Indonesia's Golden Visa vs Second Home Visa: What Investors Should Know

Indonesia's golden visa is investment-based residency for people committing substantial capital, with thresholds materially higher than the Second Home Visa. The E33 Second Home Visa grants 5 or 10 years of residence against IDR 2 billion, roughly USD 125,000, parked in a state-owned bank. Most property buyers want the E33.

What is Indonesia's golden visa?

The golden visa is Indonesia's residency-by-investment programme, aimed at individuals and companies committing substantial capital to the country, whether into businesses, financial instruments or government-sanctioned projects. Its investment thresholds are materially higher than the Second Home Visa deposit, and they vary by investment route and duration.

The programme's logic is different from a lifestyle visa. Indonesia wants productive capital: money that builds companies, funds instruments and creates jobs. In exchange it offers long-duration residence and a status designed for people who treat Indonesia as a place of business as much as a place to live, and it is administered as an investment programme first and an immigration product second. Because the tiers and qualifying instruments have been adjusted since launch, we deliberately avoid quoting threshold numbers here. Confirm the current figures with a licensed agent or the Directorate General of Immigration before planning around them.

What can be said firmly: if your intention is to buy a villa or apartment in Sanur and spend part of the year in it, the golden visa is more machinery than you need.

What is the Second Home Visa (E33)?

The E33 Second Home Visa grants 5 or 10 years of multiple-entry residence to anyone, at any age, who places IDR 2 billion, roughly USD 125,000, in their own name at an Indonesian state-owned bank. The deposit is parked, not spent, and one deposit covers the visa holder's family.

The working parts:

• The deposit. IDR 2 billion at Mandiri, BNI, BRI or BTN, placed within 90 days of approval and maintained for the life of the visa. The detail is unpacked in our proof of funds explainer.
• Family. Spouse, children under 18 (up to 25 if unmarried students) and parents join on E31 dependent permits.
• Income. No Indonesian-source income is allowed; remote foreign work is tolerated in practice.
• Permanence. KITAP, Indonesia's permanent stay permit, becomes possible after 3 years.

The full application process, documents and bank mechanics are covered in the complete E33 guide.

Golden visa vs Second Home Visa: what actually differs?

The core difference is what your money does. The golden visa demands active investment at higher thresholds; the E33 asks you to park a recoverable deposit. For residence quality, both deliver long multi-year stays, so the choice comes down to capital, intent and how much administration you want.

Note what neither visa is: a reward for buying a normal villa. Indonesia does not currently sell residence against ordinary property purchases, and anyone marketing a lease as a visa qualification is misinforming you. The narrow property route that does exist is examined in can buying property qualify you for the Second Home Visa.

Which one should property buyers choose?

Almost always the E33. Its deposit is within reach of anyone budgeting seriously for Bali property, it runs up to 10 years, brings the family along, and leads to permanent residency after 3 years. The golden visa only earns its complexity when you are deploying far larger capital into Indonesian ventures.

Run the numbers against the actual Sanur market before deciding. Leasehold entry points started around USD 175,000 in July 2026 listings, with freehold villas near the beach roughly USD 300,000 to 800,000. The E33 deposit of roughly USD 125,000 sits below the price of the property itself, which is why the standard structure for a committed buyer is simple: deposit at a state-owned bank for the visa, leasehold or Hak Pakai for the home, and the two run in parallel. On the income side, agents advertise 7 to 10 percent gross yields for well-located Sanur villas; treat gross figures with caution and model net.

Timing matters as much as structure. The deposit must land in the state-owned bank within 90 days of approval, so line up the account opening, the currency transfer and any property completion dates before you lodge the application rather than after. Buyers who sequence it well treat the visa and the purchase as one project with one timeline.

The macro case for being in Sanur specifically has hardened. Bali drew 6.9 million foreign arrivals in 2025, up 9.7 percent year on year, according to BPS Bali. And KEK Sanur, Indonesia's first health special economic zone, spans 41.26 hectares with around USD 620 million in projected investment under Government Regulation 41 of 2022, anchored by the Bali International Hospital that opened in June 2025. Regional investors are noticing; we cover that angle in Bali property for Singapore and Hong Kong investors.

Where do both visas fall short?

Neither visa permits Indonesian-source income, neither is a citizenship track, and both tie up capital for years. If your plan involves earning locally, you need a work-permitted status instead, and if your capital cannot sit still, a multiple-entry visit visa may serve better while you decide.

Honesty also requires saying that the E33 deposit is a real constraint. IDR 2 billion held at deposit rates in rupiah carries opportunity cost and currency exposure against your home currency, and that cost compounds over a 10-year visa. For under-60s weighing the alternatives, including visit visas and investor permits, our overview of visa options before retirement age sets out the full menu. The right answer depends on how committed you are: the more Bali is your actual base, the more the E33 justifies itself. And if you are already 60 with strong pension income but little appetite for locking up capital, remember that the E33F retirement KITAS exists precisely for that profile, at a fraction of the financial commitment of either visa discussed here.