Met Pensioen naar Bali: The Dutch Retiree's Guide to Sanur

Dutch retirees can live in Bali on the E33F Retirement KITAS (age 60 plus, USD 3,000 a month in pension income) or the E33 Second Home Visa. AOW can generally be paid in Indonesia, though your rate depends on your situation, so check with the SVB. A comfortable couple spends roughly EUR 2,150 to 3,150 a month in Sanur.

Can Dutch retirees live in Bali long term?

Yes, on one of three permits. Over-60s with USD 3,000 a month in pension or passive income qualify for the E33F Retirement KITAS, a one-year permit renewed annually. Alternatives are the five-year E33E Silver Hair Visa and the five or ten-year E33 Second Home Visa, which has no age limit.

The E33F is applied for via evisa.imigrasi.go.id, usually through a licensed visa agent, with proof of accommodation, health insurance and a bank statement of around USD 2,000. Requirements as applied by agents can vary, so confirm current practice. After three to four years of renewals, KITAP, the permanent stay permit, becomes possible. Work is not allowed.

The E33E Silver Hair Visa suits over-60s who prefer a five-year horizon: it requires a USD 50,000 deposit in an Indonesian state-owned bank within 90 days of entry plus the same income proof, with no sponsor needed. The E33 Second Home Visa requires IDR 2 billion (about USD 125,000) at a state-owned bank such as Mandiri or BNI, maintained for the visa's life, and covers a spouse, children and parents on dependent E31 permits under one deposit. Our complete 2026 guide to retiring in Bali walks through the whole decision.

What happens to your AOW and Dutch pension in Indonesia?

AOW is generally exportable to Indonesia under the Netherlands' benefit-export arrangements, and occupational pensions from funds such as ABP or PFZW pay out wherever you live. The exact AOW rate, partner situation and any supplements are case-specific, so request a written statement from the SVB (Sociale Verzekeringsbank) before you deregister.

Two further points deserve attention. First, tax: the Netherlands and Indonesia have a double taxation treaty, and which country taxes which pension depends on the pension type and your residency. Second, deregistering from the BRP (the Dutch population register) has knock-on effects on health insurance and Dutch tax status, so sequence the move deliberately. We compare the Dutch, German and British positions side by side in European pensions and tax when retiring in Bali.

On the Indonesian side, pension income remitted from abroad is a matter for your adviser, and if you later rent out a Bali property, Indonesian tax law applies a 20% final withholding on gross rent for non-residents, falling to 10% for tax residents, per PwC's Indonesia tax summaries.

What does Sanur cost compared with the Netherlands?

A retired couple lives comfortably in Sanur on roughly USD 2,350 to 3,450 a month, about EUR 2,150 to 3,150, per bali.com's 2026 cost guides. A premium lifestyle with frequent dining out and a car with driver runs USD 4,000 to 6,000. Most Dutch couples find their total spend lands well below their Randstad baseline.

Health insurance is the one line that can exceed Dutch costs at older ages, so obtain quotes before you decide, not after.

What moves a Sanur budget up or down is fairly predictable. Housing type matters most: a two-bedroom apartment in a managed complex costs less to run than a standalone villa with pool, garden and staff to maintain. Air conditioning is the biggest utility variable, and imported groceries are the stealth cost, Dutch cheese, wine and European brands carry heavy import duties, while local produce, fish and warung meals stay cheap. Couples who eat local and drive little regularly land near the bottom of the range; couples who recreate a Dutch pantry and dine in beach clubs land near the top. Buying rather than renting changes the arithmetic again: foreigners cannot own freehold in Indonesia, and the standard route is leasehold, typically 25 to 30 years in Sanur.

Why does Sanur suit Dutch retirees in particular?

Sanur is flat, orderly and built for daily cycling and walking, with a 7 km car-free beachfront promenade. Add a direct cultural thread, Indonesia and the Netherlands share three and a half centuries of history, and a one-stop KLM route home, and the fit is unusually good.

The shared history shows up in small, familiar ways: rijsttafel on menus, Dutch spoken by older Indonesians in mixed families, and a steady stream of Dutch visitors with family roots in the former Dutch East Indies. The practical side matters more. KLM's one-stop service via Singapore puts Schiphol roughly 17 flying hours away, and Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines compete on price through their hubs.

Demand for Bali keeps rising, 6.9 million foreign arrivals in 2025, up 9.7% on 2024, according to BPS Bali, yet Sanur has stayed the calm, residential corner of the island. Its demographic skews older and European, a contrast with Canggu's digital nomad crowd that we detail in why European retirees choose Sanur over Canggu. Sanuuri Residences sits inside that fabric, a two-minute walk from the beach, with apartments, lofts and pool villas on a 50-year leasehold, a gym, sauna and co-working lounge on site, and rental management by Investland Bali for the months you spend back in the Netherlands.

How does healthcare work without Dutch zorgverzekering?

Deregistering from the Netherlands ends your basisverzekering, so international private health insurance becomes essential and is a visa requirement. Sanur is now the strongest healthcare location in Bali for residents, which is a large part of why older Europeans concentrate here rather than in the island's south west.

The Bali International Hospital opened in Sanur on 25 June 2025, inaugurated by President Prabowo, and anchors KEK Sanur, Indonesia's first health special economic zone, a 41.26-hectare district with around USD 620 million in projected investment under Government Regulation 41 of 2022. BIMC (Siloam group) and the JCI-accredited Siloam Hospital Bali in Kuta round out the private options, with Singapore under three hours away for rare specialisms. From Sanuuri Residences the new hospital is an eight-minute drive.