Can you retire in Bali, and what does it take?

Yes, and the route is more straightforward than most people expect. It is also not the one most people are told about.

The route

The Second Home family covers financially independent residence with no employer, no business and no family sponsor. The standard tier is commonly cited at either a deposit of around USD 130,000 in an Indonesian state bank, or qualifying property of around USD 1,000,000.

Verify both at the point of filing. These thresholds get revised.

What you get is five or ten years, which is what makes it attractive against a permit you renew annually.

The senior tiers people miss

Within that same family there are dedicated senior or elderly tiers, commonly cited at a minimum age of 55 or 60 depending on the sub-index, with income, pension or deposit conditions instead of the full standard threshold.

If you are over 55, ask about these specifically before defaulting to the standard tier. Agents frequently do not mention them.

The thing that catches people

Buying a villa does not let you stay. Property and immigration are unrelated systems in Indonesia. You can own a house here and have no right to be in it beyond a tourist stay.

That surprises people constantly, and it is the most expensive misunderstanding in this market.

What to think about beyond the visa

Healthcare. Routine care locally is fine. Serious care usually means Singapore. Comprehensive international insurance, and check the age limits on the policy before you commit to the move.

Tax. Presence, not passport. Beyond 183 days you are an Indonesian tax resident. That has consequences for pension income depending on your home country's treaty position, and it is a conversation to have before you arrive.

The deposit is not a fee. Confirm whether it must be maintained continuously, and in what account type, before you move the money.

If the plan involves buying

Do the visa first. It costs less to discover a problem before you have committed capital, and the visa question is answerable in weeks while a property question is not.

If you want a second opinion on a specific plan, send it over.

The routes available

The age and financial tests for the retirement route have both been revised more than once. Confirm the current figures against the official source before planning around them.

What it actually costs to live

The visa threshold is not the budget. Plan the real one.

Health insurance is the line that changes most for retirees. Premiums climb with age, some policies impose entry age limits, and pre-existing conditions are frequently excluded. Establish what cover is available to you at your age before you make plans that depend on being here.

Healthcare is the real planning problem

Routine care in Bali is good and inexpensive. A consultation runs USD 40 to 100. The main private hospitals speak English and handle everyday medicine well.

Complex and critical care is thinner. Bali International Hospital opened in Sanur in 2024 specifically to address that gap, and it has improved the position materially. Even so, medical evacuation to Singapore runs USD 55,000 to 100,000, and your policy should carry at least USD 100,000 to 250,000 of evacuation cover, named explicitly.

For anyone retiring here, that clause is more important than the visa.

The ownership advantage

Holding valid residency opens Hak Pakai, the only route by which a foreigner holds a registered land right in their own name. That is a genuine practical benefit of a retirement permit over repeated visitor stays, and it is often overlooked in the visa comparison.

Practical advice

Rent for a year first, including a wet season. Choose the area for hospital access and quiet rather than for the beach. Sanur is where most retirees end up, for reasons that become obvious the first time somebody needs a doctor at short notice.