Bali Real Estate Licensing Rules Changed
Bali Real Estate Licensing –
When it comes to property investment in Indonesia, licensing delays have always been a sticking point. Whether you’re securing a location permit, environmental approval, or building permit, the process could take weeks—or even months—longer than expected.
Now, that could be history.
On 5 June 2025, the Indonesian government rolled out Regulation 28/2025 on Risk-Based Business Licensing (Perizinan Berusaha Berbasis Risiko – PBBR).
This regulation replaces Regulation 5/2021, expands the licensing framework to cover 22 business sectors (up from 15), and—most importantly—introduces enforceable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and a positive-fiction mechanism that could change the game for property developers, real estate agencies, and investors.
Why This Matters for Real Estate
Under the new framework, the real estate sector—including property development, brokerage, and supporting activities—must still comply with fundamental requirements such as:
KKPR – Conformity of Spatial Utilization Activities
PL – Environmental Approvals (AMDAL, UKL-UPL, or SPPL)
PBG & SLF – Building Approvals and Worthiness Certificates
The big difference is how fast these can now be processed—and what happens if the government misses the deadline.
The SLA Advantage
Regulation 28/2025 lays out clear, measurable deadlines for each licensing step:
KKPR: Document review in 5 business days, full assessment in 20 business days
PL (UKL-UPL): Review in 1–5 business days, automatic approval for low-risk cases
PBG: Technical standards compliance review cut from 28 to 26 business days
SLF: Issued within 1–2 weeks after inspection.
These SLAs are not just guidelines—they’re binding.
Positive-Fiction: Automatic Approvals
One of the most talked-about updates is the positive-fiction rule (fiktif positif). If your licensing application is complete, compliant, and submitted via the OSS system, but the authority fails to respond within the SLA timeframe, your approval is granted automatically.
BKPM has already published 258 KBLI codes covered by this rule, including many in construction, real estate, and property management.
Example: Building a Villa Development in Bali
Before: A developer might wait 6–8 months for KKPR, PL, and PBG approvals, often chasing multiple agencies and re-submitting documents.
Now: With correct submissions and integrated OSS processing, KKPR could be secured in less than a month, PL in under two weeks, and PBG in just over a month—with automatic approval if deadlines aren’t met.
The Integration Challenge
While the system is promising, there’s a catch—OSS integration with other systems (Amdalnet, SIMPEL, SIMBG) is still in progress. Businesses must ensure their accounts are correctly linked, or the SLA clock might never start ticking.
Key Takeaways for Real Estate Players
Audit your KBLI codes—check if positive-fiction applies.
Get your documents right the first time—incomplete submissions won’t trigger SLAs.
Train your team on the new process flow and OSS integration.
Act before October 2025—the government’s grace period for full implementation ends then.
Main Article: Bali Real Estate Licensing
Final Word
For years, licensing delays have been one of the top risks in Indonesian real estate.
Regulation 28/2025 doesn’t just promise faster approvals—it creates a legal mechanism to enforce them.
For developers, brokers, and investors, this could be the most significant licensing reform in a decade.
The clock is now on the government, not just on you.
And although this regulation has already been passed into law it will of course take some time for this to come together and be implemented but it does show that Indonesia and Bali is serious in their regulation revamp.
Written by : Terje H Nilsen
Building Permits, Business Compliance, Service Level Agreements (SLA)
Main Article: Bali Real Estate Licensing
All Bali Tourists Must Carry Passports At All Times
Immigration confirms Bali Tourists Must Carry Passports At All Times
Tourists in Bali are under increasing surveillance by immigration authorities.
Following a rise in the number of visa violations detected by the Indonesian Immigration Agency earlier this year, new policies are in place to keep a close eye on tourists, travellers, digital nomads, and expats across the country.
In early August 2025, the Indonesian Minister for Immigration, Agus Andrianto, confirmed that he had ordered the deployment of the Bali Regional Immigration Patrol Task Force, known as Satgas. The unit of 100 officers will be conducting patrols around Bali’s most popular and densely populated tourist resort areas.
These included Canggu, Seminyak, and Kerobokan in the North Kuta area. In Denpasar, teams will be deployed around Sanur’s Matahari Terbit Beach and the family-friendly resort of Benoa.
In Pecatu Village, which is often simply referred to by tourists as Uluwatu’s, officers will conduct patrols in Uluwatu Beach and in Bingin Beach, as well as Mertasari Beach.
It has also been confirmed that patrols will be conducted in the resort area of Kuta, Nusa Dua, and throughout Ubud.
Recent video footage of teams out on patrol, recorded by locals, shows that officers have also been deployed in the Legian area, and footage shared by Indonesian Immigration on its own social media channels shows officers out on patrols in Nusa Dua.
In the most recent video update, Indonesian Immigration has shared footage of immigration officers from the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office conducting spot checks on tourists within the Nusa Dua resort area.
In the post, Ngrurah Rai Immigration writes, “One of the important roles of immigration officers in the field is to conduct a random check on WNA in Bali, especially in the working area of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office. This check aims to ensure that each WNA complies with the rules and regulations of the immigration administration.”
WNA stands for Warga Negara Asing, which translates to mean Foreign Citizen.
In the Instagram video, officers are recorded on three different spot checks. In the first segment of the clip, a solo male officer stops a tourist couple who are riding bicycles along the beach walk.
He asks, “How long will you stay in Bali?” To which the tourist replies ‘12 days. ’ The officer asks, “12 days, only by yourself or with your family?” to which the tourist points to his wife.
The officer then asks the couple if they always bring their passports with them when they leave their accommodation, to which they reply no. The officer then informs them that they must not leave their hotel without their passports.
In the second segment of the clip, two female officers conduct a spot check on a male tourist from China, who had just arrived for a 5-night stay. The officers ask him where he wants to visit, to which he responds that he is open to recommendations and asks for a photo with the officers, who oblige.
Main Article: Bali Real Estate Licensing
In another segment, a male officer asks two women on Nusa Dua Beach about their trip. He explains he is conducting checks on foreigners in the area.
He asks where they are from and where they are staying. Again, he asks whether they have their documents and stay permits with them, to which they respond no, since they were ‘just going for a walk now’.
While none of the tourists who were stopped were issued with fines, tickets, sanctions, or reprimands for not carrying their passports with them, it is clear that these kinds of checks will be carried out more often, and that tourists will be expected to produce their passports and stay permits.
In the future, it is not unlikely that these immigration officers may also be tasked with checking whether tourists have paid their Bali Tourism tax Levy. Though, typically this is checked by officers from the Tourism Task Force, who work under the Bali Tourism Office and Bali Provincial Government Office.
Bali Immigration Officers can be identified by their black and navy uniforms, branded immigration agency caps, they wear security vests which read ‘Immigration’ on the back, and many have been equipped with body cams and are always on patrol in groups of 2-5 officers.
Mandatory All Indonesia Travel App Launched
Significant changes have been introduced for tourists travelling to Bali and Indonesia more broadly.
The launch of the new All Indonesia app is set to make it easier than ever for tourists and travelers to manage their pre-arrival paperwork and declarations.
The launch of the new mandatory All Indonesia App is set to help expedite the arrival process for tourists visiting Indonesia. From 1st September 2025 onwards, all tourists and travelers landing in Indonesia will be required to have the application downloaded and ready on their smartphone, with their digital documents and forms completed and ready for inspection.
According to the Indonesian Immigration, “The All Indonesia application is presented to simplify the declaration process of international passenger arrival, as well as provide an easier, faster, and safer travel experience. Through this application, filling out the arrival form for immigration, customs, and excise, health, and quarantine arrival card is now integrated into one digital system.”
“Passengers can fill in the All Indonesia 3 days before arriving in Indonesia, in the country of origin, and at the time of landing. Filling the declaration of arrival throughout all of Indonesia is free of charge.
The Acting Director General of Immigration, Yuldi Yusman, told reporters that the creation of the All Indonesia app is part of the Ministry of Immigration’s mission to provide efficient and friendly services for tourists, travelers, and immigrants to Indonesia.
Yusman explained, “All of Indonesia is a step forward in realizing efficient public services. With this application, the arrival process at the airport or port is not only shorter and safer, but also friendly for all passengers – both individuals and groups – including the elderly, the disabled, and children. Indonesia aims to provide the best experience for foreign tourists and Indonesian citizens from the very first step they take to set foot in Indonesia again. Therefore, we integrate the arrival card in this system.”
He added, “We appeal to all international flight passengers, both Indonesian and WNA, to report their arrival through this application. This application is not only about convenience, but also about protecting our country. Every data you provide is the key to ensuring the security, health, and integrity of our borders.”
The Director General of Customs and Excise, Lieutenant General Djaka Budhi Utama, told reporters, “This breakthrough is important in providing convenience of public services that not only focus on the smooth movement of people entering the Indonesian territory, but also on the speed of the flow of goods.”
The launch of the new All Indonesia app means that tourists traveling to Bali no longer need to download the SatuSehat app to complete their health declaration form, which is a health monitoring system still in place following the pandemic. It also means that they do not need to fill out the electronic customs declaration on a separate site prior to arrival, either.
Moving forward, three days prior to travel to Indonesia, tourists can download and open up the All Indonesia application via the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS). The All Indonesia app will guide travelers through the Arrival Card Submission process, and it is smart for travelers to have their passports and travel itineraries at the ready.
Travelers will be asked to input their personal details, their travel details, their transportation mode, and their intended address during their stay. They will then complete the declaration forms, which include the health declaration and the customs declaration. Once completed, applicants will receive a QR code within the app that they must present to customs and immigration officials upon request upon arrival.
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It is still the case that tourists and prospective travelers must complete their e-visa application separately prior to travel, unless they plan to obtain a 30-day tourist visa on arrival in person at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
This must be completed via the Official Indonesia Immigration website and cannot be completed on the All Indonesia app.
Tourists traveling to Bali must also pay the Bali Tourism Tax Levy, which can be completed on the LoveBali website or app, or upon arrival at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
In the coming months, it will also be possible to pay the IDR 150,000 fee at several tour and travel agencies across the province.
The All Indonesia system is now on trial for all international passengers arriving at Soekarno-Hatta Tangerang Airport, Juanda-Surabaya Airport, and I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali Airport, as well as the international port in Batam.
The system is expected to be rolled out across all of Indonesia’s international airports in October 2025.
Main Article: Bali Real Estate Licensing
Main Article: Bali Real Estate Licensing
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