The Bali travel checklist that turns into dates

The passport rule, in the government's words

Indonesia requires at least six months' validity from the date you enter, and Smartraveller recommends six months from the date you leave as well. The tool checks both against the dates you give it. The second half of the rule is the one people miss:

You should also have at least 6 months passport validity from the date you plan to enter and leave Indonesia, to avoid any issues for your departure or onward travel. This also applies even if you're just transiting or stopping over. Travellers have been stranded, detained, or returned to their previous port overseas at their own cost.

Two more passport lines from the same page: normal wear and tear, including water damage and minor tears, can be treated as a damaged passport, and travellers have been refused entry for it; and Indonesian immigration officers have conducted random photo-ID spot checks in tourist areas including Bali, so carry the passport or a copy.

Eight weeks out: the doctor

Smartraveller's travel-health page says to see a doctor or travel clinic at least eight weeks before you leave; healthdirect says six to twelve weeks, because some vaccines need more than one dose and time to work. Smartraveller's children page repeats the eight weeks for kids. Take a list of what you plan to do (scooter, hiking, islands) and where you will be, and ask about the routine top-ups first. Our vaccinations page has what the Australian Immunisation Handbook says for Indonesia.

The same visit is where the medicines question gets answered: some prescription medicines, ADHD medicines and all cannabis-based products are illegal in Indonesia, prescription or not, and the rest travel best in original packaging with a letter or the script. The medical kit page has the restricted list and the government's kit.

Two weeks out: the three online forms

The e-VOA, the arrival card and the tourist levy are the three things that get you through Denpasar, and all three have imitation websites. Smartraveller's rule for spotting the real ones is short: the address includes go.id.

Before arriving in Indonesia (by plane or boat), you'll need to complete the All Indonesia Arrival Card online and within 72 hours (3 days) of your travel. You can fill out the arrival card and then apply for an e-Visa on Arrival (e-VOA) on the All Indonesia website or apply for an e-VOA separately at The Official eVisa website for Indonesia. Beware of fake websites charging a fee to submit the arrival card. Only use official government sites, which will include 'go.id' in the website's address.

The e-VOA can be applied for at least 48 hours before travel; the guide's countdown does it two weeks out so nothing depends on airport Wi-Fi. When we read the official site in July 2026 it cost IDR 500,000 for a 30-day stay. The Bali tourist levy is IDR 150,000 per person, separate from the visa, paid online before you land through the Love Bali site, with the QR receipt kept for spot-checks. The arrival card is free and is done inside the last 72 hours, which is why it sits near the end of the list rather than with the visa.

Two weeks out is also when you tell your bank you are going to Indonesia (Smartraveller's line, because card and ATM fraud occurs and a frozen card in Bali is its own holiday) and sort phone data: a travel eSIM loaded at home, or a Telkomsel SIM on arrival, either of which covers a stay under 90 days.

One week out: the chemist bag, the cash plan, the list

The chemist bag is the section worth doing before you buy anything else, because it is the stuff that is expensive, hard to find or simply different on the island: reef-safe sunscreen, repellent for dawn and dusk, oral rehydration sachets, a small first-aid kit and your own medicines with the script. Wander Gut goes in the same bag, in the words the guide's packing list uses: 2 capsules daily, start before you fly. No fridge needed.

The cash plan is a decision, not a withdrawal: warungs, drivers and small shops run on cash, cards and QR work in most cafés and minimarts, and the visa and levy are paid online before you go. Our cash calculator totals the guide's ballparks for your trip. The packing list adapts to trip length, kids, carry-on and scooter days, and its ticks save on your phone too.

The last 72 hours

• The All Indonesia Arrival Card, online, within 72 hours of travel, free, on the go.id site. Screenshot the QR.
• The tourist levy, if you have not paid it: IDR 150,000 per person, online, receipt saved.
• Screenshots of everything: e-VOA, arrival card, levy receipt, the insurance policy and its 24-hour claims number, all offline.
• The passport in a waterproof bag, Smartraveller's own phrasing, because a wet passport can count as damaged.
• Cash on the day: a small stash of rupiah from an ATM attached to a real bank at the airport, 'no conversion' if offered, then ride apps from the e-hailing pickup zone.

With kids, and if you will ride

Ticking 'travelling with kids' adds three items from Smartraveller's children page: the doctor visit for them too, a consent letter if only one parent is travelling (especially when you do not share a surname with your child), and a plan for car seats, because ride apps do not carry them and Smartraveller asks you to check the safety standards of any equipment you will use, car seats and cots included. Our Bali with kids page has the rest.

Ticking 'riding a scooter' adds the International Driving Permit six weeks out. Smartraveller's wording: to drive in Indonesia you need an IDP in addition to your Australian licence, and it must be appropriate for the type of vehicle, motorbikes and mopeds included; insurers deny claims if you are unlicensed or hold the wrong class. The getting-around page has the honest scooter talk.

What is not on this list, and why

Flights, accommodation and insurance brands, because we have no data on them and would not print an ad. Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence when the airport closes for 24 hours, because it belongs on the best-time-to-visit page with the date. Exact e-VOA and IDP fees, because the official visa site is a JavaScript app we cannot re-read and the auto clubs' pages would not load for us; the guide's July 2026 visa figure is on the visa page, dated. And a power adapter, which is on the packing list: Bali uses Type C and F plugs at 230 volts, so Australian devices need the adapter and not a converter.