Bali’s governor only wants “quality tourism” and new regulations are underwawy to limit tourists entering to match his idea of the kind of visitor that belongs. Officials would examine visitor bank statements over the prior three months before allowing entry.
That’s on top of the usual intended length of stay and planned activities details, along with a return ticket.
- There would be no fixed minimum balance. Required funds would be judged relative to length of stay and planned activities.
- This is still in draft form (“Regional Regulation on the Implementation of Quality Tourism”) which the governor says is ‘nearly complete’ and will be sent to Bali regional legislature, with the intention of enacting it during 2026.
A lot of the coverage is sloppy calling this a “new regulation” already in force. It’s been framed as Bali “preparing to enforce” a “new regulation [which] demands…” but it’s not yet been enacted, and may run afoul of national rules.
Indonesia already demands proof of funds for some visa categories. A formal visa requires proof of US$2,000 and 3 months of bank statement, but this would be new for visa on arrival.
- No fixed minimum amounts means arbitrary enforcement. While no minimums sounds flexible, in practice it means discretion, discrimination, and corruption.
- Easily gamed. You can temporarily park funds to pass a check.
- Bad metric. Many legitimate travelers rely on family or company support. It also punishes budget travelers, using immigration to screen for high spenders, but low spenders matter for a significant segment of the local tourism industry too.
- Privacy and data-handling risk. Requiring tourists to show bank records means those records are available to hackers, and the Bali government may not be as secure as a Western bank.
My transactions for the last 3 months are none of Bali’s business. Sharing that data alone is reason enough to prefer avoiding trips there, if this regulation becomes final. And providing financial details, including account balance, seems like an invitation for a member of Balinese civil service to sell that information to criminals.
Some of you will surely respond by pointing out the amount of personal information that the U.S. collects both as part of its visa process and through covert and sometimes illegal means. That’s fair, but not really on point. I am not comfortable providing bank records as a condition of entry.
Anyone choosing to do so might be advised to use an account with limited funds (don’t have much more than enough to prove support) and that isn’t your primary account for transacting.
(HT: Drew J.)
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