Arriving in Sanur via Bali Airport: Your Essential Guide in 2025

Planning a holiday can be stressful enough with booking flights and choosing your accommodation. But preparing for a holiday to Bali can be downright painful, bogged down with Indonesian Government entry requirements on top. From navigating the online visa website to paying the tourist tax and filling out customs declaration, this should all be straight forward.

Alas, it can be quite confusing, and Bali Facebook Groups have hundreds and hundreds of posts from people saying how confusing the process is, that the websites are hard to navigate and so on.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning traveler adapting to Bali’s new 2025 entry requirements, this step-by-step guide will help you.

Anyone who has ever traveled through Bali Airport at Denpasar knows it can be a fine line between a good and a bad experience. But with the right preparation, your journey to Sanur can be surprisingly smooth.

What can I do before I arrive in Bali?

You can get your Visa online, pay your tourist tax online, and fill out your customs declaration online.

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Visa

Considering what I mentioned above, we have created a step-by-step list to help you prepare for a trip to Bali. If you’re anything like me, you like to have everything organized before you land so you can spend as little time as possible in the airport and start your holiday as soon as possible.

Option 1: Apply Online (Recommended)

✅ Required Documents

• Valid passport (at least 6 months validity remaining)
• Digital passport photo (JPG format)
• Passport scan (PDF format)
• Return flight confirmation
• Hotel booking confirmation
• Credit card for payment

✅ Application Steps

1. Visit the official e-VOA site
2. Choose ‘General, Family, or Social’ → ‘Tourism, Family Visit, and Transit’
3. Select ‘B1—Tourism (Visa on Arrival)’
4. Upload your documents:
   • Personal photo (in .jpg format)
   • Passport scan (.pdf format)
   • Flight and hotel confirmations
5. Pay 500,000 Rupiah (~$33 USD)
6. Save your confirmation and QR code.

💡 Tech Tips:

• To convert photos to PDF, use ‘Print to PDF’ on your computer or try online tools like PDF Guru.
• Save screenshots of everything as backup.
• Complete this at least 3-4 days before travel.
• Processing usually takes 1-3 business days.

Option 2: Get a Visa at the Airport (Not Recommended)

• Expect 30-60 minute queues.
• Bring cash (USD, AUD, or EUR accepted)
• Have your passport ready.
• Know your hotel address.

⚠️ Pro Tip: Even with an e-VOA, arrive at immigration with your passport, printed hotel booking, and return ticket easily accessible. This can speed up the process significantly.

The Bali Tourist Tax: What You Need to Know

Early in 2024, the Indonesian Government introduced a tourist tax for Bali. This tax is intended to help protect Bali’s culture, customs, and environment and create sustainable tourism. By March 2025, the tourist tax had already generated around 31 million dollars (AUD).

All international visitors must pay a one-time tourist tax of 150,000 IDR (~ USD 10) per person. This includes:

• All foreign visitors over 12 years old
• Children under 12 are exempt.
• Tax is valid for your entire stay.
• If plans change, it is non-refundable.

✅ How to Pay the Tourist Tax

Option 1: Love Bali App (Recommended)

1. Download the app: Android | iPhone
2. Register with your email.
3. Select “Tourist Levy”.
4. Enter your details:
   • Passport number
   • Planned arrival date
   • Personal information
5. Pay via credit card or PayPal.
6. Screenshot your payment confirmation.

Option 2: Love Bali Website

1. Visit Love Bali website
2. Follow the same steps as the app.
3. Save the PDF confirmation.

⚠️ Important Tips:

• Pay at least 24 hours before arrival.
• Keep proof of payment on your phone and in print.
• Your passport number is linked to payment.
• Tax revenue funds local infrastructure and environmental projects.

💡 Pro Tip: While enforcement was loose in early 2024, officials are increasingly checking for payment. Better safe than sorry!

Filling in your Customs Declaration for Bali

Like all countries, you must complete a customs declaration declaring what you bring to Sanur. The electronic customs declaration (e-CD) system makes clearing customs much faster than the old paper forms.

Don’t be one of those people at the airport clamoring for space to fill in the form while looking for a pen and finding your passport details. I can tell you there is not much space to fill the form at Bali Airport.

There is nothing more frustrating than after a long flight, and all this can be easily avoided by filling out the electronic customs declaration. Here’s everything you need to know:

When to Complete It

• Within 72 hours before arrival
• Recommended: Do it 24-48 hours before the flight.
• Valid for one entry only.

✅ What You’ll Need

• Passport details
• Flight number and arrival date
• List of items you’re bringing
• Mobile phone or device for QR codes

✅ Step-by-Step Process

1. Visit official e-CD website
2. Select ‘Passenger’ and your arrival airport.
3. Fill in personal details
4. Declare any items over these limits:
   • Cash: Over $10,000 USD equivalent
   • Alcohol: 1 liter per adult
   • Cigarettes: 200 sticks per adult
   • Gifts: Value over $500 USD
5. Save the QR code to your phone.

💡 Family Travel Tips

• One form covers the whole family.
• List all family members
• Share the QR code with each person.
• Keep screenshot backups

⚠️ Restricted/Prohibited Items

• Drugs and narcotics
• Weapons and explosives
• Fresh fruits and plants
• Bring prescription medications and a letter from your doctor.

🔍 At the Airport

1. Collect your luggage.
2. Follow the signs to customs.
3. Choose the correct lane:
   • Green: Nothing to declare
   • Red: Items to declare
4. Show QR code to the officer.
5. If requested, scan bags.

Navigating Bali Airport: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you have taken the time and paid for your Visa and Tourist Tax online and have your customs declaration QR code ready, all that’s left is to disembark from the plane and make your way through arrivals and out of the airport.

⏰ Timing Expectations

• Average processing time is 1-2 hours.
• Peak times (longer waits):
  • Late night arrivals (8PM-midnight)
  • Major holidays
  • Multiple flight arrivals
• Quietest times: Early morning (6AM-9AM)

✅ Step 1: Arrival Hall

• Follow the “Arrivals” signs.
• Have ready:
  • Passport
  • e-VOA confirmation
  • Tourist tax receipt
  • Hotel booking
• Join the correct queue (there are separate lines for e-VOA and VOA).

✅ Step 2: Immigration

1. Present documents in this order:
   • Passport
   • e-VOA confirmation
   • Tourist tax receipt
2. Get fingerprints and photo taken.
3. Receive an entry stamp.

✅ Step 3: Baggage Claim

• Check the flight number on the screens
• Free trolleys are available.
• Lost baggage counter near carousel 1
• Average wait: 15-30 minutes

✅ Step 4: Customs

• Show QR code from e-CD.
• Green lane for nothing to declare
• Red lane if declaring items
• Random bag checks are possible

💡 Pro Tips:

• Use restrooms on the plane. Limited facilities in immigration.
• Wear comfortable shoes – lots of standing.
• Keep the water bottle empty until after customs.
• Ignore people offering to “fast-track” you.
• Airport WiFi is available but unreliable

⚠️ Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Don’t exchange money at airport counters because they offer poor rates.
• Beware of unofficial porters.
• Don’t accept offers from random drivers inside.
• Keep valuables in hand luggage.

Getting to Sanur from Bali Airport

• The distance from Denpasar Airport to Sanur is 15.5 Kilometers

You have a few choices here, and we highly suggest that if you’re unfamiliar with Bali, you pre-organise an airport transfer to your Sanur Hotel.

Walking out of Bali Airport can be overwhelming as you are greeted with a wall of taxi drivers and private transport operators all jostling to take you from the airport to Sanur.

• There are a few options if you are determined to organise this on arrival. If you are considering taking a taxi from Bali Airport to Sanur, you should negotiate a price upfront, or even better, download the Bluebird Taxi app and book it there.
• After you exit, if you keep walking towards the car park, you will find transport lounges for ride services Grab and Gojek. You can go in and organise a transfer with either of these companies.
• You can pre-organise a private driver to wait for you with a sign bearing your name. This is our preferred method of transport from Denpasar airport to the Sanur Beach area. You can book private drivers through the Klook website.

Now that you have arrived in Sanur, enjoy your holiday!

Thank You for Reading!
We hope you found this article helpful and informative. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to explore more content on the Things to Do in Sanur website. For additional resources, tips, and updates, visit our Facebook Group and our TikTok account.

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