Bali guide › Organise your stay
What can I bring into and take out of Bali?
You can bring your normal belongings, plus 1 litre of alcohol and 200 cigarettes (or 25 cigars, or 100 g of loose tobacco) per adult, duty free. Everything else you carry in must be declared, and some things, like drugs, are banned outright. Every traveller completes a customs declaration, and it is done online in the days before you fly.
Coming in:
- Cash: declare IDR 100 million or more (about US$5,500), cash or equivalent.
- Goods: personal items have a duty-free value limit (about US$500 per person according to some sources, so check the current figure with Indonesian customs, Bea Cukai). Declare food, plants, seeds and animal products.
- E-cigarettes: the declaration form lists small limits for devices and liquid, so check it before packing.
- Drones: need prior approval from the authorities. If you have not arranged it, leave the drone at home.
- Medicines: carry them in the original packaging with a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter, and declare them. Some medicines, such as strong painkillers, sleeping or anxiety drugs and ADHD treatments, are controlled in Indonesia even with a prescription. Check your own government's travel advice (Smartraveller, FCDO, travel.state.gov) and the Indonesian embassy before you fly.
- Drugs: Indonesia has some of the harshest drug laws in the world, including cannabis, edibles and vape cartridges, with long prison sentences and, in the most serious cases, the death penalty. Do not bring any.
Going out: do not take home corals, tortoiseshell, ivory, protected wildlife products or antiques, which are banned or need a permit. Power banks and spare lithium batteries belong in your cabin bag, and airline rules apply.
Going home: Australia has strict biosecurity. Wooden carvings, rattan, bamboo, seeds, shells and food must be declared on the Incoming Passenger Card, and undeclared items risk fines. The UK and the US also have allowances and agricultural restrictions: check Border Force or the CBP before you buy bulky souvenirs.
Verdict: keep it simple. Stay under the alcohol and tobacco limits, leave vapes and drones at home unless you have sorted the permission, document your medicines, and declare when in doubt.
Tip: put your medicines in your hand luggage, in their boxes, with a photo of the prescription: if an officer asks, you answer in ten seconds instead of ten minutes.
Checked in October 2026. Allowances and rules change: confirm with Indonesian customs (Bea Cukai) and the customs service of your home country.