Australians will soon be able to live and work in Bali completely tax free after the Indonesian government announced a new ‘digital nomad’ visa for foreigners.
The island is one of the most popular destinations for Australian tourists thanks to its friendly locals, low cost of living and stunning beaches.
Thousands flocked to Bali during the pandemic, with the work from home phenomenon allowing them to conduct business and meetings while sitting on a beach with a laptop.
Now, it could become even more popular with those who want to work remotely from Bali, with the new B211A visa allowing them to work for six months tax free.
A similar visa for five years is also under discussion.
Indonesia hopes to lure both remote workers and the companies that employ them with the tax-free sweetener.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, one Sydney-born expat who travelled to the island last year said she was now planning to ‘stay forever’ and ‘buying land’ before ‘starting a family there’.
Another, who currently lives in Italy, said the new visa was the ‘perfect’ option for her to return and work in Bali.
Australians will soon be able to live and work in Bali completely tax free, after the Indonesian government passed announced a ‘digital nomad’ visa that will allow expats to work tax free for up to six months. Australians Phoebe Greenacre (left) lives in Bali while Katie McKnoulty says the new visa is ‘perfect’ for her
The ‘digital nomad visa’ proposed by Indonesia’s tourism minister, Sandiaga Uno in June and passed this week.
Mr Uno hopes the scheme will help bring more than three million overseas travellers to the archipelago in the next year, combined with an increased focus on spiritual retreats and eco-tourism.
The decision is also predicted to create up to create 4.4million jobs without taking away any from local residents.
More than 25 countries have launched similar visas since the Covid-19 pandemic saw millions of people across the world work from home.
Sydney-born business coach Phoebe Greenacre, 38, said she wants to stay in Bali after moving there with her husband a year and a half ago.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Sydney-born Phoebe said she was planning on ‘staying forever’ ‘buying land’ and ‘starting a family there’.
Phoebe, pictured with her husband, says her work-life balance is much better now – working for just two hours a day, but making more money than ever living in the UK and Australia
She says her work-life balance has improved out of sight – working for just two hours a day but making more money than she did living in the UK and Australia.
‘I want to stay long term, buy land and have a family here,’ she said.
‘I’ve been coming to Bali for 20 years. It’s always had a special place in my heart. I would normally come for a month at a time and complete a yoga training or therapy training.
‘During the pandemic I started a second online business which allowed me to work wherever I was so we decided to move to Bali.’
Phoebe and her husband, pictured together, decided to move to Bali to escape London’s lockdowns
Phoebe added it was a ‘bit of hassle’ getting to Indonesia as she was living in London and the borders were closed to anyone from the UK.
Phoebe said it was a ‘bit of hassle’ getting to Indonesia as she was living in London when the borders were closed to anyone from the UK.
So she ended up taking a six-month detour to Kenya before her visa was approved in mid 2021.
‘Work-life balance so much better here,’ she added.
‘I suppose it depends on what you do, but running an online business which was created around freedom, I work a lot less, and live a lot more.
‘There’s no commuting to work, which saves two hours a day.
‘There’s no long days in the office. I work from home mostly or co-working spaces and cafes.
‘Right now I work about two hours per day. And now I help women create the same lifestyle with my online business school.’
Before her life in Bali, Phoebe worked for 10 years in corporate marketing in Australia, then 10 years as an entrepreneur in London and Sydney.
Last year, she sold her activewear company to focus full time on her other business as a somatic therapist and conscious business coach.
‘I have space to breathe now. Ten years corporate in Sydney then eight years in London was so exhausting,’ she said.
Despite working way less hours in Bali, she now makes more than she did full-time in Australia – and the money goes a lot further.
‘I lived in an apartments in both London and Bondi. And now I have a three bed, three story house with ocean views,’ she said.
‘I have a full-time cleaner and chef and nannies are very affordable.
‘I’m learning Bahasa Indonesia too – so it feels like home now. The Balinese are so welcoming and I love supporting them with jobs and opportunities’.
Phoebe isn’t the only one – she says ‘all her friends’ in Bali have there own online business or work remotely
Bali is popular due to the pleasant climate and delicious food that’s on offer (pictured)
Phoebe says she has lived in London and Bondi, but now has a three bed, three story house with ocean views and rice views
And Phoebe isn’t the only one – she says ‘all her friends’ in Bali have there own online business or work remotely.
‘A lot more Aussies have opened shops and brands here too,’ she said.
Meanwhile, Katie McKnoulty, 36, who is originally from Brisbane, told Daily Mail Australia the new visa is ‘perfect for her’.
The writer and photographer previously spent a month working in Bali before getting a digital nomad visa for Italy.
‘I moved away for the first time in 2011 to move to London and then lived the digital nomad life all over the world (including stints in Ubud, Bali) for about six years,’ she explained.
Meanwhile, Katie McKnoulty, 36, who is originally from Brisbane, told Daily Mail Australia the new visa is ‘perfect for her’
The writer and photographer previously spent a month working in Bali (pictured) before getting a digital nomad visa for Italy
‘The new visa definitely has me considering going back for a few months-long stint.
‘I think there’s a six-month digital nomad visa tax-free which would be a perfect option for me as I like to do these stints of one to three months in places away from home.’
Katie says her lifestyle in the town on Marche in central Italy is similar in a lot of ways to life are similar in a lot of ways.
‘Affordable living costs, great local food, riding around on a scooter everywhere, being close to the beach,’ she said.
‘But Bali and particularly Ubud has a great community of travellers and remote workers from all over the world that rural Italy certainly does not have.
Katie says her lifestyle in the town on Marche in central Italy is similar in a lot of ways to life are similar in a lot of ways
‘And the Balinese people have a different religious tradition too to Italian Catholics, being Hindu and that’s really interesting to observe in daily life living in Ubud and anywhere in Bali.’
Katie, who has been travelling to Bali since she was child, said she was ‘in awe’ of the rice paddies when she visited on a school trip aged 11.
‘We studied Indonesian at school! And I remember being so in awe of the natural beauty of Ubud and the rice paddies, and a little scared to use the outdoor bathroom at that age,’ she said.
‘I guess that trip stuck with me though as I then continued to visit with my family several times, they even helped open an ayurvedic health retreat centre before I took the plunge to go stay in Ubud for a few months.’
While there she worked for international clients as a writer, photographer and social media strategist , also running her own blog and Instagram, The Travelling Light.
Katie, who has been travelling to Bali since she was child, said she was ‘in awe’ of the rice paddies when she visited on a school trip aged 11
