Living in Bali long-term, doing business, being an expat or just hanging out, you have to deal with the visa problem. In the old days people used to work in Bali and rely on 60-day tourist visas, meaning no paperwork, just lots of flights and stamps.
The legal way to go if you are operating a business in Bali is to get a 'kitas', the proper work permit, which entitles you to be sponsored by a company and live here. There are pitfalls though as a friend of mine recently found out. He was returning to Australia and arriving at the airport in Tuban he was told he could not leave, as he didn't have an exit visa. That's part of the deal, you have to apply to LEAVE if you are on kitas. My friend went home and eventually filled out all the paperwork, got the visa and left sometime later in the week. His troubles weren't over though. The length of his exit visa was 30 days and he was out of Bali longer than that. His fine will be 18m rp when he gets back. I must say I don't find the idea of having kitas remotely attractive.
If you are operating a business here in Bali the immigration will come calling and ask to see your paperwork. I had lunch today with another expat who also has a shop and is on kitas. He told me the same thing as many other people have. That the immigration has friends who are on the look out for foreigners with businesses and if they can squeeze money out of someone, their friend will get a tip. I asked my friend how to act if the immigration comes to your house and demands to see paperwork and asks questions. He said to be polite, make them some coffee, "Yes Ba Pak, no Ba Pak," don't hand over your passport and don't show them you are scared. It all comes down to money and your best bet is to stay relaxed and don"t give them anything to bite on. There is also a lot of jealously here in Bali among the locals and the expats, who sometimes stoop to setting other people up.
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“There is also a lot of jealously here in Bali among the locals and the expats, who sometimes stoop to setting other people up.”
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Any advice for the rest of us Chan?
This is the truth. Trust no one……even (especially) your business “partners”. If anyone has the power to screw you, they do….and will. Screwing you out of 2-3 million rupiah today is much more important than a steady income over the next 10 years. Neighbors are little different.
I’m not sure how long you’ve been in Bali, but ask some of the “old-timers” about Koki’s Restaurant in Sanur. Just another case of the successful expat/outsider being screwed over by a jealous local.
BTW, the fact that your wife is Indonesian helps to a degree……if you have no Indonesian family connections, things are more difficult.
Thanks Chan,
By the way when I said “There is also a lot of jealously here in Bali among the locals and the expats, who sometimes stoop to setting other people up.” I wasn’t only talking about locals setting up foreigners, foreigners do it to each other. I know personally one expat who had a run in with his expat landlord and had the police search his house EVERYDAY for 2 weeks.
The expats go without saying. :^( There are 2 Australian brothers in Legian (longterm expats) who seem to have made a career out of screwing over all and sundry. Of course they also have good connections (read: they have several local police/immigration officers in their back pockets) It’s just that too many people to to Bali all starry-eyed and get scammed by the wonderful locals in ways they would never have fallen for in their own countries.
I think that coming from a culture like the US, Britain or Australia, where things are more ‘in your face’, people get taken in Bali because its ‘passive agressive’. (”Look I am your friend, STAB, no really we will be business partners”, STAB, ). A lot of people don’t know how to react to that kind of stuff and their good nature keeps them trying to believe that its ‘just a cultural thing’, where as they are getting done over.
As I say I really like the Balinese. Everytime I go to a village or a ceremony everyone is super cool. But don’t be a sucker with your money, because people will be lining up to take it away from you, including some of those dodgy ‘Real Expats’ who ‘do a bit of everything’ but can’t really tell you what they do.
I lived and worked in Bali for 15 years, in the rag trade, and I was not screwed by my Indonesian partner, but by my American partner. Took it all, left me holding the bag owing lots of money in Bali to suppliers. I must say all my Indonesian friends and business associates were wonderful, understanding and generous to me at this hard time in my life. And I will never forget them for this. On the other hand my expat friends kicked me while I was down, trying to abscond with my sewers, pattern makers and batik workers, nice friends. Anybody is capable of stabbing you in the back, not just Indonesians or Balinese.
Always expect the worse in people. You will never be disappointed. I only have a handful of people I trust in this world.
Interesting reading…
Many “expats” in Bali belive they are beyond the law as no real recourse exists here..
Although connections with the military or police are a good thing.
In this live and let live society those with imported values and their lawless freedoms tend to loose what small amount of morals and integrity they might have thought they previously had.
Bali is a melting pot of many mostly good people however of late the amount of dodgey foreigners running from god knows what has increased.
Fortunately Kharma is a wonderful thing.
Hi all,
I’m desperate to buy an apartment in Jakarta, but can’t because I am always on a tourist visa, and I DON’T want to put it in any one elses name.
Any ideas? ASAP, many thenks,
Spencer
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