Australian travel industry urges government to update advice around travel to Middle East

Bali is already high on the holiday hit-list for many Australians. But it could become even more popular if a new push to restore visa-free travel gets through.

Currently, Australians need to complete a Visa on Arrival – either at the airport, or in advance online – that lasts for 30 days and costs IDR 500,000 ($50).

However, Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Widiyanti Wardhana has put forward a new proposal to allow visa-free travel to Bali for eight countries.

Among the countries that would be exempt is Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and India, along with an extension for permanent residents of Singapore.

“We have held a number of detailed discussions with relevant ministries and institutions, and the discussions have actually narrowed down to the possibility of granting visa-free visits,” Widiyanti Wardhana told The Bali Sun.

The proposal has come in response to a decline in overall tourism numbers to Bali due to the disruption of fights via the Middle East region.

Wardhana said the proposal was now sitting at the ministerial level and is awaiting a decision.

No timeline has been confirmed for when the policy changes will be reviewed.

Bali’s digital arrival card was first introduced in 2025, with the aim of making arrivals run more smoothly. It allows customs forms to be completed online from 72 hours ahead of arrival.

Australian passport holders have previously enjoyed visa-free travel to Bali and the rest of Indonesia.

Between 2016 and 2020, Australians travelling for tourism purposes were granted visa-free entry for up to 30 days.

But this policy was phased out when international travel resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visa-free travel was touted in 2024, however, at the time, Australia’s reluctance to return the favour for Indonesians was a sticking point.

“We will prioritise granting visa-free [status] for countries who already granted visa free for Indonesia,” Muhammad Lalu Iqbal, a spokesman for Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry, told the SMH at the time.

“There will definitely be other considerations, but the two main criteria are security and reciprocity.”