eSIM or local SIM in Bali

You will want data as soon as you land. Maps, WhatsApp and getting hold of whoever is collecting you all depend on it, and meeting a driver is far easier when you can message each other.

For a short trip, use a travel eSIM. You buy it before you leave, and it works the moment you land. For a longer stay, or if you need an Indonesian phone number for local services, buy a local tourist SIM instead.

Those are the two options: a travel eSIM bought before departure from an international provider, or a local tourist SIM bought on arrival. The rest of this page covers how each one works.

An eSIM needs a phone that is unlocked and supports eSIM. Check both before you buy one.

Install the eSIM before you leave, while you are still on WiFi. It activates when it connects on landing.

It runs alongside your home SIM, which stays active.

Most travel eSIMs are data only. That means no Indonesian phone number, and no calls or SMS on the eSIM.

A travel eSIM from an international provider roams onto Indonesian networks, so Indonesia’s IMEI rule (explained below) does not affect it.

Several international providers sell travel eSIMs. These are some of the well-known ones, listed in no order of preference so you can compare them yourself.

• Airalo: the largest and most established, with the widest range of countries and plans.
• Holafly: known for unlimited-data plans rather than fixed allowances.
• Saily: run by the company behind NordVPN.
• Nomad and Ubigi: smaller alternatives worth comparing.

Indonesian operators now sell eSIMs directly too, bought on arrival, as an alternative to the international providers.

Plans and prices change often, so compare current offers rather than relying on this page.

Tourist SIMs are sold at the airport (DPS) and at official operator stores. Staff register the SIM with your passport, and it works for up to 90 days.

Buy it at an official outlet, not from a street stall. Street sellers often register the SIM wrongly, and then the card does not work.

Typical tourist SIM plans cost 100,000 to 200,000 IDR for 15 to 30GB.

Under Indonesia’s IMEI rule, foreigners staying under 90 days do not need to register their phone with customs. Buying a tourist SIM at an official outlet handles it.

A local SIM means dealing with a counter after a long flight, but the staff set it up for you. An eSIM avoids the queue, but you have to install and configure it yourself, which people often find confusing. It is a genuine trade-off, and some travellers would rather hand their phone to someone at a counter than follow setup instructions on their own.

Whichever you choose, you will be on an Indonesian mobile network. Telkomsel has the widest coverage, including remote areas. Indosat and XL are strong in the southern tourist areas.

This is the same 90 days mentioned in the local SIM section, not a separate rule. A tourist SIM is registered for 90 days, and that registration period is the limit.

When it ends, the phone stops working on Indonesian networks. The block attaches to the phone (its IMEI), not to the SIM, so buying a new SIM does not restore service.

To keep using a local SIM past 90 days, the phone must be registered with customs.

WiFi and roaming on a foreign SIM still work regardless. A travel eSIM is not affected either, because it roams rather than using a local SIM.

This section only applies if you are staying over 90 days. If your trip is shorter, you can skip it.

Registration is done at the airport on arrival, at the customs counter. How long it takes depends on how busy the counter is.

Each traveller gets an allowance of USD 500 per arrival. If the phone is valued under that, registration costs nothing. Above it, tax is charged only on the amount over USD 500. Customs assess the value themselves, close to current market value, not what you originally paid, so an older phone is often valued under the threshold even if it cost more when new.

The USD 500 allowance applies only if you register at the airport. If you register later at a customs office, you lose it, and tax is charged on the phone’s full value. Registering at the airport means at the moment you arrive in Indonesia. If you are already in Bali and only realise later that you need to register, the airport option has passed, and you go to a customs office instead, without the allowance.

You can register a maximum of two devices per person. After registering, the phone can take up to two days to work on the network.

Whichever you choose, get it working before you need it. With data on your phone you can message whoever is collecting you and follow the route on a map from the moment you arrive.