The new fee, known as the Bali tourist tax, has been introduced by the Indonesian government and only applies to those who travel to the province of Bali.
The Bali tourist tax is a one time fee of 150,000 IDR ($15) per person.
This fee can be paid online via the website or mobile app. Travellers can pay via bank transfer, virtual account, or Qris payment and they will need to provide their name, passport number, email and arrival date. They will then receive their voucher by email which will be scanned at the arrival checkpoints.
Those who leave Bali and enter another Balinese province won’t need to pay the tax again. These spots include Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Ceningan. If a traveller leaves the province and comes back, then they will have to pay the tax again.
The Indonesian Government has said that this money will go towards the conservation of Bali’s natural environment and culture and contribute towards the quality of safety standards and services that tourists experience.
Travellers that don’t pay this tax could be fined or deported.
This is not the only fee that travellers need to pay in Bali. The visa on arrival costs 500,000 IDR ($50) and lasts 30 days.
Indonesia’s minister for tourism, Sandiaga Uno, said his government was considering re-introducing visa-free travel for its most frequent international visitors.
“Earlier it was decided to propose which countries would be proposed for visa-free visits. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy proposed 20 countries with the highest number of foreign tourists outside of countries that have visa-free visits,” Uno said.
He added that at the top of the list are, “Australia, China, India, South Korea, the United States, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and Russia".
