Key Highlights
- Credits/PixabayFor decades, Bali has sold itself as an easy promise: land on the island, breathe in incense-tinged air, ride a scooter past rice terraces, and let time loosen its grip. It was affordable, forgiving, and open.
- A place where the backpacker and the honeymooner could coexist without paperwork weighing down the dream. That era may be up for a change. From 2026, Bali is expected to introduce tighter entry checks that could require foreign travellers to demonstrate they can financially sustain themselves during their stay.
- On paper, it’s a bureaucratic tweak. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIn spirit, it signals something deeper: Officials believe the policy will help curb visa overstays, illegal employment, and crimes linked to travellers running out of money. More from Lifestyle 10 of the longest train journeys in the world you should know X blocks 3,500 posts, deletes 600 accounts over obscene content as India flags Grok misuseBali’s proof of funds requirement forms part of the Regional Regulation on the Implementation of Quality Tourism.
- It is designed to create a safer, well-regulated environment while encouraging higher spending that benefits local communities, especially MSMEs that power Bali’s economy. From open paradise to guarded gatewayBali’s problem is not lack of love.
- It is the sheer volume of it. As international travel rebounded after the pandemic, the island saw tourist numbers surge faster than its infrastructure, environment, and governance systems could manage. Beaches grew crowded, traffic snarled narrow village roads, and local authorities grappled with everything from visa overstays to tourists taking informal work or flouting cultural norms. Quick ReadsView AllIs Japan’s Mirumi the Labubu of 2026?The proposed financial checks are part of a broader recalibration.
