency for remote workers, with an income floor and one rule people break immediately.
- How does the Investor KITAS (E28A) work?Two years of residency attached to your PT PMA shareholding, and the permit most property-holding structures run on.
- What does the Second Home Visa actually require?A deposit in an Indonesian state bank or qualifying property, in exchange for five or ten years of residence with no sponsor.
- How do you get permanent residence in Indonesia?ITAP is converted from a qualifying temporary permit, not applied for directly. Which permit you hold decides whether the door exists.
- What is the Indonesian Golden Visa, and is it worth it?Five or ten year permits for large investors and invited figures. Still a temporary permit, despite the name.
- How does a spouse or family KITAS work?Five different sub-indices depending on exactly who you are joining. Choosing the wrong one is the usual delay.
- Which visa lets you come and check out a property properly?There is a purpose-built pre-investment category. Most buyers use a tourist visa and run out of time.
- Why did all the Indonesian visa codes change?The system went from 133 indices to 110 in 2025, and employer-sponsored work visas from 31 to 6. Old advice is now wrong.
Companies4
PT PMA setup, capital rules, licensing and the annual compliance load.
- How much capital do you need for a PT PMA in 2026?The paid-up requirement dropped 75% in October 2025. The investment plan requirement did not.
- What does a PT PMA actually cost to keep running each year?Setup gets quoted. The annual load rarely does, and it is where these structures quietly fail.
- Can a PT PMA still get a villa rental licence in Bali?No. Bali closed the villa and homestay classifications to new foreign-owned companies in July 2026. Two routes remain open.
- How long does it really take to set up a PT PMA?Six to ten weeks to a trading licence if nothing stalls. Here is the phase-by-phase reality, and what usually goes wrong.
Tax3
Transaction taxes, rental income tax, NPWP and what actually gets enforced.
- What taxes do you pay when buying property in Bali?Around 5% for the buyer on a titled transfer, and zero on a leasehold, which is a bigger deal than it sounds.
- What tax do you owe on villa rental income in Bali?10% final for a resident individual, 20% for a non-resident, corporate rates inside a PT PMA. Plus a 10% regional tax the platforms do not collect for you.
- When do you become an Indonesian tax resident, and do you need an NPWP?183 days, and then Indonesia taxes your worldwide income. Most long-stay foreigners have not done this arithmetic.
Building & Zoning6
Zone colours, permits, the moratorium, and what it costs to build.
- What do Bali's zoning colours mean, and how do you check properly?Pink lets you rent. Yellow does not. Green gets demolished. Check it yourself before you pay anything.
- What happens if you buy a villa built without a PBG?No licence, no legal rental, and exposure to sealing or demolition. It is more common than the market admits.
- What are KDB and KLB, and why do they decide your project?Zoning tells you if you can build. KDB and KLB tell you how much. A plot can be perfectly legal and still economically pointless.
- What are the real risks of buying off-plan in Bali?You are paying for something that does not exist yet, on permits that may not exist either. Here is what to verify before the first instalment.
- How long does it take to get a PBG on empty land in Bali?Up to six months from bare land to building approval, and the regency you are in changes the answer by months.
- Can you legalise a Bali villa that was built without permits?Often yes, through retroactive PBG and SLF. It takes eight months to a year and it is not guaranteed.
Rental & ROI8
Licensing, management fees, and yields that survive contact with reality.
- What yield does a Bali villa actually produce?Gross yields get advertised at 8–15%. Net, after everything, is usually 4–6%. Here is where the difference goes.
- What should you check in a Bali villa management agreement?The fee percentage is the least important number in the contract. These are the clauses that decide what you actually receive.
- Is buying a villa in Bali actually a good investment?Sometimes. The honest answer depends on four numbers, and three of them are usually missing from the pitch.
- What occupancy do you need to break even on a Bali villa?Usually 40–55% just to cover costs. Below that you are funding the property out of your own pocket.
- What does it cost to run a villa in Bali each month?The line most projections leave blank. It does not shrink when the villa is empty.
- Why is the Bali yield you were quoted wrong?Because it is gross. Here is every deduction between the advertised figure and your bank account.
- Apartment or villa: which returns more in Bali?Apartments carry lower running costs and a licensing route that villas lost in 2026. Villas carry the higher rate.
- How much should you actually pay for a Bali villa?Work backwards from the return you need. The price that makes a deal work is often well below the asking price.
Areas9
Land prices, demand and constraints, area by area.
- Where should you actually buy in Bali?Canggu for liquidity, Uluwatu for upside, Sanur and Ubud for value. What each area costs and what it costs you.
- Is Canggu still worth buying into?The most liquid market in Bali, and the most saturated. Badung enforcement is the tightest on the island.
- Should you buy in Pererenan instead of Canggu?Where Canggu money moved when Canggu got expensive. Same Badung rules, more green zone, more risk of buying something you cannot build on.
- What is the real risk of buying in Uluwatu?The strongest upside case in Bali, and the place that demolished buildings in 2025. Setbacks and pink zoning are everything here.
- Is Sanur the best value in Bali right now?Established, calmer, cheaper per square metre, and the fastest regency in Bali for permits.
- What should you know before buying in Ubud?Strong occupancy and a different guest profile. Gianyar's constraint is sacred-site setbacks and very small buildable ratios.
- Is Tabanan the next Canggu?The clearest appreciation story in Bali and the hardest place to get a commercial accommodation project approved.
- Is Lombok a better bet than Bali right now?Cheaper land, and, crucially, Bali's 2026 restrictions do not apply there. Different province, different rules.
- What should you know about buying on Nusa Penida?Bali's rules apply in full, permits take longest of any regency, and infrastructure is the constraint nobody prices.
Living Here3
Whether Bali works as a place to live, and where the market goes next.
- Is Bali actually a good place to live?For some people, genuinely. The honest answer depends on things nobody puts in the brochure.
- Should you move to Bali?Ask what you will actually do here first. The visa follows the activity, and most disappointment starts with that order reversed.
- Is Bali becoming the next Singapore or Dubai?The capital is arriving. The legal framework it usually requires is not, and that gap is the whole story.