Previously, we shared how Indonesia is hiking up the entertainment tax rate to a minimum of 40% and a maximum of 75%, making parties and nightouts for your next Bali getaway a lot pricier.
Now, there’s also an update from the Bali Provincial Government regarding the new tourism tax of IDR150,000 or around RM45 for foreign tourists visiting the island.
Originally planned to be enforced starting July this year, the Bali Provincial Government announced via a press release that it will expedite its implementation to February. Just recently, they confirmed the start date of the IDR150,000 tourism tax’s implementation would be on 14 February 2024.
As for the mechanisms of the new tourism tax, the aforementioned press release elaborated on them in full, which we will go into detail below.
The IDR150,000 tourism tax applies to all foreign tourists visiting Bali, including children and is paid once while travelling to the island.
Do note that you still need to pay the tourism tax again if you travel outside of Bali to neighbouring islands or other parts of Indonesia and then come back to the island. However, this won’t apply if you travel to the islands within Bali’s jurisdiction such as Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida.
As for the payment, it can only be made through cashless methods through the Perception Bank appointed by the Bali Provincial Government, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).
Travellers are also strongly encouraged to make payment before departure to Bali and thankfully, there is now an app called “Love Bali System” to make payments all the easier.
You can access the platform through its website or download the app on either Android or iOS. In the app (which is still not available for use as of the time of writing), you need to enter your passport number, name, email and arrival date.
Afterwards, you can directly choose the payment method to be used, either through Bank Transfer, Virtual Assistant or QRIS, which is basically Indonesia’s version of DuitNowQR.
After a successful transaction, you’ll be emailed a tourism tax voucher which you need to use to scan at checkpoints and pass through.
Should the Love Bali app not be available to you for whatever reason, you have to make cashless payments at BRI counters available at airports and ports. Payment methods can include debit/credit cards or Electronic Data Capture (EDC).
Through this method, you’ll get a printout of the proof of payment as you need to scan it after the travel document inspection stage when entering the arrival door.
The Bali Provincial Government claimed that the whole process of the tourism tax collection fee at the arrival door is only about 23 seconds per tourist.
That’s basically it!
So, what do you guys think of the new Bali tourism tax? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: Your Next Bali Trip Just Got a Lot Pricier as Indonesia Hikes Up Entertainment Tax to Up to 75%!
