The Global Expat Hub
IndonesiaThe guide's retirement route to Indonesia is the Retirement KITAS from age 55, which it calls well established and largely centred on Bali. Its dedicated Retirement Move plan budgets $21,250 for the first year — more than the Mid-range plan, because it prices in a lawyer-led retirement visa, age-60+ private health cover, and tax and estate advice before you commit. This page is authored from Indonesia's own guide only; Bali is a separate site entry.
The retirement route: the Retirement KITAS from age 55
The guide lists the Retirement KITAS for over-55s among its visa routes, and its retiring text is direct: “Retirement KITAS from age 55 is well established, largely centred on Bali.” The Retirement checklist's first item is to have the retirement or passive-income visa route confirmed with a lawyer.
The Retirement paperwork stage (~14 weeks) is the longest in the guide, because it includes pension or income letters certified and apostilled, a police certificate, a medical, and birth and marriage certificates translated. Budget lines: $900 for visa, permits and translations, plus a separate $1,700 for the retirement visa, lawyer and pension certification. Neither source states an income or funds threshold for this route — only the age test.
What a retirement move costs in the guide
The Retirement Move first-year setup total is $21,250. Beyond the visa lines above, its distinctive costs are $3,150 for private health insurance for the first year at age 60+, $1,550 for (general) health insurance in the first year, and $1,000 for tax and estate advice covering double-taxation, pension treatment and wills. The shared move costs match the Mid-range plan (for example $1,950 housing deposit and first rent, $2,300 moving and shipping, $1,650 local admin and first-month living), plus a $1,950 contingency.
The Retirement plan, unlike the other tiers, prints no ongoing monthly living figure of its own. For monthly context the guide's other tiers give about $800/month (Affordable), $1,400/month (Mid-range) and $3,150/month (Luxury) for one adult, each plus utilities around $75/month. The site data's city rents for the cities it lists run from $200–500/month in Yogyakarta and Medan to $400–1,000 in Jakarta.
Pensions and tax — what the guide does and does not say
The guide treats pension tax as an advice item, not a rate it quotes. The Retirement plan budgets $1,000 for tax and estate advice on double-taxation, pension treatment and wills; the checklist says to take advice on your tax residency date, pension treaty and estate, and to have your home-country pension paid to a local or multi-currency account. It gives no Indonesian tax rate for pension income and does not describe how a U.S. pension is taxed in Indonesia — do not plan around a pension rate taken from this guide. The guide's one explicit foreign-income statement — foreign income untaxed — is made for the Remote Worker (E33G) visa, not for pensioners, and this page does not extend it to retirees (see Tax & Legal).
Healthcare access for retirees
The Retirement plan assumes a bridge: private health insurance for age 60+ ($3,150 in year one), described as comprehensive cover until public-system access, and the checklist repeats that private cover should be in place for your age and conditions, until public access. Set that against the ratings: Indonesia's healthcare dimension scores 54/100 in both the guide and the site data, life expectancy is 72 years, and the guide's own summary warns that healthcare is thinner outside Bali — a material consideration for retirees settling elsewhere in the country.
Practical steps the guide builds in for retirees: on the six-week scouting stay, register with a GP or clinic and visit the hospital; bring prescriptions and medical records for a year, with a translated summary; and make a plan for care needs (home help and assisted living are named as things to plan for, without prices). Private care price points from the guide: a private doctor visit is $30 and an emergency room visit is $200.
Where retirees live, and how the guide says to choose
The guide says retirement is largely centred on Bali, and the site's hub list for Indonesia is Bali (Canggu, Ubud, Sanur), Jakarta and Lombok. The site's city data, however, lists no Bali city entry for Indonesia — its priced cities are Jakarta ($400–1,000/month), Yogyakarta ($200–500/month) and Medan ($200–500/month) — so no Bali rent figure is quoted on this page.
The method the Retirement plan prescribes: shortlist two places using the retirement, healthcare and hospitals pages, life expectancy, climate and the numbers section; do a six-week scouting stay in the town you would live in, in the season you would like least; and rent a home for at least a year before buying. The checklist also adds a local will and power of attorney, embassy or consulate registration, and a return-trip fund for family emergencies.
Frequently asked questions
Which visa do retirees use for Indonesia?
The Retirement KITAS for over-55s — the guide calls retirement from age 55 well established, largely centred on Bali. Its Retirement checklist starts with having that route confirmed with a lawyer, and budgets $1,700 for the retirement visa, lawyer and pension certification.
How much does a retirement move cost in the first year?
$21,250 in the guide's Retirement Move plan, including $3,150 of private health insurance at age 60+, $1,000 of tax and estate advice, and a $1,950 contingency. The plan prints no monthly living figure of its own; the guide's Mid-range tier runs about $1,400/month plus utilities around $75.
How will my pension be taxed in Indonesia?
The guide does not give a pension tax rate. It budgets $1,000 for advice on double-taxation, pension treatment and wills, and tells retirees to take advice on their tax residency date and the pension treaty before moving. Its 'foreign income untaxed' statement applies to the Remote Worker visa, not to pensioners.
Can retirees use public healthcare?
The guide's Retirement plan prices private insurance at $3,150 for the first year at age 60+ expressly as comprehensive cover 'until public-system access,' and its checklist says to keep private cover in place until public access. Note the context: Indonesia scores 54/100 for healthcare, and the guide says care is thinner outside Bali.
Where do retirees settle in Indonesia?
The guide says retirement is largely centred on Bali, and the site's hubs are Bali (Canggu, Ubud, Sanur), Jakarta and Lombok. Site rents for its priced cities: Jakarta $400–1,000/month, Yogyakarta and Medan $200–500/month; the site data lists no Bali rent for Indonesia.
Official & reference sources
Mid-range partners
Partner listings on this page are paid placements filtered by your tier. They never influence the Indonesia liveability score, safety rating or warnings.