Retiring from Australia to Bali takes about 12 months to do properly. The countdown: research and a long scouting trip at T-12, money and pension advice by T-9, the housing decision at T-6, the E33F Retirement KITAS application through a licensed agent at T-3, then shipping, banking and insurance in the final month.
Key takeaways
- Spend a month in Bali at the start, in the wet season if possible. It is the cheapest mistake-prevention available.
- See a financial adviser and call Services Australia by month nine. Pension portability and tax residency shape every later choice.
- Month six is the housing fork: rent first, or buy leasehold and lock in your base. Both are legitimate; drifting is not.
- The E33F Retirement KITAS needs age 60+, proof of around USD 3,000 a month in pension income and health insurance, applied via a licensed agent.
- Pets, shipping and banking each take longer than expected. Start pets at T-12, not T-1.
What should you do 12 to 10 months out?
Go and live the plan before you commit to it. Book a month, ideally longer, in the areas you are considering, including a stretch of the November-to-March wet season, and do ordinary things: shop for groceries, find a GP, sit through traffic, price a cleaner. A retirement decision made only on dry-season holidays is a decision made on marketing.
Use the trip to shortlist areas honestly. Around 1.63 million Australians visited Bali in 2025 according to BPS Bali, but living there is a different sport: nightlife-heavy Kuta and influencer-era Canggu suit few over-60s, while flat, walkable Sanur, with its 7 kilometre car-free promenade and the Bali International Hospital that opened in June 2025, was practically designed for them. Visit hospitals while you are healthy. Check flight times back to your family's city. Then read our full step-by-step guide to retiring in Bali from Australia with your shortlist in hand.
What should you sort out 9 to 7 months before moving?
Money, in three conversations. First, a licensed financial adviser on tax residency, super drawdowns and what leaving does to your position. Second, Services Australia on Age Pension portability, since supplements can change after six weeks abroad and rates can be recalculated after 26 weeks away. Third, yourself, on a realistic budget.
The budget conversation is the pleasant one. A retired couple lives comfortably in Sanur on roughly USD 2,350 to 3,450 a month according to bali.com's 2026 guide, around AUD 3,600 to 5,300, with premium lifestyles at USD 4,000 to 6,000. Stress-test it against a weaker Australian dollar and rising health premiums rather than banking the headline savings. This is also the moment to decide in principle, not yet in practice, what happens to the family home: keep and rent, or sell to fund the move.
What is the six-month housing decision point?
At T-6 you choose your Bali housing model: rent for the first year, or buy a leasehold home and move into your own place from day one. Renting first costs flexibility money but defers commitment; buying converts your scouting conviction into a locked-in base and, if you choose a managed complex, an asset that can earn while you travel.
If you buy, six months is the right runway for due diligence, contract review and furnishing, and it removes the worst month-one stress, house-hunting from a hotel room. Foreigners buy through leasehold as standard, with Sanur freehold villas at roughly USD 300,000 to 800,000 and leasehold entries from about USD 175,000 in July 2026 listings. At Sanuuri Residences in Sanur, two minutes from the beach, apartments, lofts and pool villas come fully furnished on a 50-year leasehold with a gym, sauna, shared pool and concierge on site, and 3D walkthroughs at tours.sanuuri.com mean much of the evaluation can happen from your sofa in Australia. Whatever you choose, decide at T-6. The retirees who struggle are the ones still "having a look around" at T-0.
| Months out | Focus | Key actions |
|---|---|---|
| T-12 to T-10 | Research | Month-long scouting stay, area shortlist, hospital and flight checks, start pet relocation process if applicable |
| T-9 to T-7 | Money | Financial adviser, Services Australia pension call, budget stress-test, family home decision in principle |
| T-6 | Housing | Commit: rent first, or buy leasehold and begin due diligence and contracts |
| T-3 | Visa | Engage licensed agent, gather income and insurance documents, apply for the E33F via evisa.imigrasi.go.id |
| T-1 | Logistics | Shipping or selling furniture, banking and transfer setup, mail redirection, notify ATO and insurers |
| T-0 and after | Arrival | Biometrics and address reporting, local SIM and accounts, join clubs and community groups |
When should you apply for the retirement visa?
Around three months out, through a licensed visa agent. The E33F Retirement KITAS is a one-year, renewable permit for applicants aged 60 and over, requiring proof of around USD 3,000 per month in pension or passive income, a bank statement balance of roughly USD 2,000, proof of accommodation, and health insurance, applied for via evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Requirements as applied by agents can vary, so confirm current practice when you engage one.
Under 60, or holding more capital than patience for annual renewals? The E33 Second Home Visa offers 5 or 10 years against an IDR 2 billion (about USD 125,000) deposit in an Indonesian state-owned bank, and the E33E Silver Hair Visa gives over-60s five years against a USD 50,000 deposit plus the same income proof. The trade-offs between codes, costs and renewal paths are mapped in our complete Bali retirement visa guide. Whichever route you take, health insurance is non-negotiable: Medicare does not cover you in Indonesia, and premiums for over-60s deserve quotes early, not at T-1, as our healthcare guide for Australians explains.
What belongs in the final month?
Pure logistics, executed off a list. Confirm the shipping decision, and for most people the honest answer is sell nearly everything, since furnished housing is standard in Bali and container shipping plus import duty rarely beats rebuying. Set up online banking, a low-fee international transfer service, mail redirection, and notify the ATO, Medicare, your bank and insurers of your move.
Pets are the exception to the one-month rule, which is why they appear at T-12 on the table above. Indonesian quarantine rules around rabies make bringing animals into Bali heavily restricted, and the process needs a specialist agent and long lead times; our guide to bringing pets and belongings to Bali covers the reality. Keep a document folder, paper and scanned, with passports, visa approvals, insurance certificates, pension statements and property contracts. Boring, and the single most useful object you will carry.
What should you do in the first fortnight after arrival?
Complete the official steps first: biometrics and permit formalities as your agent directs, and registration of your address. Then build the daily scaffolding, a local SIM, a Wise or similar transfer routine, a GP registration, and the supermarket run that turns a villa into a home.
Then, deliberately, join things. The difference between a happy Bali retirement and a lonely one is rarely money; it is whether you plugged into the walking groups, clubs and volunteer organisations that Sanur has in unusual depth. Say yes to everything for a month. The promenade at 6.30am, coffee at 7.30am, is where Sanur's retired Australians actually meet, and it costs nothing to show up.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Bali retirement visa take to arrange?
Allow two to three months from engaging a licensed agent to holding the E33F Retirement KITAS, including document gathering, the online application through evisa.imigrasi.go.id and post-arrival formalities. Starting around the T-3 mark of a 12-month plan leaves comfortable slack for document requests and processing variations.
Should I sell my Australian home before moving to Bali?
Not necessarily, and not first. Keeping an Australian property preserves a base, simplifies tax residency and gives you a way back; selling frees capital and removes landlord duties. Decide at the six-month mark after pension and tax advice, not at the start when enthusiasm is highest.
Can I bring my dog or cat to Bali?
Treat this as a 12-month project of its own. Indonesian quarantine rules around rabies make importing pets into Bali heavily restricted, and requirements change. If a pet is coming, engage a specialist pet relocation agent at the very start of your countdown and confirm the current rules before committing to dates.
Do I need to keep an Australian bank account?
Yes. Your pension, super drawdowns and most of your income will land in Australia, and an Australian account with online banking plus a low-fee international transfer service is the standard setup. Tell your bank you are moving before you go so security systems do not freeze the account at the worst moment.
Sources
- Directorate General of Immigration, Republic of Indonesia, evisa.imigrasi.go.id, 2026
- Services Australia, Age Pension portability rules, servicesaustralia.gov.au, 2026
- BPS Bali (Statistics Indonesia, Bali Province), foreign visitor arrivals, 2025
- bali.com, cost of living guide, 2026
- Sanur property listings survey, July 2026