I have just finished my second book about Bali and this time I have written a guide for people interested in retiring in Bali. Writing certainly doesn’t come easy for me and even though I have all of these ideas running around in my head, getting them written down is another thing all together.

I learnt quite a bit from writing my first book on starting a business in Bali and the feedback I got from it. There has also been this small revolution in publishing over the last couple of years and there is much less stigma attached to self publishing a book. In fact publishers are starting to find new authors after they have had success from selling their work directly to Kindle and other ebook readers.

There are many books on retiring to Thailand, the Philippines and South American countries, but nothing that I have ever seen for Bali or Indonesia. I am hoping my book can help to fill this gap.

You can download the book from the main part of the website here.

Anyone living in Bali for an extended period of time, will at some point have to leave Indonesia to pick up a visa or apply for a new one.

The shortest flight from Bali is Singapore, taking around 2 and a half hours. Singapore is an expensive place and a bed in a hostel is around $22 Singapore dollars. A tiny private room with bathroom (and no window) is about $50 Singapore dollars.

To cut down the time you need to spend in Singapore, many people use the service of an agent and while the fees are not cheap, it can still save money and hassle, as most visas can be processed in just one day.

One of the main visa agents is Ismail Hamdan. He has an office in the “Singapore Shopping Centre”, but I have never been to it. He employs couriers who pick up you passport, money and documents from your hotel. If you don’t want to hang around waiting for the courier, you can put everything in an envelope and let the receptionist at your hotel hand everything over.

I know the first time, I was a little worried about doing this, but I have never had a problem. The service is amazingly efficient and as long as you have provided all of the correct documents, your passport and visa will be dropped back at your hotel in the afternoon.

One time I forgot a document and it wasn’t until I got back to my hotel that I got the message from Ismail. I faxed it through to him and the visa was ready a couple of hours later.

Ismail is strictly a telephone and fax guy. He has no website and no email address, so don’t even think about mentioning sending the documents by email. He has his way of doing things and his tone quickly changes, if you even mention email. The guy seems to be very busy and he doesn’t like time wasters.

It kind of reminds me of the Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” episode: “It’s very important not to embellish on your order. No extraneous comments. No questions. No compliments.”

Here are his contact details:

190 Clemenceau Avenue #02-16
Singapore Shopping Centre
Singapore 239924

Office telephone: (65) 6334 5520
Handphone: 9636 4854
Fax No: (65) 6334 5518

Mumbul guesthouse adalah penginapan di Lovina, wilayah Bali utara. Mumbul guesthouse salah satu penginapan murah di Bali dengan fasilitas Free Wifi, Kolam renang, Pemandangan sawah yang alami seperti di desa, ac, air panas, restaurant.

Mumbul guesthouse memberikan harga murah termasuk dengan sarapan pagi.  Kegiatan yang bisa di lakukan di Lovina, Bali adalah melihat lumba – lumba, memancing, snorekling, diving, dan juga beberapa tour yang lainnya. Mumbul guesthouse juga dapat membantu anda untuk mendapatkan jasa tour di atas tersebut beserta dengan penyewaan mobil, penyewaan sepeda motor.

Mumbul guesthouse juga menyediakan buku – buku bacaan berupa novel dengan berbahasa inggris dan buku – buku tersebut dapat di baca dengan gratis.

Selamat menikmati liburan di Bali dengan fasilitas – fasilitas yang bagus, dan menikmati indah nya alam pariwisata Indonesia, Bali.

Mumbul Lovina

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Bali has a certain appeal for many travelers, some of whom visit the island every chance they can get. It’s not surprising then that many then want to live here permanently. The move is a major one for most people, one fraught with emotion and not to mention, expense. Here is a list of some of the major mistakes I have seen people make since moving to Bali myself and hopefully you can avoid them too if you move to Bali.

1. Chasing the freehold property dream

Foreigners cannot own property in Indonesia. It is as simple as that. Many people will try to get around the law by placing the property in Indonesian friend’s name, but it still doesn’t make it legal.

2. Thinking you can find a job

Unemployment or underemployment is very high in Indonesia. There are also many highly skilled Indonesian workers whose salaries will be a lot less than what most expats will want to be paid. It is also expensive for a company to employ a foreigner, the visa alone is around $2000. There are a few English teaching jobs, but the pay is low and the competition is high, for the few jobs available. Most foreigners who don’t already have an outside income, try starting a business in Bali to survive.

3. Starting the wrong kind of business

I think one of the main reasons why expats fail at starting a business in Bali, is not having enough experience in the business they start. There is a huge turnover in the bars and restaurants all over Bali. Sure there are established places that seem to have been around forever, but it has taken the business owners years of hard work to get to there.

4. Getting in the wrong relationship

Going out to bars and clubs is a fun activity for many expats and making friends with other expats and locals. Having a relationship with a local whom they met in a nightclub is one thing, buying a property or business and using them as the nominee (Indonesian owner) is a recipe for disaster, which I have seen all too often.

5. Not learning the culture

When a foreigner recently got caught with drugs in Bali and received a hefty sentence, one of the newspapers in his home country said he wouldn’t even have gone to jail for the offense in his country. Indonesia has different laws, customs and language and it is up to foreigners moving or even traveling to Bali to be familiar with the laws and culture of their new home. There is nothing worse than expats who continually compare the way things are done “back home”.

6. Not learning the language

Indonesian is a relatively easy language to learn, but it still requires effort and practice. You will gain a great deal of respect by Indonesian people by communicating in their language.

7. Underestimating the cost of living in Bali

Generally speaking Bali has a lower cost of living than most western countries. Gasoline for example is subsidized by the government. Meat, fruit and vegetables is typically inexpensive and you can eat cheaply at warungs. This makes people think they can live very cheaply in Bali. The reality is that there are a number of expenses people don’t think about when calculating their budget. Visa runs to Malaysia or Singapore for example and health insurance or medical bills, if you don’t have any insurance. Imported items are generally more expensive and imported alcohol can be around 3-4 times the usual price.

8. Getting the wrong visa

Many people come to Bali thinking they can do some work on a social, business or even retirement visa. The only visa which you can legally work on is a ‘working visa’. If a potential employer offers you work, don’t even think about accepting the job unless your company will provide a working visa.

9. Not getting the proper legal advice

Bali forums and the internet are good for doing basic research and getting some ideas about how things operate, but it should not a replacement for getting proper legal advice from a qualified consultant, notary or lawyer. Just because a foreigner has started their own hotel in Bali, doesn’t mean they will know all of the legal aspects. How can you know if what they did is the right procedure to follow anyway?

10. Not making local friends

As difficult it is to imagine probably for most people, some expats who move to Bali only associate or make friends with other expats. Having many local friends will only make your stay in Bali more enjoyable and in many ways easier. Dealing with bureaucracy can be a real pain, but having a friend who can help you out makes everything so much smoother. At the same time I believe it is also healthy to make friends with fellow expats. Like many things about living in Bali, it’s all about finding a good balance.

While sending out email about my business guide to Bali, I had a few comments from people that they are not interested in starting a business in Bali, because they are moving to retire!

It has given me an idea the idea to provide more information on this on my website and perhaps another guide.

If you are interested in retiring in Bali, I would love to know what kind of concerns you have.

As a reward to people who help answer my questions, I will be offering a free guide and response to the number one concern people have about retiring in Bali.

I have created an online survey with Survey Monkey which I suggested as a tool to use in my guide to starting a business in Bali.

I have received some fantastic replies so far. It’s great to be able to see what interests and concerns people have about retiring in Bali, which I can then hopefully put together a more useful guide.