Quick Answer
Bali charges every foreign visitor a one-time tourist levy, separate from your visa and your arrival card. The amount is (to confirm) per person, paid once per entry into Bali rather than per day. The simplest way to handle it is online before you fly, through the official Love Bali portal, which gives you a QR-coded voucher to show on arrival. You can also pay at the airport, but the queues are slower. Children pay the same as adults, and the payment covers your whole stay until you leave Bali.
The Bali Tourist Tax at a Glance
- What it is: A levy on foreign tourists, introduced by the Bali provincial government to fund cultural and environmental preservation
- Who pays: Every foreign visitor entering Bali, regardless of nationality, age, or length of stay
- How much: (to confirm) per person, per visit
- When it started: (to confirm)
- Frequency: One time per entry into Bali, not per day and not per night
- How to pay: Online before arrival via the official portal, or on arrival at the airport
- Official portal: (to confirm)
- What you get: A QR-coded voucher (digital or printed) to present at checkpoints
- Payment methods online: Card or common e-wallets (to confirm)
- Is it the same as the visa? No. The levy is separate from your visa on arrival and from the electronic arrival card
What the Bali Tourist Tax Actually Is
Bali introduced a dedicated levy on foreign tourists to fund the things that make the island worth visiting in the first place: temple upkeep, cultural programs, waste management, and the natural environment under pressure from millions of annual arrivals. The provincial government runs it, and it applies to every foreign visitor stepping onto the island.
The official framing is preservation, not revenue for its own sake. Bali absorbs an enormous number of tourists each year, and the levy is the mechanism the province uses to put a small, direct contribution from each visitor toward the upkeep of the place.
You pay it once when you enter Bali. The amount is (to confirm) per person, which works out to a small sum next to the cost of flights and accommodation. The figure has been set by provincial regulation and can be adjusted, so treat any number you read elsewhere as a starting point and confirm the current rate on the official portal before you travel.
The levy is its own thing. It sits alongside your visa and your arrival card rather than replacing either, which is the single most common point of confusion for first-time visitors.
Who Has to Pay
The levy applies to foreign tourists entering Bali. Nationality does not change it, and there is no tourist-versus-traveler distinction in the way it is applied: if you are a foreign visitor arriving in Bali, the levy applies to you.
A few points worth knowing:
- Children pay too. The levy is per person, and the standard rate applies regardless of age unless the official portal states an exemption. Confirm current rules for minors on the portal (to confirm).
- Domestic Indonesian travelers are not the target. The levy is specifically a foreign-tourist measure.
- Certain visa holders may be exempt. Categories such as diplomatic visa holders, certain long-stay permit holders, and crew can fall outside the levy. The official portal lists current exemption categories (to confirm).
- Transit and onward travel. If you are arriving in Bali as your destination, you pay. Rules for pure transit can differ (to confirm).
If you are arriving in Bali after time elsewhere in Indonesia, or re-entering Bali during a longer trip, the levy applies on each fresh entry into Bali. It tracks entry into the island, not your first landing in the country.
How Much It Costs
The levy is (to confirm) per person, charged once per entry. In practice this is a minor line item against the rest of a Bali trip, and most visitors handle it in a couple of minutes online without thinking much about it.
Two things are worth flagging on cost. First, the rate is set by provincial regulation and can change, so the figure to trust is the one shown on the official portal at the time you pay, not a number quoted in an older article. Second, the levy is per person rather than per group, so a family of four pays four times the single rate.
Pay in Indonesian rupiah. If you pay online with a foreign card, your bank handles the conversion at its own rate, and a small foreign-transaction fee may apply depending on your card.
How and When to Pay
There are two ways to settle the levy, and the choice mostly comes down to whether you would rather handle it from your sofa or in an arrivals hall.
Online, before you fly
The recommended route is the official Love Bali portal (to confirm), which lets you pay any time before arrival. You enter your details, pay the levy, and receive a QR-coded voucher by email and in the system. Save it to your phone, and screenshot or print it as a backup in case airport wifi is slow.
Paying ahead means you walk past the on-arrival payment desks rather than queuing at them. After a long flight, that is the difference worth paying for.
On arrival, at the airport
If you skip the online step, you can pay after you land. There are designated payment points at Ngurah Rai International Airport, and the process is the same in substance: pay the levy, receive the QR voucher, carry on. The trade-off is time, since on-arrival payment can mean queuing alongside everyone else who did not pay ahead, on top of immigration and baggage.
Either way, the levy is a single payment that covers your whole stay until you leave the island. There is nothing further to pay day by day.
The practical advice: pay online a day or two before you fly, save the QR voucher offline, and keep it with your other arrival documents. Most travelers heading on to the quieter north of the island want a smooth airport exit and a private driver from the airport waiting, and a pre-paid levy keeps that handover clean.
The QR Voucher: What to Keep and Where to Show It
When you pay, the system issues a voucher with a QR code. This is your proof that the levy is settled, and it is what staff scan if they ask for it.
Keep it accessible. The most reliable approach is a screenshot or PDF saved to your phone's photos, plus a printed copy folded in with your passport. Connectivity at the airport can be patchy on landing, and a saved offline copy means you are not hunting for signal in the arrivals hall.
You may be asked to show the QR voucher at a checkpoint on arrival, and it can be requested at certain tourist sites and attractions (to confirm). In practice, enforcement has been uneven, but the levy is mandatory, and carrying the voucher costs you nothing. Treat it like any other travel document and have it ready rather than buried in your inbox.
One voucher covers one person for one entry. If you are traveling as a family or group, each person needs their own paid voucher, so check that every member of the party is covered before you fly.
Tourist Tax vs Visa vs Arrival Card: Clearing the Confusion
This is where most visitors get tangled, because three separate things must be handled before or on arrival, and they are easy to blur together. They are not the same, and paying one does not cover the others.
The visa. This is your legal permission to enter Indonesia. Most tourists use a visa on arrival or its electronic equivalent, which carries its own fee and its own process. The visa is national, set by the Indonesian government, and it applies to the whole country.
The electronic arrival card. This is the customs and immigration declaration most arrivals now complete online before landing. It replaces the old paper form. It is a declaration, not a payment, and it is again a national requirement rather than a Bali-specific one.
The Bali tourist levy. This is the provincial levy covered on this page. It is specific to Bali, it funds local preservation, and it is separate from both the visa and the arrival card.
The clean way to think about it: the visa lets you into Indonesia, the arrival card declares you to Indonesia, and the levy contributes to Bali. Three steps, three systems, three confirmations to carry. Sort all three before you fly and your landing is paperwork-free.
If you are coming into Bali for the first time, the first-timer's arrival guide walks through visa, arrival card, and levy in the order you actually need them.
Practical Notes
Rates, portal details, and enforcement can change. Confirm on the official Love Bali portal before you travel.
- Levy amount: (to confirm) per person, per entry
- Official portal: (to confirm)
- Best time to pay: Online, one to two days before departure
- What to save: QR voucher as a phone screenshot or PDF, plus a printed backup
- Currency: Indonesian rupiah; foreign cards convert at your bank's rate
- Per person: Each traveler, including children, needs their own paid voucher (to confirm)
- Frequency: Once per entry into Bali, not per day or per night
- Not the visa: Separate payment and separate system from your visa and arrival card
- Re-entry: A fresh levy applies each time you re-enter Bali on a multi-stop trip
FAQ
What is the Bali tourist tax? It is a levy charged to foreign visitors entering Bali, introduced by the Bali provincial government to fund cultural preservation, environmental upkeep, and waste management on the island. It is paid once per visit and is separate from your visa.
How much is the Bali tourist tax? (to confirm) per person, per entry. The rate is set by provincial regulation and can change, so confirm the current figure on the official portal at the time you pay rather than relying on an older number.
Is the Bali tourist tax a one-time payment or per day? One time per entry into Bali. It covers your whole stay until you leave the island, with nothing further to pay day by day. If you leave and re-enter Bali on a longer trip, a fresh levy applies on the new entry.
How do I pay the Bali tourist tax? Online before you fly, through the official Love Bali portal (to confirm), which issues a QR voucher. You can also pay on arrival at the airport, though the queues are slower. Paying ahead is the smoother option.
Do I have to pay the tourist tax before arriving in Bali? You do not have to pay in advance, but it is strongly recommended. Paying online beforehand means you skip the on-arrival payment desks and clear the airport faster. On-arrival payment is available if you forget.
Is the Bali tourist tax the same as the visa on arrival? No. The visa is your national permission to enter Indonesia and carries its own fee. The tourist levy is a separate, Bali-specific payment. You need both, and paying one does not cover the other.
Do children have to pay the Bali tourist tax? The levy is charged per person and the standard rate generally applies regardless of age. Confirm any current exemption for minors on the official portal before you travel (to confirm).
What is the QR voucher for? It is your proof that the levy is paid. Staff may scan it at an arrival checkpoint, and it can be requested at certain tourist sites. Save it to your phone and keep a printed backup, since airport connectivity on landing can be slow.
Do I need to pay the tax again if I leave and come back to Bali? Yes. The levy tracks entry into Bali, so each fresh arrival on the island triggers a new payment. A single trip that stays within Bali only needs one payment.
Is the Bali tourist tax the same as the electronic arrival card? No. The arrival card is a customs and immigration declaration completed online before landing, and it is not a payment. The levy is a separate provincial charge. Both are handled before arrival, but through different systems.
What happens if I do not pay the Bali tourist tax? The levy is mandatory for foreign visitors. Enforcement has been uneven, but you may be asked to show your voucher at checkpoints or attractions, and unpaid travelers can be directed to pay before proceeding. Paying ahead avoids any of that friction.
Does the tourist tax cover travel to north Bali? Yes. The levy is a single payment for entering Bali and applies island-wide, so it covers you whether you stay in the south or head up to Lovina, Munduk, and the quieter north. Planning the journey north is covered in the north Bali itinerary.
Heading north after you land? Message Northbound on WhatsApp to line up a driver and a base in the quiet half of the island.