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Two people laze in a pool with cocktails and a floating basket laden with food.
Photograph: Himawan Sutanto

This new Digital Nomad Visa lets you live and work in Bali for five years – tax free

Take us to the Indonesian Archipelago, right now!

Maya Skidmore
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Maya Skidmore
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If you’ve ever dreamt of fleeing the city and spending the rest of your days in a tropical island paradise in the Indonesian Archipelago (and given the unfolding rain disaster in Sydney right now, who isn't?) – now may be your chance to turn that vision board into reality. 

The Indonesian Government has just announced the proposed introduction of a brand new ‘Digital Nomad Visa’, with them looking to welcome three million lucky freelancers to their tropical shores for a five-year working visa. This is excellent news for remote workers, allowing visa holders to stay in paradise long-term on an international income, all without having to pay any taxes to the Indonesian government. 

Right now, Aussies can take their digital nomadic dreams to the likes of Barbados, the Seychelles Islands, Iceland and Mexico – but this proposed Indonesian visa is unlike anything seen before, being one of the longest visas in the world for remote digital workers. 

Currently, Australians who want to live and work in Bali, or anywhere else in Indonesia, are required to have a working visa permit, which entitles them to a 12-month residency, during which time they are allowed to come and go as they wish. The existing year-long visa requires a standard bureaucratic application process, and will cost you (if successful) $1800 AUD for one year, with you getting the option of reapplying after 11-months of being a ‘good citizen’. 

But before you book your Uber to the airport, chill your boots. The Digital Nomad Visa is yet to be completely approved, with the list of countries and criteria eligibility still to be announced. However, if it does get finalised, this decision will aim to improve tourism’s support on the local Indonesian economy by bringing in higher spending travellers, whilst also simultaneously providing an invaluable opportunity for international digital nomads to live and work in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. 

Cross your fingers folks. We’ll be seeing you in Bali. 

Can't get to Bali tonight? Why not head to one of the best Indonesian restaurants in Sydney instead for a quick tropical fix.

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