Aurora wrote
Hi JohnnyCool, yes that's correct. I am in a process of considering options, feeling my forward towards what seems good and will work well for me personally.
For any long stay visa for Indonesia it seems you need life insurance and health insurance policies [I]in Indonesia[/I] as well.As I am over 65 virtually no Australian insurer will write a new life insurance policy - there are only two companies that will do so if you are over 65 on applying for a new policy.
So a specific question I have right now is, for those on a retirement KITAS how do you solve the health and life insurance issues and what sort of costs are involved? ( I don't hold any life insurance right now).
For the retirement KITAS yes am technically eligible - well I will be if I buy life insurance. I would also need to rent or lease a property for a year and employ someone local as pembantu for the same period though, so I presume the solution there is to find someone to sub-let to when I am not there if I choose a 50/50 lifestyle, 6 months Aus per annum and 6 months Indonesia or elsewhere.
From my research so far as soon as you spend more then 6 months per calendar year outside Aus things get more problematic. For instance my Aus private health cover I can be out of the country for 6 mth a year max and it will but put "on hold" without premiums paid or cover, and resume on my return at the same premium and cover. But if I exceed the 6 mth limit the policy is shut down totally. To restart it I would have to have a new policy and the premium would be vastly increased (it is currently about A$2700 a year), And once you get to a certain age you will be denied entry to a new policy. There are also complications if an overseas country is "deemed" to be your main residence for Australian pension and taxation purposes by the Australian authorities.
Am thinking at the moment of a 3 month stay from late Sept on a Sosial Budaya, with travel insurance (which I get free with Aus Commonwealth Bank credit card). I will only have one set of renewal fees which am told will be around 1,350,000 IDR if I use a different agent from the first one. After this time I hope to have more of a feel for life in Bali and where the personal balance that suits me best is!
Re your questions about music, yes am an instrumental player as well as a DJ and electronic music producer. I play mandolin, bouzouki, n'goni, tenor banjo mostly. I have already discovered that if you apply for a KITAS as a working musician, you have to choose between being a DJ and a "musician proper". The KITAS would only cover you to work as one OR the other not both. This kind of KITAS is really expensive (USD $2100 plus agents fees) for 6 months and can't be renewed, and given the low wages offered to performers in Bali (and Australia too!) it would be hard to earn enough to justify a performer KITAS. My primary purpose is to play and enjoy not to earn.
Am often to be found at the Wicked Parrot in Sanur when they have an Irish night for some tunes and Guinness.
Life Insurance is NOT a requirement for Retirement Kitas.
Annual Travel Insurance is acceptable as Health cover.
