About Indonesia Expat Expertise I am a foreigner from a Western country but have been living in Indonesia for the past 9 years. As a person living and working here, I am able to provide information on transport options and average prices within the country, as well as getting in and out of the country, general hassles people will come up against, visas, recommended homestays, honest and ethical people for legal consultation and private investigation, scams that foreigners should be aware of, safety considerations in certain areas, requirements of living and working here, information regarding leasing houses, apartments, some information on mixed marriages, where to find good medical treatment, jobs, housing, imported foods, cars, restaurants, etc.
Experience I have been living and working here since the beginning of 1999 and have traveled and lived in Lombok, Bali, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Central Java and West Java.
Expert: Indonesia Expat Date: 2/20/2008 Subject: Emigrate to Bali
Question Dear Expert,
My sister-in-law (German citizen, living as a permanent resident in Australia, age 43) and her boyfriend (Dual Australian / British citizenship, living in Australia, age 42) would like to move to Bali.
He is a freelance photographer with chef experience but no professional qualifications in horeca industry; she is a social worker with a related degree. He has contacts in Bali tourism industry through previous freelance photography work but she has none. They would both like to work and have no children.
They are currently unmarried but I believe would get married if this was required to secure their move with regard to visa regulations(they are in love and it would not be a 'fake' marriage, rather, an accelerated one).
Their savings are very limited.
I have read through many of the previous Q&A on this site and am pessimistic that is possible for them to move to Bali even for a year, never mind as a permanent emigration, but I am no expert and therefore would ask for your opinion to inform their next steps.
Please could you advise the best way for them to progress their dream, whether you think it is feasible at all, and if so, how long the visa would take to acquire and what conditions would be attached to it?
Lastly, could you recommend a good immigration consultant who would be able to manage their application process?
Many thanks in advance for your help,
Kind regards
Ann K.
Answer Hi Ann,
Honestly, the situation is complicated and I have covered many of the issues related to your question already in previous answers to other questioners.
Neither one of them can just show up and Bali to work without a contract or an office/business willing to sponsor them. They then also have to go through the working visa application process. Conditions would be the same I have mentioned before. They could only work for the company specified on their KITAS, at that address only.
They would be better off going there for a holiday for at least 6 months to a year, finding out what people are really like there and what they will have to deal with on a day to day basis. The reality is a far cry from the dream. Many people wind up bankrupt and destitute due to foolishly thinking they can simply move and work in Bali. And also, a lot crazier than they were to begin with. Indonesia looks like paradise but it is a high stress location to live in. Why do you think foreigners get paid so much by major corporations to work here? Health hazards and a much higher day to day stress level, high burnout levels. Permanently moving to Bali? Maybe after they've been there for several years to begin with and know how everything operates so they can save themselves the hassle of being ripped off and scammed. It's happened to many an expat.
If their savings are limited, honestly, I can say forget about it. It can cost a great deal to get set up here, not to mention the visas, plane tickets and corruption money to be paid every time a person turns around.
Their marital status has absolutely no bearing on anything related to this as they are both foreigners.
Are they prepared to pay big bucks for overseas medical insurance? You can't manage here without it unless you want to drop dead of some nasty tropical disease at some point. Otherwise, it's all cash up front at clinics and hospitals. The expat hospitals are expensive and often very overpriced. The local hospitals are an exercise in testing your courage as they are often dirty and don't follow even basic hygiene standards, not to mention ethical medical treatment.
They would have to arrive in Bali and contact one of the visa agents in the free Bali advertiser newspaper. They change from time to time, so as to a reputable one, I can't tell you. Honestly, they're all quite shady because they are setting up visas not quite legally in many, many cases. My current contacts are for Java and Jakarta and I have known them personally for at least 3 years.
Tell your sister in law and boyfriend to be realistic and go for an extended holiday first. And save up for it, because it's going to costs some bucks. But better they put out some money now rather than lose it all because of being unprepared for such a move.
