Health insurance in Bali: BPJS, private and travel

Do foreigners in Bali have to join BPJS Kesehatan?

Yes, if you work in Indonesia for six months or more. Joining BPJS Kesehatan (Indonesia's national health insurance) is compulsory for everyone, foreigners who work here for at least six months included, and your employer registers you.^{[1, 14]}

The duty is for people in formal jobs, who join as wage earners, not for tourists. In June 2025 about 15,000 foreigners in Bali were registered, and about 7,000 of them were active.^{[2, 3]}

A foreign member needs a KITAS and a tax number (NPWP). The regional office says foreigners who come as investors can join as self-paying members, and it names no other group. Membership goes inactive when contributions go unpaid.^[3]

How much does BPJS Kesehatan cost?

A worker pays 1% of monthly salary and the employer 4%. Self-paying members choose a class: IDR 150,000 (about USD 8.4) a month for class I, IDR 100,000 (about USD 5.6) for class II, and IDR 35,000 (about USD 2) for class III, where the government covers the rest.^[4]

These rates were unchanged in January 2026.^[4]

Do you need health insurance for a Bali visa?

Not for the long-stay visas most newcomers use. The remote worker, second home and both retirement visa pages list their income, bank and deposit rules, and health insurance is not among them.^{[5, 6, 7, 8]}

Check your home system before you count on it: the UK, for example, has no health agreement with Indonesia, so plan to pay your own bills.^[9]

What does private health insurance cover in Bali?

Private cover comes in two kinds: a nomad or expat medical plan, sold by the four weeks, which suits a long stay, and a travel policy, sold per trip, which suits a holiday. Either one turns on its exclusions, not its price.^{[11, 15]}

One nomad plan's Essential tier costs USD 62.72 per 4 weeks for ages 18 to 39. It includes evacuation up to a USD 100,000 lifetime maximum, and leaves out pre-existing conditions, maternity and cancer treatment.^[11]

Another plan covers up to EUR 1 million of medical care for up to 12 months, with EUR 50 paid first on each claim. It pays a medically needed trip home, covers small scooters even without a local licence, and leaves out chronic conditions you knew about.^[12]

Good care in Indonesia can be expensive, and the UK government says an evacuation can cost tens of thousands of pounds. Its advice is the floor: cover for local treatment and for evacuation, plus money you can reach at once. A hospital can also ask you to pay in advance, in cash, before it treats you.^{[10, 13]}

Does travel insurance cover a scooter accident in Bali?

Not on a standard policy. On the travel policy shown above, riding is covered only if you buy the add-on, hold the right licence and wear a helmet every time, and damage you cause to other people is not covered even then. Check your own policy for the same lines.^[15]

Claims after a Bali scooter crash are sometimes refused: over the bike's engine size, or, even with the add-on, over damage to other road users. The licence rules for riding are on the scooter licence page.^{[16, 17]}

What should you check before you buy cover?

Tick these off on the policy wording itself, not the summary page.^{[11, 15]}