Over 60 with modest capital, choose the E33F retirement KITAS: one year, renewable, built on income proof of about USD 3,000 per month. Under 60, or wanting five to ten years without renewals, choose the E33 Second Home Visa and its IDR 2 billion deposit. The E33E Silver Hair visa sits between them for over-60s with USD 50,000.
Key takeaways
- Age is the first filter: under 60, the retirement routes are closed and the E33 Second Home Visa is the mainstream choice.
- Capital is the second: the E33F needs income proof only, the E33E needs USD 50,000 on deposit, the E33 needs IDR 2 billion (about USD 125,000).
- Duration differs sharply: 1 year renewable (E33F) versus 5 years (E33E) versus 5 or 10 years (E33).
- Families favour the E33: one deposit covers spouse, children and parents on dependent E31 permits.
- All roads can end at KITAP, permanent residency, after roughly 3 years (E33) or 3 to 4 years of renewals (E33F).
Indonesia gives long-stayers three codes that read almost identically and behave completely differently: E33F, E33E and E33. Picking between them is a two-question decision, your age and your capital, and this page settles it. For the full rulebook on each, see the retirement KITAS guide and the Second Home Visa guide.
What is the difference between the retirement KITAS and the Second Home Visa?
The E33F retirement KITAS is an income-tested permit for over-60s: prove about USD 3,000 per month in pension or passive income and renew every year. The E33 Second Home Visa is capital-tested with no age limit: place IDR 2 billion, roughly USD 125,000, at an Indonesian state-owned bank and receive five or ten years at once. Same island, opposite logic.
The deeper difference is where your money sits. An E33F applicant's wealth stays wherever it already is, only statements cross the desk. An E33 applicant moves real capital to Mandiri, BNI, BRI or BTN and keeps it there for the visa's life, though it remains their own money throughout. The third route, the E33E Silver Hair visa, blends the two: age 60 plus, USD 3,000 per month income proof, and a USD 50,000 deposit placed within 90 days of entry, in exchange for five years, multiple entry, with no sponsor required.
Which visa should you choose if you are over 60?
Choose the E33F if your strength is income rather than capital: it needs no deposit in Indonesia and suits pension-funded retirees, at the cost of annual renewals. Choose the E33E if parking USD 50,000 is comfortable and you want five years of certainty without a sponsor. Choose the E33 if you want ten years, or you are bringing family on one financial requirement.
Think of it as pricing certainty. Renewals on the E33F are routine but never guaranteed, and every year you re-enter the administrative cycle: agent, documents, updated insurance. The five and ten year routes buy freedom from that cycle with capital. A useful test is your own housing plan. If you intend to settle, buy a home and stop thinking about immigration, the longer permits fit the mindset. If you are trialling Bali, the E33F's one-year rhythm is actually an advantage, you can walk away lightly.
On affordability, keep the income figure in context: per bali.com's 2026 cost guide, a retired couple lives comfortably in Sanur on about USD 2,350 to 3,450 per month, so the E33F's USD 3,000 monthly income bar roughly equals the real cost of the life it enables.
Which visa fits if you are under 60?
The E33 Second Home Visa, almost by default. Both retirement routes carry a minimum age of 60, so for the 45-to-59 cohort the E33 is the mainstream way to hold long-term residency on your own funds. Some agents process retirement applications from age 55, and requirements as applied by agents can vary, but that is practice rather than the official line, so confirm before you build plans on it.
This is a larger group than most coverage admits: people planning retirement at 62 who want the base secured at 54, remote executives, part-year families. For them the E33's numbers are the whole decision, IDR 2 billion in their own name, placed within 90 days of approval, family included via E31 dependent permits. The wider menu, including investor permits, sits in visa options for under-60s.
How do the deposits, income tests and durations compare?
The E33F asks for evidence, not deposits: income of about USD 3,000 per month plus a bank statement of roughly USD 2,000. The E33E asks for USD 50,000 in a state-owned bank within 90 days of entry. The E33 asks for IDR 2 billion, about USD 125,000, maintained for the visa's life, or property worth USD 1 million plus under Hak Pakai instead.
| Question | E33F Retirement KITAS | E33E Silver Hair Visa | E33 Second Home Visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 60 (agents sometimes from 55, confirm current practice) | 60 | None |
| How long per grant | 1 year, renewable | 5 years, multiple entry | 5 or 10 years |
| Money required in Indonesia | None | USD 50,000 deposit, state-owned bank, within 90 days of entry | IDR 2 billion (about USD 125,000), state-owned bank, within 90 days of approval, or USD 1 million plus Hak Pakai property |
| Income proof | About USD 3,000 per month | USD 3,000 per month | None, the deposit is the test |
| Family on one application | Ask your agent about dependant options | Confirm current practice | Spouse, children and parents on E31 permits, one deposit covers all |
| Work in Indonesia | Not allowed | Not allowed | No Indonesian-source income; remote foreign work tolerated |
| Route to KITAP | After 3 to 4 years of renewals | Confirm current practice | Possible after 3 years |
| Best for | Pension-funded over-60s trialling Bali | Over-60s buying five years of certainty | Under-60s, families, and ten-year settlers |
Which route works best for couples and families?
The E33, decisively. One IDR 2 billion deposit covers a spouse, children under 18, unmarried student children up to 25, and parents, all on dependent E31 permits. The retirement routes are built around an individual applicant, with dependant arrangements handled case by case through agents.
The classic problem case is the couple with an age gap: he is 62 and qualifies for a retirement visa, she is 54 and qualifies for nothing on age. The E33 dissolves the problem, since neither age matters and both live on one deposit. Couples committed to the retirement KITAS route should read bringing your spouse or family on a Bali retirement visa before choosing.
Which visa gets you to permanent residency sooner?
Broadly a tie, with the E33 slightly cleaner. KITAP, Indonesia's permanent stay permit, becomes possible after 3 years on the E33, and after 3 to 4 years of consecutive renewals on the E33F. The difference is that the E33 holder reaches that milestone without ever having re-applied for anything.
Either way, the destination is the same island, and the destination is doing well. According to BPS Bali, foreign arrivals hit 6.9 million in 2025, up 9.7 per cent on 2024, with Australians the top market at about 1.63 million. And the infrastructure argument for basing yourself in Sanur specifically keeps strengthening: Bali International Hospital opened here on 25 June 2025 inside KEK Sanur, the 41.26 hectare health special economic zone carrying roughly USD 620 million in projected investment under Government Regulation 41 of 2022. Wherever your visa lands, the address question deserves equal rigour.
Frequently asked questions
Which Bali long-stay visa is cheapest to qualify for?
The E33F retirement KITAS. It requires no deposit in Indonesia, only proof of around USD 3,000 per month in pension or passive income and a bank statement of roughly USD 2,000. The trade-off is the minimum age of 60 and an annual renewal cycle.
Can I get the Second Home Visa if I am over 60?
Yes. The E33 has no age limit at all, so over-60s can choose it too. The decision then comes down to capital versus paperwork: the E33 needs an IDR 2 billion deposit but runs 5 or 10 years, while the retirement KITAS needs only income proof but renews every year.
Do any of these visas let me own property in Bali?
No visa grants freehold, which foreigners cannot hold in Indonesia. Leasehold requires no visa at all. Holding a KITAS or KITAP unlocks the Hak Pakai title route, a registered right-to-use running 30 years and extendable to 80 in total. Nominee arrangements are illegal and unenforceable.
Which visas require money in an Indonesian bank?
The E33E Silver Hair visa requires a USD 50,000 deposit and the E33 Second Home Visa requires IDR 2 billion, both at Indonesian state-owned banks. The E33F retirement KITAS requires no deposit in Indonesia, only evidence of income and a modest bank balance held anywhere.
Sources
- Directorate General of Immigration, Republic of Indonesia, evisa.imigrasi.go.id, 2026
- BPS Bali (Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Bali), foreign arrivals statistics, 2026
- Government Regulation 41 of 2022 on the Sanur Special Economic Zone
- bali.com, Bali cost of living guide, 2026