Australians can now move to Bali and live and work completely tax free

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 beautiful beaches.

Thousands flocked to Bali during the pandemic, with the phenomenon of working from home allowing them to conduct business and hold meetings while sitting on a beach with a laptop.

Now it may become even more popular with those who want to work remotely from Bali, with the new B211A visa that allows them to work tax-free for six months.

A similar five-year visa is also under discussion.

Indonesia hopes to entice both home workers and the companies that employ them with the duty-free sweetener.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, a Sydney-born expat who traveled to the island last year said she now plans to “stay forever” and “buy 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.

The ‘digital nomad visa’ proposed in June by Indonesia’s tourism minister, Sandiaga Uno, was passed this week.

Mr. Uno hopes the plan will bring more than three million overseas travelers to the archipelago in the coming year, combined with a greater focus on spiritual retreats and ecotourism.

The decision is also predicted to create up to 4.4 million jobs without depriving local residents of anything.

More than 25 countries have launched similar visas since the Covid-19 pandemic saw millions of people around the world work from home.

Business coach born in Sydney Phoebe Greenacre38, said she wants to stay in Bali after moving there with her husband a year and a half ago.

She says her work-life balance has improved out of sight – she only works two hours a day, but earns more than she did when she lived in the UK and Australia.

“I want to stay here long term, buy land and start a family here,” she said.

‘I have been coming to Bali for twenty years. It has always had a special place in my heart. I would normally come for a month and do some yoga or therapy training.

“During the pandemic, I started a second online business that allowed me to work anywhere, so we decided to move to Bali.”

Phoebe said it was “a bit of a hassle” to get to Indonesia as she lived in London when the borders were closed to anyone from the UK.

So she made a six-month detour to Kenya before her visa was approved in mid-2021.

“The work-life balance is so much better here,” she added.

“I suppose it depends on what you do, but if I run an online business founded around freedom, I work a lot less and I live a lot more.

‘You don’t have to commute to work, that saves two hours a day.

“There are no long days at the office. I usually work from home or co-working spaces and cafes.

‘At the moment I work about two hours a day. And now I help women to create the same lifestyle with my online business school.’

Before her life in Bali, Phoebe spent 10 years in corporate marketing in Australia, then 10 years as an entrepreneur in London and Sydney.

Last year she sold her activewear business to focus full-time on her other business as a somatic therapist and mindful business coach.

“I now have room to breathe. Ten years of corporate in Sydney and eight years in London was so exhausting,” she said.

Despite working far fewer hours in Bali, she now earns more than she did full-time in Australia – and the money goes much further.

‘I lived in an apartment in both London and Bondi. And now I have a three-bedroom, three-story house overlooking the ocean,” she said.

“I have a full-time cleaner and cook and nannies are very affordable.

‘I’m also learning Bahasa Indonesia, so it feels like home now. The Balinese are so welcoming and I love supporting them with jobs and opportunities.”

And Phoebe isn’t alone – she says “all her friends” in Bali have their own online business or work remotely.

“Many more Aussies have opened stores and brands here as well,” she said.

Meanwhile, Katie McKnoulty, 36, who is originally from Brisbane, told Daily Mail Australia that the new visa is ‘perfect for her’.

The writer and photographer previously worked in Bali for a month before getting a digital nomad visa to Italy.

“I first moved to London in 2011 and then lived the digital nomad life around the world (including stints in Ubud, Bali) for about six years,” she explained.

‘The new visa definitely made me consider going back for a few months stint.

‘I think there is a tax-free visa for a digital nomad for six months, which would be a perfect option for me as I like to do these one to three month stints in places far from home.”

Katie says her lifestyle in the Marche town of central Italy is in many ways similar to life in many ways.

“Affordable cost of living, delicious local food, getting around on a scooter everywhere, being close to the beach,” she said.

“But Bali and especially Ubud has a great community of travelers and outside workers from all over the world that rural Italy certainly doesn’t have.

“And the Balinese also have a different religious tradition than the Italian Catholics, because they are Hindu and that is very interesting to see in daily life in Ubud and everywhere in Bali.”

Katie, who has been traveling to Bali since childhood, said she was “impressed” by the rice paddies when she was on a school trip at age 11.

‘We studied Indonesian at school! And I remember being so impressed with the natural beauty of Ubud and the rice fields, and being a little scared to use the outdoor bathroom at that age,” she said.

“I think that trip has stayed with me as I continued to visit my family several times, they even helped open an Ayurvedic health retreat center before taking the plunge to stay in Ubud for a few months.”

While there she worked for international clients as a writer, photographer and social media strategist, she also had her own blog and Instagram, The traveling light.