Buyer guide
The buyer's guide
Plain answers to the questions Bali buyers actually ask: how ownership works for foreigners, what happens when a lease ends, how to check a developer, and what a purchase really costs. Every article sticks to facts we can stand behind and says clearly where a notary takes over.
Ownership & titles
- Ownership routesLeasehold or freehold: what a foreigner can actually hold in BaliWhat a foreign buyer can legally hold in Bali: leasehold, Hak Pakai and a PT PMA company explained, why nominee freehold is void, and what changed by 2026.Reviewed: August 2026
- Land titlesLand in Bali: SHM, HGB, Hak Pakai and what a foreigner can actually holdSHM, HGB, Hak Pakai and girik land in Bali, explained by law: what a foreigner can hold, what a PT PMA changes, and how to read a certificate.Reviewed: August 2026
- Reading the badgeHow to read a Bali leasehold badge: 27+30, to 2052, 29 yearsWhat the four lease badge formats in our catalogue mean, on real listed objects, and why only the notarial deed prices an extension option.Reviewed: August 2026
- Lease termWhat actually happens when a Bali leasehold endsThe honest mechanics of a Bali leasehold at year 25: the contract ends by law, buildings follow the deed, and extensions are worth what you wrote down.Reviewed: August 2026
- Property typesVilla, apartment, residence or townhouse: what you are actually buyingWhat "villa," "apartment," "residence" and "townhouse" actually mean under Bali building law: what you own, and who runs the building you share.Reviewed: August 2026
- Land purchaseBuying land in Bali: what a foreigner can hold and what to check on the plotBuying land in Bali as a foreigner: leasehold, Hak Pakai and HGB through a PT PMA, SHM/HGB/girik titles, LP2B zoning rules, and what to check on the plot.Reviewed: September 2026
Checks before you pay
- Due diligenceHow to check a Bali developer before money movesA practical Bali off-plan check: land certificate and zoning, PBG and SLF permits, company registries, payment flow. What you can verify, and what nobody can.Reviewed: August 2026
- Deal mechanicsThe Bali property deal: from booking to the certificate in your handHow a Bali property deal actually runs: the deposit, PPJB versus the deed, notary and PPAT, power of attorney, registration and what you hold at the end.Reviewed: August 2026
- Handover datesHandover date "Q3 2027": what it means and what to do if it slipsWhat a completion quarter like "Q3 2027" means in Bali, what a PPJB must say about handover, and what the law actually gives if the date slips.Reviewed: August 2026
- Remote purchaseBuying property in Bali without flying in: how a remote deal actually worksHow a remote Bali purchase works: the power of attorney, an apostille instead of legalisation, and what the notary still requires in person.Reviewed: August 2026
- Payment mechanicsHow to pay for a Bali property from Russia in 2026How money actually moves in a 2026 Bali purchase: the currency, whose account it lands in, Russian reporting duties, and where transfers fail.Reviewed: August 2026
- Pros and consBuying property in Bali: the honest list of pros and consA fact checked list of the pros and cons of buying property in Bali: what the law and the catalogue actually confirm, not reviews. Checked September 2026.Reviewed: September 2026
- Market review 2026Bali property market 2026: the factsBali property market 2025 to 2026 from named sources: BPS arrivals, what became law, permit enforcement, infrastructure status and price ranges from reports.Reviewed: August 2026
Costs & taxes
- Transaction costsTaxes and costs when you buy property in BaliWho pays what in a Bali property deal as of 2026: buyer and seller taxes on leasehold vs freehold, VAT on new builds, notary fees and the annual land tax.Reviewed: August 2026
- Ownership costsWhat it costs to own a villa in Bali: what an owner pays every month and yearWhat an owner of a villa or apartment in Bali pays every month and year: PBB tax, electricity, water, the service charge, and what we will not estimate.Reviewed: August 2026
- Villa upkeepWho looks after your Bali villa when you are not on the islandVilla upkeep in Bali when the owner is away: what a managed complex covers versus a standalone villa, what fails without upkeep, and how to pay from abroad.Reviewed: September 2026
- Mortgages and instalmentsMortgages and instalments in Bali: what a foreign buyer can actually getCan a foreigner get a mortgage in Bali, and how does a developer instalment plan on a villa actually work: what bank pages confirm, and what they do not.Reviewed: September 2026
- Tax residencyIndonesia tax residency: the 183-day test, NPWP and the Russia treatyThe 183-day test, NPWP registration and the Russia-Indonesia tax treaty in 2026, with every rate and rule tied to its source article.Reviewed: August 2026
- Before the numbersInvesting in Bali property: what to check before you run the numbersInvesting in Bali property: what actually decides whether a purchase works, before you run the numbers. Title, permits, build stage, exit, tax, currency.Reviewed: September 2026
Moving & visas
- Visa and residencyVisa and buying property in Bali: what is connected, and what is notBuying in Bali does not grant a visa, and a leasehold needs none. E33G, Second Home, Golden Visa and PFII explained from official sources, August 2026.Reviewed: August 2026
- Stay permitsKITAS and KITAP: what an Indonesian stay permit actually lets you doIndonesia has three stay permits: ITK, ITAS and ITAP. Who qualifies, for how long, how renewal works, and what each allows for work, family and a home.Reviewed: August 2026
- Relocation and statusMoving to Bali for good: what Indonesian law does not have, and what it has insteadIndonesia has no permanent residence in the Russian sense. What exists instead: the ITK, ITAS and ITAP ladder, its timing, its fees and the route to KITAP.Reviewed: August 2026
- Family relocationMoving to Bali with a family: schools, medicine and insuranceMoving to Bali with children: three named international schools, the BIMC hospital network, foreigner health insurance rules, and the seven Bali areas.Reviewed: August 2026
- Household budgetThe cost of living in Bali: what can be given a number, and what cannotA Bali household budget from documents: visa fees, PLN and Badung water tariffs, BPJS contributions, school fees, and why no monthly average for a foreigner exists.Reviewed: August 2026
- Living on the islandLife in Bali: the pros and cons, listed honestlyLife in Bali without the gloss: stay limits and overstay fines, wet season and drought, licence and helmet rules, the rupiah rule, SPK schools. Sourced.Reviewed: August 2026
Areas
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