Before You Fly

The checklist

1. Get a card with no foreign transaction fees Most standard Aussie debit and credit cards add a foreign fee to every purchase overseas. Cards from Wise, Revolut, Macquarie, Ubank and ING are the usual picks for skipping it, but each has conditions. Compare them.
2. Order it now, not the week before Physical cards take time to post. Order at least two weeks out, and add it to Apple Pay or Google Pay as a backup in case the plastic gets eaten by an ATM.
3. Tell your bank you're travelling (and check your SMS codes) Your bank will text a code to your Aussie number for big transfers or new logins. If your Aussie SIM is in a drawer at home, you're locked out. How to keep your number alive.
4. The Bali tourist levy: Rp 150,000 (your call) Bali's provincial government requires it once per trip. It's meant to fund culture, the environment and waste management, but there's no public breakdown of the spending. It isn't checked at immigration, guides say only about a third of visitors paid it in its first two years, and spot checks are reported at big sites like Tanah Lot, Uluwatu and Besakih. unverified Bali still collected Rp 235 billion in the first nine months of 2026. (Bali Discovery, checked 2026-10-25) If you pay, use the official Love Bali site and screenshot the QR voucher.
5. Apply for your e-VOA (visa on arrival) Rp 500,000, through the official evisa.imigrasi.go.id portal. In August 2026 Immigration proposed raising it to Rp 750,000 online and Rp 1 million at the airport, but it hadn't been approved in the latest reports. (Executive Traveller, checked 2026-10-25) Only use a site ending in .go.id; copycat sites charge more. With an e-VOA and an e-passport you can use the autogates on arrival.
6. Fill in the All Indonesia arrival card (free) The online form that replaced the paper customs and health declarations. Do it within 3 days of landing and save the QR code; customs scans it on the way out. It's free, so any email asking you to pay for it is a scam. (Bali Holiday Secrets, checked 2026-10-25)
7. Sort travel insurance, and read the scooter bit Many policies only cover scooter riding if you hold the right Aussie licence and wear a helmet, and some exclude bikes over 200cc. (InDaily, checked 2026-10-25) What Aussies get wrong.
8. Get an eSIM loaded before you leave You want data the second you land, for Grab, Gojek and bank codes. Bali eSIM guide.
9. Bring a little cash, not a lot A few hundred thousand rupiah gets you through arrival. Skip buying a pile of rupiah at an Aussie airport; you'll usually do better at a Bali ATM with the right card.