You cannot own land in Bali.
Three legal routes say otherwise.
Leasehold, Hak Pakai, or HGB through a PT PMA. Everything else being sold to you is a nominee arrangement — void since 1960, and a criminal offence in Bali since February 2026.
Start here
Put the deal through this before you believe the yield.
Advertised Bali yields are gross — before platform commission, the 10% PB1, management, staff, refurbishment and tax. On a lease there is one more deduction nobody shows you: the premium, amortised over the years you actually get. Change any figure and every number and chart below updates.
Do you get your money back?
Cumulative position across the term — you start at minus your capital, and the line is where you stand each year. Anything below zero at the end is a loss, whatever the yield said.
Where a year of revenue goes
The advertised yield is the whole bar. What reaches you is the last segment.
What the right itself is worth
A time-limited right depreciates towards its residual as the clock runs down. This is the cost nobody puts in the projection, and on a lease it ends at zero.
If the structure puts the land in an Indonesian person's name for you, it is void.
Nominee arrangements have been void since 1960 under UU 5/1960 Art. 26(2). Since Perda Bali 4/2026 they are also a criminal matter, and facilitating one is prohibited in its own right. Regional authorities can suspend operations and close premises directly.
It is still the most commonly sold structure in Bali. Here is exactly what happens when it unwinds.
Start here
-
Where should you actually buy in Bali?
Canggu for liquidity, Uluwatu for upside, Sanur and Ubud for value. What each area costs and what it costs you.
-
Can a foreigner own property in Bali?
Not freehold. But three legal structures exist, and one of them puts a certificate in your own name.
-
What do Bali's zoning colours mean, and how do you check properly?
Pink lets you rent. Yellow does not. Green gets demolished. Check it yourself before you pay anything.
-
What yield does a Bali villa actually produce?
Gross yields get advertised at 8–15%. Net, after everything, is usually 4–6%. Here is where the difference goes.
-
What taxes do you pay when buying property in Bali?
Around 5% for the buyer on a titled transfer — and zero on a leasehold, which is a bigger deal than it sounds.
-
How much capital do you need for a PT PMA in 2026?
The paid-up requirement dropped 75% in October 2025. The investment plan requirement did not.
I'm Kai.
I advise on property in Bali, and I'm on the ground here. This site exists because the honest answers to these questions are not what gets published — the market runs on optimism, and buyers find out afterwards. Everything here carries the regulation it comes from and the date I last checked it.
If you're looking at something specific, send it to me. I'll tell you what I'd check first.
@balioffscript
Got a specific situation?
Every deal in Bali has a detail that breaks the general rule. Send me the details and I'll tell you what I'd check first.
Kai — Bali property adviser