Landing in Bali: the first three hours
Immigration, the customs form nobody mentions, the arrivals hall, a SIM card and money. What to do before you fly so the first evening is dinner rather than admin.
Updated September 10, 2026 · 3 min read
Ngurah Rai airport is not difficult, but it is slow at the wrong hours and it has three small formalities that catch people out. Handle them before you fly and you are in a car within forty minutes of landing.
Before you fly
Check your visa route. Most visitors arrive on a visa on arrival, which can be bought at the airport or — much faster — applied for online in advance. Rules and eligible nationalities do change; check the official Indonesian immigration site close to your departure rather than trusting a forum post from last year.
Passport validity. Six months from arrival is the standard requirement. Airlines check it at boarding, which is the worst possible moment to discover a problem.
Fill the customs declaration online. Indonesia uses an electronic customs form, completed shortly before landing and presented as a QR code. Doing it in the queue on airport wifi is possible and unpleasant.
Bali charges a tourist levy on foreign visitors, payable online before arrival or on the spot. Paying in advance saves a queue; keep the confirmation on your phone.
In the airport
The order is immigration, baggage, customs, then the arrivals hall. The hall is where the trip becomes pleasant or annoying: it opens onto a wall of drivers, and every one of them will offer you a ride at a price invented for the occasion.
The cure is boring and total: book the pickup before you land, and give your flight number rather than a time. The driver tracks the flight, waits if you are late, and holds a sign with your name. There is no negotiation, no wandering the car park, and no arriving at the villa at midnight in a bad mood.
Money and connectivity
Cash. Card payments work in restaurants, beach clubs and hotels; cash still rules for drivers, warungs, markets and small shops. Withdraw at a bank ATM inside the airport or in town rather than from a standalone machine in a tourist street.
SIM cards. An Indonesian SIM or an eSIM is worth having on day one — ride-hailing apps, maps and WhatsApp all depend on it. Buy from an official counter or shop rather than the first stand you pass.
Time zone. Bali is UTC+8. There is no daylight saving, and sunset is close to six in the evening all year — which is why every good day here is planned around six.
The first evening
Do not plan anything demanding for the night you land. A table close to where you sleep, an early dinner, and a proper night's sleep is worth more than the club everyone recommended. The island is still there tomorrow.
If you want the arrival handled end to end — driver at the door, villa checked, dinner booked at a sensible hour — tell the concierge your flight and it is arranged before you take off.
Questions we get asked
＋Do I need a visa for Bali?
Most visitors use a visa on arrival, which can also be applied for online before departure — faster than the airport queue. Eligibility and rules change, so check the official Indonesian immigration site shortly before you fly.
＋Should I book an airport pickup or take a taxi on arrival?
Book it. The arrivals hall is full of drivers quoting invented fares, and a pre-booked car with your flight number waits for you if the flight is late.
＋Do I need cash in Bali?
Yes, alongside a card. Restaurants, beach clubs and hotels take cards; drivers, warungs, markets and small shops mostly want cash. Use bank ATMs rather than standalone machines in tourist streets.
Want us to arrange it?
Tell the concierge what you have in mind — a table, a guestlist, a villa, a driver. We answer within 15 minutes, 24/7.
Ask the concierge