Bali Q&A

Do I need travel insurance for Bali?

Answered by Alex M., our Bali-based editor · July 30, 2026

Short answerTravel insurance is not legally required to enter Indonesia and nobody will ask for it at immigration. Practically, get it anyway: Bali's private hospitals expect payment or a guarantee up front, and a medical evacuation home is quoted in the tens of thousands of dollars. The clause that matters more than the premium is the scooter one - most policies pay nothing for a scooter accident unless you held the correct licence and International Driving Permit and wore a helmet.

Why it matters here specifically

Care in Bali's international-standard private hospitals is good and it is paid for before you leave, not billed later. If a case needs to move, the numbers get serious fast: reported quotes run from about 23,000 AUD for an air ambulance to Darwin or Perth up to the 100,000 to 300,000 AUD range for a complex evacuation to Singapore (Bali Family Travels, nib). That is the actual product you are buying: not lost luggage, but the plane.

The scooter clause that voids claims

Riding without the right paperwork is the single most common reason Bali claims are refused (1Cover, World Nomads). In practice insurers want three things at once: a motorcycle licence from home, an International Driving Permit that covers motorcycles, and a helmet on your head - plus no alcohol involved. Rental shops hand over the key without checking any of it, which is exactly how travellers end up uninsured without realising (see do I need a licence to rent a scooter in Bali and is it safe to ride a scooter in Bali).

What to check before you buy

Read the exclusions rather than the headline number: whether your activities are named (surfing, diving with depth limits, hiking Batur or Agung), the medical excess, whether the insurer direct-bills Bali hospitals or expects you to pay and claim, pre-existing conditions declared in writing, and how phones and cameras are covered - items taken from a scooter basket or an unlocked room are commonly excluded. Health prep sits alongside it: see vaccinations for Bali, and note that rabies post-exposure treatment after an animal bite is urgent and not cheap. Which insurer is best for you is n/a here on purpose - we do not sell insurance, take commissions, or hold policy data we could verify.

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