Start with the paperwork that keeps you legal: register your visa or KITAS application with a licensed immigration agent, and ask your landlord or villa manager to help with the domicile letter you'll need for *banjar* (local community) registration. Get a local SIM card and open an Indonesian bank account early, since several other steps depend on having both. If you haven't settled on a long-term rental yet, use the first week or two in short-term accommodation so you can see a few neighborhoods with your kids before committing to a lease.
Health comes next. Find a clinic or pediatrician near your new home and bring copies of your children's medical and vaccination records, since providers here will want to see what's already been done and what still needs boosting; if you haven't finished that research, what vaccinations children need before moving to Bali is worth reading before your first appointment. If you're enrolling in school, contact the admissions office as soon as you land, because places fill and paperwork like transcripts and immunization records takes time to process. Check your water source and filtration setup in the new place too, since that's one detail easy to overlook in the moving rush.
Decide how you'll get around once the big logistics are handled. Many families default to a scooter because it's what everyone else rides, but with young kids it's worth thinking through properly, and whether you need a car or a scooter with kids in Bali lays out the real trade-offs. Build a loose daily routine within the first couple of weeks, with regular meal times and a familiar bedtime. Find a park or playground you can return to often, since that kind of repetition helps kids feel steady faster than any single big outing. The adjustment hits parents too, and if the homesickness or isolation feels heavier than expected, how expat parents cope with loneliness and homesickness after moving to Bali covers what actually helps.
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