What does the visa application process actually look like month-by-month for a family moving to Bali?

The first month happens before you even book flights. You and your partner decide which visa path actually fits your situation: a short-stay B211A visit visa you extend locally, a sponsored family KITAS tied to a job or investment, or the E33G visa built for remote-working families. Comparing a B211A visa against a family KITAS early saves weeks later, because each path asks for different proof: income statements, a sponsor letter, marriage and birth certificates for the kids, and passport scans with at least six months of validity left. An agent in Bali can file most of this for you while you're still packing boxes at home.

Once the paperwork is in, approval for the main applicant's visa usually lands within three to four weeks, and the family flies in on that approval letter. Within the first week after landing, everyone registers with local immigration (lapor diri) and gives biometrics, a step that cannot be skipped or rushed through an agent. Children's dependent permits are usually processed as a batch right after the primary holder's card is issued, so don't be surprised if your spouse and kids are still waiting on their cards while you're already holding yours. This stretch, roughly month two into month three, is when most families also sort out local bank accounts and school enrollment, since both often ask to see a valid permit first.

By month three, most families have their physical KITAS cards in hand and can start thinking past the move itself, including work rules for a spouse on a dependent visa (the short version: not without a separate permit). From here the calendar shifts from applying to maintaining: tracking the permit's expiry date and knowing how to renew or extend an E33G visa before it lapses, since letting any family member's permit expire creates problems for the whole household's status. Set a reminder two months ahead of the renewal date rather than the usual one month immigration offices suggest, because peak season adds queues at every office on the island.