Hi from a new forum member - Moving to Bali in January

[MasMike]

Hi, I'll be moving to Bali from Europe in a couple of weeks. My wife is Indonesian (from Jawa) but has lived and worked in Bali before. After spending several years (and loooong winters) in Europe the time has come for us to give Bali a try We're both in our 30s and I hope to be able to get a KITAS spousal visa. I speak basic bahasa indonesia and the plan is to head straight to school to improve it - I would be grateful for any recommendations. We plan on leading a fairly basic life and try to adapt to the local lifestyle. It should be no problem for my wife but could be a challenge for me. I'm hoping our monthly budget during the first year or two won't exceed 25-30 mln rupiah per month including rent (I'm not sure if it's realistic). Ideally we would like to stay somewhere close to Sanur. Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting you! Sampai nanti

 

[spicyayam]

Welcome to the forum. I think you should be fine with budget.

One problem you may encounter is getting the spouse visa in Bali, if your wife doesn't have a registered KTP in Bali. Apparently now you can only get a KTP in Bali if you own property here. I didn't have this problem, but I read about a few people having this problem. I am sure there are ways around it, like most things here, but not sure exactly what you need to do.

 

[MasMike]

Thanks spicyayam! I'm planning to request the KITAS in Jawa, in the immigration office of a town where my wife is originally from. I've been told I will need to get a local driving license as well and I'm hoping I could do this already in Bali.

 

[Faris Fals]

Hi Mike,
I am staying very close to Sanur with my javanese Wife, so maybe I can help you a bit..
I don't know if a KITAS from Jawa will help you but it might be possible that way.

Regarding your budget I would say that it is definitely possible, it just depends on what exactly you are looking for.
If you want you can message me some details then I can try and give you feedback on what you probably will have to spend..

Regarding the KITAS it would be wise to do a lot of research because the Immigration in Java and Bali are two different stories.
My advice would be to get your KITAS here in Bali to avoid getting stuck with 'missing documents' or the documentation of the move to Bali.

You can get one here even if your wife has a javanese KTP, I have a good contact here and we just talked about this the other day.
I also have a good contact in the Immigration Office near Sanur..
I won't tell you if it is better to do everything by yourself or to pay somebody to get things done quick and without too many artificial obstacles..
Some prefer this, some prefer that,,
In Java the help of Agents or somebody on the inside is not allowed anymore in some Offices,
in Bali it is common that the Immigration will make things quite difficult for people who want to do everything on their own.
So both places function differently..

I would be happy to help you out with any info you need..
For the KITAS here your wife will need a domisili and a KIPEM to prove that you both are staying here,
you will also need a domisili.
But that shouldnt be difficult to get..

If your wife doesnt have a electronic KTP yet and you cant get a Bali KTP then you might have to take
the 'telex' visa route since the rules for this one are a bit less strickt.
just 2 weeks ago a friend helped somebody with the same kase and they got their Visa according to her..

The process for the KITAS is a different topic, I just wanted to point out some of the differences in your situation.

If you want to process the KITAS in Java, you might have to do it yourself,so be sure your documents are complete (the more the better)
just to not mess up your schedule.
If you move to Bali then you still would have to officially move, the same goes for your wife since she is your sponsor.
This is important in case you want to perpanjang your KITAS in Bali..
if not,, if you want to do it on Java as well.. then I don't know..
If it works that way, what the risks are, and if that is a good idea I can't really tell since I haven't heard about
anyone doing the KITAS thing that way..

please let me know once you try (if in Java) so others can maybe benefit from your story

All the best wishes to you two!!!
You have quite the adventure in front of you
but it it definitely worth it
I'll be staying here for a loong time I think...

 

[Faris Fals]

Thanks spicyayam! I'm planning to request the KITAS in Jawa, in the immigration office of a town where my wife is originally from. I've been told I will need to get a local driving license as well and I'm hoping I could do this already in Bali.

I forgot, where is your wife from? if from Java Timur, then the Immigrations may not allow 3rd party help in the process..
Regarding your driving license you can definitely get it in Bali once you get your KITAS, I think even as a tourist (probably more expensive)..
You can just get an international driving license for the moment and then santai dulu, later you think about this..

again all the best wishes

 

[MasMike]

Thanks so much Faris! I'll investigate. My wife is from Banten. I will certainly share our story so that others can benefit as well. Right now I'm trying to get a visa penyatuan keluarge (c317) to come to Indonesia and then exchange it to KITAS. We are coming with an idea to stay for a longer while but we'll see and decide after 1 year. I've been to Bali before several times and liked it a lot but it's obviously different to visit and to live somewhere.

Terima kasih banyak

 

[MasMike]

We will be looking for a place with a relatively easy access to the beach (15 min by scooter), without a pool, 2 bedrooms. Something resembling more a local house than a luxury villa.

 

[Faris Fals]

We will be looking for a place with a relatively easy access to the beach (15 min by scooter), without a pool, 2 bedrooms. Something resembling more a local house than a luxury villa.

In Sanur to find a clean house that is under 60mln is a real challenge if not impossible,
but once you expand your search to west of the Bypass (Main Highway passing Sanur from south to north)
then you will see the prices go down.. You should be here to look for a house, or your wife should be here.
If you do it from far away you will probably get frustrated with what you get since it will look different in reality than on edited or very smartly taken pictures..

I live in Renon/Panjer and I get to the beach in 10min with a scooter..
I can recommend this area since there is not a lot to pay.
Just the sampa, but Sanur is a different story I hear.. But it depends on where you stay in Sanur I guess and
it depends on the house as well..

I dont know if you are planning on driving a car, I prefer scooter though,
you can see so much more and are at your destination a lot faster..
time saving hehe

with your budget you could rent a good house that is free of wet walls or leaking roof,
then you can live a simple but good life and eat really good food.

If you are looking for the party, restaurant, shopping thing then your budget will be very tight..
The closer to the crowded tourism areas the more expensive your life will become..

what are your hobbies? how do you spend your days?

Sama sama, happy to help!

 

[MasMike]

Thanks, I will definitely check out Renon and Panjer. I've been looking at ads on OLX and rumah123 and haven't really found anything interesting yet. You are right - it's best to be there to look around.

I'm definitely looking for a simple life and I will do my best to stay away from the tourist and party crowd. That's one of the reasons why improving my bahasa indonesia is on the top of my to-do list. I don't drink much and I expect I can get by without tons of cheese, chocolate and Western food (but we'll see how long I last . The luxuries I do need include internet, AC, gym (can be basic). I will also spend a decent amount of time in front of a computer so I'll either try to set up a place at home or look for calm coffee shops where I could focus. The priorities for 2018 are to get fit, improve my Indonesian, explore Bali with my wife, make new friends, learn a new water sport (surfing, kitesurfing) do more yoga and finally learn to cook something Indonesian. I'm also really excited to find out more about Indonesian culture(s).

 

[harryopal]

As Faris Fals said, get an International Driving Licence. I have only been stopped once by police and the international driving licence was accepted without a problem. That gives you a year to settle and then sort out the local licence.

We obtained a Sosbud before arriving in Bali which we have converted to Kitas with a lot of toing and froing to immigration but without having to go to Jakarta. I didn't get the impression that officers were trying to make it difficult because we were processing the application ourselves.

My wife went to Bandung to update her Id there and then had it changed for residence in Bali.

We are staying in Jimbaran at the moment but am now looking to find somewhere perhaps north of Sanur. One impediment is that my wife would not feel comfortable with a Hindu shrine. (She was told by a Balinese friend that if prayers are not said at the shrine there will be bad spirits.) A pity as there have been quite a few likely, affordable houses but with shrines.

If Faris Fals reads this you might be kind enough to let me have a heads up if you see any likely places north of Sanur.. Looking for a place 35 juta to 45 juta. 3 rooms, preferably furnished and within striking distance of the sea. You could me email harryopal@protonmail.com. if that were possible or convenient.

 

[Faris Fals]

Hmm we have a lot in common I guess.. I think you will be just fine with your budget plans.
If you need some advice or tips for good places to sit, relax, eat, enjoy life, just ask I'll be happy to help.
Bahasa is just a matter of time and the level of your curiosity. Watch Indo TV and talk a lot with your wife and other people,
do mistakes without being shy about it and you will improve very fast. (talking like a bahasa pro while not being one hahaha)

Yes the thing about western food is that it is not really western food.. I had a lot of disappointments with sudden appetites and urges.
(pizza, pasta, burgers, bread, cheese, bottled juices from the supermarket, yogurt, milk products....)
yeeah you will need to join me in my trial&error approach.. The point is everything you imagine will turn out different on the plate
because the ingredients are different and the people who are cooking are preparing food designed to please westerners AND locals.

But I am still lucky because I have almost no problems with the food here, I just LOVE it so I am not missing much.
Only an original Pizza like they make them in Italy and a Kebab like they make them in my Hometown are things that come to mind
more often.
My wife is my favorite cook, and I would choose her cooking over any food I can find outside. (healthy, clean, natural ingredients)
We love to share food, a meal and some stories so just drop by when you are here

Don't worry about chocolate, some products are imported but you will be able to find good local chocolate without a problem.
Your plan sounds awesome! So stop worrying about your Budget, just know that you will need to calculate all the hidden and extra costs,
that are difficult to plan.. But this post is getting too long to go into the details here haha,

Later when you are searching for a house, I can tell you which areas are difficult in terms of internet and clean water..
what would help you the best at this point of time?

Advice on what to be aware of or what to take care of during the search for a house?
Sorry I don't have the time to search for you at the moment I am quite busy (just moved to a new house too)
If I happen to see a nice place I will let you know

 

[Faris Fals]

thanks for joining in Harry

Yes I agree it really depends on who you get at the immigration.. Also I have been told that the Immigration you are going to is
much more relaxed and not as complicated as the one in Denpasar..
A lot of stories on the internet and from local Agents, but that's a different topic..

Sorry that your wife is not comfortable with a Bali-Style rental house, well you will need to search for a modern newly built one,
or one with a Javanese or just non-Balinese owner. I once stayed at a house with Balinese owner and he prayed at the temple there and everything was just fine, no issues because he was a nice guy. But if the situation is more complicated yeah that can create problems other than bad spirits.. it can leave you in bad spirits I guess (excuse me if my English is wrong)
I have some experience with that situation so you can message me if you need me to write something that your wife can read then. Maybe we can make her more calm and comfortable with having a temple on the rented property.
My wife is cool with temples, shes Javanese but staying here for more than 20 years. If nothing helps let the two meet and talk about this..
I think that this is an unnecessary obstacle and just complicates your search.. Also it is unnecessary to have your life disturbed by bad spirits.. in my house all the spirits are very relaxed and hang around without disturbing us in any way.
find a middle ground, we should accept their beliefs and views but help them not to live in fear or full worries about something that can be ignored without anything bad happening as a result.. yeah, a middle ground does the trick for me

Two questions and then I will keep my eyes open for you
(1) what is "striking distance"? sorry I am not english native so it might be the distance of a strike in baseball,
or the distance you have to run after you strike somebody to shake off the people chasing you,, I could google but this way
I will find out exactly how far you prefer to stay from the beach

(2) I think you will be having trouble with this kind of a budget if you are looking near Sanur. Maybe understated.. I mean you would have to be extreeemly lucky and somebody would really have to need money quickly to rent out a clean 3 rooms house near Sanur at that price..
think more above 50/60jt
BUT if you are talking about north of Sanur as in 'near the Bypass' up there where you turn right after the big new monument (JL Prof. Ida Bagus Mantra) then you will probably find something decent for that price.
Or you try here in my area, but its gonna be a challenge too.
I think, don't bother east of the bypass near sanur.

Right north of Sanur I don't really know.. I thought there are only shops and home-stays and the places that sell statues and garden stuff.
Where is north of Sanur for you? How far?

All the best of luck for your search, I will let you know if I stumble upon something..

 

[MasMike]

Thanks Faris! I'll gladly take you up on your invitation once we arrive in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, any recommendations of promising areas where to search would be very useful. Renon and Panjer have already been added to the list

 

[Faris Fals]

That would be awesome! I am always glad to meet new people so I will have more to think and write about
Try around Jl. Prof. Dr. Ida Bagus Mantra, some of my friends stay around there..

Actually you could even look for something in a higher price class (up to 100mln) if you wanted to..
You would still be able to have a good life here with the rest of your budget, but I guess it is not a must to spend all of the budget haha
You will just have to find the right balance between housing budget and spendings daily/monthly..

Maybe you are right to try and find something simple for the first year, and take the time to look around and get to know Bali,
see what is possible and what not, see what you get for what kind of money with your own eyes.. yeah that would probably be good.
Also see what you are spending every day, then you can find the perfect balance for the second year and probably use part of the first years budget as bonus for the second hahaha
At least thats what I imagine I would do.

I wouldn't recommend north Denpasar, for my taste Canggu is getting way to crowded and to get anywhere you are stuck in traffic way too often for my taste. Jimbaran is quite nice but I dont know where all the housing areas are located, so I must pass on that one..
If you are a surfer you can really enjoy to stay south of jimbaran, but it is very hot and a lot drier there.. Some troubles with water as well, but I heard the waterworks are fixing it.

The north of Denpasar (outside Denpasar) like Gatot Subroto area is also very hot and more industrial..
I prefer to sit in the middle, in my dear Denpasar and near to Sanur, I can drive north and south without traffic jams,
I can be anywhere in 30 min also due to the new Tol Road, its just a sweet spot to sit..

Sanur is even better for some people but I couldn't stay there all the time.. I don't want to impose my opinion on you,
but Denpasar is more neutral for me..
We just drove around the whole freakin' island to find a better area than the one we stay in,
for a modest price, well we are still staying in the same street now, just moved a few houses to the left hahaha

just be close to:
- a wet-market with complete sortiment
- not overpriced shops and food places
- a good hospital or doctor
- the Bypass (main road around the island, --> get anywhere very fast)

I hope that is a complete list, it doesnt feel like it but I cant think of anything else..
Beer? for some that is important..
Tourists? hmm not so much for me..

Yeah you will know what you want sooner than later

Have a good nights rest
and all the best

 

[R6jok]

Enjoying reading these posts, I too am learning a lot, I don’t have much to add, however thanks all

 

[Faris Fals]

Thanks for reading haha I have problems with short messages..


wow that was actually quite short

 

[MasMike]

Ok, so we made it to Indonesia several weeks ago. Getting a KITAS - or rather converting the VITAS 317 penyatuan keluarga visa went incredibly fast in the local immigration office in West Java. I needed to leave Indonesia for several days mid-month and I was told before that the entire process might take several weeks. I was worried. In the end it took 2-3 hours and the officials at the immigration office were apologizing for the delay caused by a computer network glitch. The total cost was 1 juta IDR for KITAS + 1 juta for MERP (multiple-exit-and-entry) + 50k IDR for a photo. Very smooth and impressive. So far we are still staying in Java with the family and we're finishing the rennovations of a small house that we plan to use as our base in Java (when visiting family etc). I'm also forced to pick up the language quickly because hardly anyone speaks any english. Next stop Bali

 

[harryopal]

Good afternoon Mas Mike,

If you are at all interested in the south of Bali, Kos 168 ( about 20 minutes to the airport and 12 mins to Jimbaran beach) has tiny cheap rooms and a comfortable facility that comprises a furnished, combined, large, lounge bedroom area, a bathroom and kitchen with fridge and cooker. Prices are negotiable and for that larger facility we were paying 1 juta a week. They also hire out motor scooters at reasonable prices. It is reasonably close to a local market for fruit and veges and up the hill a variety of shops with Alpha and Indo Mart and another largish shop for general groceries and liquor at reasonable prices. This could be a useful spot from which to look around. Generally there is an over supply of housing and rentals. We are now renting an unfurnished, 2 story house with a nice size combined lounge kitchen separate bedroom with ensuite and upstairs two small rooms and a bathroom. We fitted a door into one of the window frames and have a landing to sit out in the evening for the sunset. We have taken a 5 year lease and this works out at about $60 a week.

 

[MasMike]

Thank you so much for the information! We might stay at a friends place for a couple of nights and then we'll definitely check out Kos 168. I heard about there being an over-supply on the rental market. Is it mostly linked to Agung or is it something else?

 

[harryopal]

I was told by one developer that President Joko was going to start examining unseemly amounts of money in people's bank accounts. this led to withdrawals to put into building as a means of disguising wealth. That trend seems to have been exacerbated by excitement at the notion of making money through rentals. Mt Agung will doubtless slow demand.