The Indonesian government is trying to attract remote workers and digital nomads looking to change their tax residency and work remotely from Bali and Lombok. In competition with Thailand, Indonesian immigration offers different types of visas for people willing to work remotely or live in Indonesia. While Bali was the most iconic destination for digital nomads, other destinations such as Lombok are now attracting more digital nomads and families willing to relocate to Indonesia.

KITAS for Digital nomads visa and remote worker – E33G

For people looking to work or relocate in Indonesia for a certain period of time, the remote worker visa E33G is the best. This visa is a stay permit allowing foreigners to stay in Indonesia for a period of one year. With this visa people can work remotely for a company overseas or their own company as a freelancer for a company located outside Indonesia. This visa provides a KITAS which is considered as a temporary stay permit. The KITAS is a residence permit with a multiple reentry permit. It means people can go out and in the country at any time during the validity period.

 

To obtain the permit the applicant must meet the following requirements:

 

  • Passport with a validity period of 6 months
  • Colored photo
  • Proof of income of 60 000 USD per year
  • Bank statement with a minimum balance of 5000 USD in the last 3 months

 

This visa allows the person to travel and live all around Indonesia. However the person needs to have an address in Indonesia. This address has to be updated each time the person changes location in Indonesia and needs to update its KITAS (KITAS address mutation).

 

To apply the person can apply offshore or onshore. During the offshore process the person will wait its visa outside the country and will pass the border once the visa is issued. After passing the border, the applicant will receive its KITAS.

 

For onshore application, the applicant is converting its visa to a remote worker KITAS. The person will apply for a bridging visa that will be converted into a KITAS after a visit at the immigration office to take the biometrics.

 

Tax Residency as digital nomad in Bali and Lombok

People can obtain a tax residency in Indonesia after obtaining the KITAS in Indonesia. The tax residency is done in several steps after:

 

  • Obtention of a tax number (NPWP)
  • Civil registration (SKTT)
  • Fiscal declaration 

 

The NPWP is the personal tax number of a KITAS holder. This NPWP is obtained through the tax office (KPP). The tax number is valid until the taxpayer deregisters its tax number.

 

The SKTT is the civil registration which provides a NIK (Civil registration number) to a person living in Indonesia. This SKTT can be obtained after getting the domicile letter and police registration. This is an important document that immigration can request to KITAS holders to renew their KITAS.

 

The fiscal declaration is done every year between January and March following the year of registration of the NPWP. It is an important step to prove to the origin country of residence that the person is now living and paying its tax in Indonesia.

 

All those documents can be obtained in Bali or Lombok or on any island the person is living on.

Common Mistake for digital nomads in Bali and Lombok

Having the KITAS is not sufficient. It is important to respect the steps above if you decide to come and live in Indonesia. Furthermore some considerations have also to be taken:

 

  • The renewal of a KITAS is not automatically done. 
  • It is forbidden to work for an Indonesian company
  • It is forbidden to provide some extra work and receive an income
  • You can’t rent out a room from the villa you are renting
  • Do not offer any work on Facebook and do not publish under your personal name
  • You can’t make business on Airbnb in Indonesia. You need a PT PMA

 

Other administrative steps are sometimes mistaken:

 

  • Passport mutation is mandatory once you change your passport. You need to update your passport number on your KITAS
  • Address mutation is also a key and each KITAS holder needs to report its address. The address on the KITAS must match the address where you live.
  • The tax exemption for digital nomad is not automatically applied. You need to have a certain job position and contribute to the local economy.

 

At ILA we can accompany you on journeys in Bali and Lombok by ensuring your tax, visa and administrative documentation are compliant. For more updates, guides, and immigration insights, visit our visa and immigration blog.