Travel insurance for Bali

Yes, travel insurance is a good idea for your trip to Bali – but it’s not a legal requirement. Whether you’re just focusing on your Balinese holiday or are venturing out to other Indonesian destinations, travel insurance can cover different instances and costs, including medical treatment expenses, flight cancellations or disruptions, stolen luggage and more.

Without travel insurance, you’d need to pay for any unforeseen expenses entirely out-of-pocket.

Your travel insurance policy should include cover for a range of situations but a travel insurance policy covering medical expenses is highly regarded. Medical expenses usually refers to hospitalisation, medical treatment and emergency evacuation in case of injury or illness while overseas. Travellers should also consider coverage for luggage and personal effects, travel delay expenses, comprehensive travel insurance coverage for luggage and personal effects, travel delay expenses, trip cancellations and emergency assistance.

Depending on your level of cover, your travel insurance policy could include the following:

Cover for medical expenses

At the bare minimum, you should consider cover that includes medical treatment, hospital expenses and emergency medical evacuation and repatriation.

Illnesses such as dengue fever, malaria and rabies are concerns in Bali, so consider consulting your doctor beforehand on any vaccines you may need and ways to protect yourself while travelling.

You could also catch the infamous Bali belly from drinking tap water in Bali. Bali’s water sanitation levels are different to Australia’s, so only drink bottled or boiled water during your stay and avoid ice cubes in your drinks.¹ If you do get sick, having medical cover could save your wallet from the cost of expensive treatment.

Coverage on the roads

In Bali and wider Indonesia, roads are often congested and many drivers are reckless and unpredictable. If you hire a rental vehicle, you should consider rental car excess cover in case you have an accident and need to pay an excess to the rental company.

If you’re interested in driving in Bali, you’ll need either a valid international driver’s licence (also known as an International Driving Permit or an IDP) along with your Australian driver’s licence, or an Indonesian driver’s licence. IDPs are sanctioned by the United Nations.

You should be eligible for an international driving licence if you’re 18 years of age or older and have a valid open or provisional driver’s licence. That being said, some rental agencies have a minimum car rental age of 21, so you may be barred from driving a motorised vehicle overseas if you’re younger than this.

The application process for an International Driving Permit is simple. You can apply through the Australian Automobile Association (AAA)’s website, or in-person at a branch of your state’s motoring club. You’ll need your current Australian driver’s licence and a passport-sized photo for the application.

Theft and loss of belongings

As seen in many tourist hotspots, petty theft is a real and present risk in Bali. When in public, keep an eye on your personal belongings, such as valuables, travel documents, cash and credit cards. You’ll likely want a travel insurance policy that covers loss of belongings in case you fall victim to theft.

Often, travel insurance for Bali will exclude the following circumstances:

• You buy travel insurance after the incident. You must hold a policy before an incident happens that you want to claim for; otherwise, the claim will be rejected.
• Pre-existing medical conditions. If you have any significant medical conditions, you should disclose them to your insurer before taking out a policy to ensure you know which conditions are covered and if you need to pay any additional premium.
• Unattended luggage is stolen. While travel insurance policies may cover the loss of personal items, they may not cover luggage and belongings if you’ve left them unattended in public, as you didn’t take appropriate steps to protect your possessions.
• Government travel advice is disregarded. If you go to areas of Indonesia that have a ‘do not travel’ warning from Smartraveller, your policy might not cover you. If in doubt, check the PDS for government-related exclusions.
• Injuries while under the influence. Claims made due to drug or alcohol-related incidents generally won’t be covered.
• Driving vehicles without a licence. Riding on scooters is common in Bali but, unfortunately, so are scooter accidents. Medical costs or personal liability expenses that may arise due to unlicensed driving aren’t likely to be covered. If you do ride a scooter, always wear a helmet.

Always check the policy wording of your PDS for your travel insurance cover to know exactly what can be purchased as optional add-ons, along with the inclusions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits.

As of May 2026, travel insurance for Bali could cost about $80 to $250 if you are a 30-year-old traveller on a two-week trip and buying a comprehensive policy. Meanwhile, for a 65-year-old traveller on a one-week trip, the price could between $100-$260.*

The cost of taking out a travel insurance policy for Bali will depend on several factors. These include:

• age of travellers
• number of travellers
• any pre-existing health conditions declared by anyone on the policy
• planned activities (e.g. scuba diving or other adventurous activities)
• duration of trip
• your cover limits (e.g. the amount of medical cover, cancellation cover or rental vehicle excess you’ve taken out).

The total cost of your Bali travel insurance will also vary depending on the insurer and policy you go with.

Yes, Bali is considered safe to visit even though crime, illness and other potential issues exist, so having travel insurance is still a good idea.

You should also monitor the Smartraveller website for any active travel warnings before departure, as claims relating to known events usually aren’t covered.

It’s also important to note that Bali is home to a few active volcanoes, most notably Mount Agung. Not only are volcanic eruptions dangerous but the ash clouds they create can also disrupt air traffic and cause mass flight cancellations. Having travel insurance ahead of time can help cover the cost of cancellation in the event of a volcanic eruption (if you choose to travel during an active disaster, you likely won’t be covered).

In an emergency, you can call the Balinese emergency services on 112 and ask for whatever services are required.

When you next have the opportunity, call your insurer and explain what’s happened (ideally within 24 hours). Make sure you keep all documentation about the incident. You can also call the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra for emergency consular assistance on (+)61 2 6261 3305.

To avoid Bali belly, you should rely on bottled water, avoid potentially unhygienic food and maintain good personal hygiene. As the symptoms of Bali belly can range from an upset stomach to severe abdominal pain, bloating, stomach cramps and high fever, it’s typically best avoided.

First and foremost, rely on bottled water or filtered water for your hydration needs. Local sources of drinking water may not be sufficiently filtered and drinking contaminated water is a common way to get food poisoning.

Additionally, you may want to avoid unhygienic buffets, street food and peeled fruits, as these can pose a higher risk of being contaminated with pathogens such as E. coli or salmonella.

Maintaining good personal hygiene and routinely using hand sanitiser may also help you avoid falling prey to gastro. That said, if you do get the dreaded Bali belly, rehydration and restoring your electrolytes should be your number one priority.

Yes, considering vaccinations for Bali may be a good way to prevent catching a vaccine-preventable disease. Smartraveller recommends that if you’re making travel plans, you should see your doctor for medical advice and to check if there are any recommended vaccinations you should get.

Some specific vaccines you may want to consider when travelling to Indonesia include a dengue fever vaccine, a rabies vaccination, a polio vaccination, a Japanese encephalitis vaccination and an MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccination.

You may also want to consider protecting yourself against mosquito bites to avoid Zika virus, and consider anti-malarial drugs to protect against malaria. Insect repellent may come in handy for avoiding these two mosquito-borne diseases.

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and it’s common to make mistakes when travelling somewhere unknown to you. According to travellers online, some common mistakes that were made on their visits to Bali include:

• Drinking tap water: Bali belly is a common condition when visiting the popular Indonesian destination, and travellers say they could have easily avoided falling victim to it if they stuck to bottled water.
• Relying on cards: Travellers say that running out of cash and having to rely on cards was a mistake, as they found it was common for vendors to only take cash payments.
• Forgetting sunscreen: While sunscreen is necessary to avoid sunburn on your adventure, travellers say it’s also worth packing beforehand – sunscreen in Bali is extremely expensive.
• Not adding motorcycle cover: Travellers say it’s often faster to hop on motorbikes or mopeds while zipping around to avoid the heavy traffic, but it’s a big mistake if you do so without having motorcycle insurance added to your travel insurance policy.
• Neglecting travel insurance: Along with investing in the necessary add-ons to your policy, travellers say neglecting travel insurance in its entirety is a bad idea on a Bali trip – it can be a costly mistake.