Controversy suggests that tourists must prove their finances when coming to Bali

In January, the government of the island of Bali, Indonesia proposed regulations requiring international tourists to declare their financial situation for the most recent three months. This proposal is considered Bali’s strongest step ever to limit the flow of low-spending tourists and promote the “quality tourism” model.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster said the measure will be included in the Draft Regional Regulations on quality tourism management, currently in the final stages at the local legislature.

If the draft is passed, foreign tourists must provide a detailed itinerary, including length of stay and expected activities in Bali. According to Mr. Koster, this is to ensure all activities are controlled. “Just like when Indonesians go abroad and have to comply with policies, Bali will do the same.”

When applying for a visa to many countries, including Europe, the US and Australia, Indonesian citizens often have to submit documents proving their finances and trip itinerary.

Observers say it is unclear how the Balinese government can enforce this regulation. The reason is that the immigration agency in Indonesia is under the central government in Jakarta, not under the jurisdiction of the provincial government.

Mr. Koster said the regulations could be applied this year if approved by the Bali parliament, but did not specify the minimum financial level that tourists need to prove.

The regulations also aim to ensure that visitors to Bali truly respect local laws and culture, love Bali and have enough financial capacity. Foreign tourists should not come to Bali with plans to stay three weeks but only have money for one week, then get stuck and commit illegal acts.

Bali welcomes more than 7 million international visitors in 2025, an increase of 11% compared to 6.3 million in 2024, the highest level in 10 years.

Proposal to require financial proof caused controversy after the government announced it. Similar to the case of Bali, which suggested banning the Airbnb rental platform in December 2025, but was later rejected by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism.

Some politicians support this plan, including Ms. Chusnunia Chalim, a member of the House of Representatives, who expressed her desire to apply a similar policy nationwide. The policy is in line with the quality tourism orientation pursued by the Ministry of Tourism, part of sustainable tourism development.

“We should avoid guests who bring trouble instead of benefits to the country,” Ms. Chusnunia said.

Many people believe that this policy can make tourists afraid, while not solving the core problems of Bali tourism.

Mr. I Wayan Suyadnya, Sociology Lecturer at Brawijaya University, commented that a hasty, inappropriate policy will make people feel uncomfortable. The Bali government’s current measures have not yet resolved the island’s tourism development problems.

According to Mr. Suyadnya, the new proposal once again shows the “unstable relationship” between Bali and the central government, when many measures to limit the island’s overtourism are not in line with national policy. The Bali government feels the locality “contributes a large amount of revenue but is not given priority”. Balinese also “have different political options” in the 2024 national election.

Mr. Suyadnya agreed that supervision of international tourists needs to be tightened, but should be done through immigration forces at the airport. At the airport, visitors need to check their accommodation and length of stay.

“If a tourist declares to only stay for a week but then the data is not updated, the authorities can contact the hotel or coordinate with the embassy to prevent overstay,” he suggested, emphasizing that local authorities should focus on more urgent issues such as the waste crisis, imbalanced tourism infrastructure development between North and South Bali, or poor tourist behavior. Communities in Bali need to work together to design a tourism model that truly benefits local people.

“After 50 years of tourism development, has Bali really become more prosperous or is it just the investors who benefit? It’s time to look back,” Mr. Suyadnya said.

Mr. Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih, Member of the Bali Legislative Council, said that this regulation would be “absurd” without approval from the central government. Immigration agency under the central government. Without permission from Jakarta, the Balinese government has no authority to control visitors’ financial information.

According to Mr. Linggih, Bali should improve infrastructure and services to attract high-spending tourists, instead of introducing controversial measures.

“Tourists can be discouraged by piles of garbage or traffic jams,” he said, suggesting short-term solutions such as banning real estate subleasing to limit illegal villas, or increasing taxes on hotels in tourist areas to push up room prices, thereby screening the tourist segment.