mugwump
Perhaps others can help in your locations and visa questions, but I will be glad to refer Haris Wibowo at Bali Dental in Denpasar as a dentist. I have found him to be qualified, honest and reasonable in price.
Kim26
My wife and I are moving to Bali for a 12-month adventure in January - well, it's going to be at least 12 months - maybe a lifetime. Can anyone recommend a good local doctor & dentist in the Sanur area? I know about BIMC & Siloam Hospitals, but what about a local doctor and dentist? Markit has previously been very helpful with a visa agent recommendation, and it's time to follow up on that. Does anyone know if the "red background" photographs required for a social or retirement visa can be done once we arrive In January, or do we need to get those done in Australia before we leave? I guess a retirement visa may be the best option, or would a social visa be more sensible? We will pay for the visa on arrival at the airport. We are going to have a look at a few villas next week. BaliMoves are showing us around - also Villas of Bali. They both seem to be reputable & professional. Any comments? I understand there are some issues to look out for - karaoke bar noise, flooding and the bloody roosters & barking dogs. Does the west side of the Bypass really suck, or is it O/K? Any recommendations on areas in and around Sanur? We have been coming to Bali for holidays for years now, and it's time to retire in paradise. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
spicyayam
Plenty of places that do passport photos with any background you want. Mercy Photos for example is in Sanur.
SamD
You need to apply for the social visa outside of Indonesia. I did mine through the Sydney consulate. I asked my visa agent to sponsor me and she sent all the documents I needed. I downloaded the form from the consulate website, sent my application with my passport and supporting documentation via registered post, and my visa arrived within two weeks. For my onward ticket I just booked a one way to Singapore with Batamfast ferry. I don't intend to ever use it.
Kim26
Thank you for all the replies. This forum and its members provide incredibly useful advice. I do appreciate you all taking the time to help.
britoo
Kim,
a few thoughts on visas and villas from experience hoping it will help.
I cant comment on retirement visas other than I believe you need to be over 55.
6 month social visit visas can work pretty well for a 1 year stay depending on your specific needs of course. Either 2 back to back or 1 Sosbud + say 2 VOA with weekends away in Asia and a few months back home can fit well. Some people have been doing this for years though its not an ideal long term solution for sure.
+ The single most important thing is you cannot apply for a Sosbud visa while you are in Indonesia. You have to do this while you are overseas. If you go this way you will need to arrange it before you arrive or make a side trip at a later date to process the visa.
+ I have had conflicting advice regards red or white background for photos and unfortunately I think it may depend on who you submit the photo to. I have used photos with white backgrounds many times and have encountered no problems to date.
+ The real decision point around a Social visa is if you are likely or not to spend a single block of 6 months inside Indonesia. It is a single entry/exit visa and if you leave the country for any reason during the 6 months it is cancelled automatically and you are back to square one.
+ With the 6 month social visa you will need an individual Indonesian sponsor who will have to show up at immigration at each renewal submission (An agent can provide this for a fee). After the first 2 months you need to renew the visa each month which will require 2 short visits to immigration each month (submit docs, collect passport plus 1 extra visit on 1st renewal for photo and fingerprints) if you do it yourself or 1 visit if you pay an agent. The process is very efficient, quick and straightforward and the journey to immigration in Jimbaran is short from Sanur so it really depends on how you value your time.
+ It is also possible to convert a 2 month tourist visa (obtained outside Indonesia) into a social visa by adding a sponsor in-country at a later date. A good flexible option is to go to your nearest consulate back home and to apply for a 2 month tourist visa in advance of your visit which will cost about the same as paying 500k for a VOA + 500k for the renewal. When you enter Bali on this visa you can later add a sponsor and convert it into a sosbud as long as you do so within the initial 2 months. This gives you the flexibility to decide how to proceed once you have found your feet.
I hope this is helpful.
Regards villas, I cannot speak to any agent directly as I took the approach of settling in a hotel and driving around looking for areas and then villas for rent directly thereby avoiding agents altogether. I would offer the following advice;
+ Understand that the gnarly expats you will meet will laugh at the price you end up paying as many are likely to pay about a half of what you will. This may not be a bad thing but know that you are accessing properties marketed to expats which are priced accordingly. The same applies to properties you see online. If you are getting a superior property / location this shouldnt concern you. Minimum wage here is about 200USD pcm so locals who rent are paying way less. You of course may not wish to live like a local.
+ I cannot speak to Sanur as I am on the opposite coast close to Canggu but here its a buyers / renters market but only if you are in the know. Every farmer with an inch of land is popping up half a dozen rental villas and plenty I see have been empty for years now with perhaps 1 guest per quarter occupancy and seemingly nobody interested in long term occupancy. Published asking prices just keep going up though as sellers leave places empty rather than reprice. Your agent is on a %age and he/she isnt going to talk the price down for sure.
+ Legal contracts have to be written in Indonesian to be valid. Ideally you would want split page with Indo and English text.
+ Watch out for who pays taxes in particular land tax and who is responsible for repairs. Many places are beautifully finished but economy products are often used to meet the budget. Within a year or two of being the first to occupy a place we had replaced, the well pump, the swimming pool pump, the well pipe, most of the taps, door handles ..... and many other things at our own cost.
+ During the inspection, casually inquire if each place has an IMB (building permit) to see how the agent responds. Many many places dont have them and it probably doesnt matter (until of course it does) for a 1 year contract but its worth knowing. The challenge I find here is not being too picky regards things we take for granted back home otherwise youll not find anything whilst balancing that with not taking foolish risks. Once your money has left your pocket, safe to say, you are never ever getting it back.
Apologies if this is off point and teaching you how to suck eggs but thought it might be helpful.
