The police report, the banjar domicile letter, the SKTT within 14 days, the phone IMEI question and the scooter permit that police check in 2026: in the order you need them.
In brief
As of 6 November 2026, the first month in Bali on a long-stay permit (KITAS) is about papers that prove where you live. Sources describe a chain: a police report (STM), then a domicile letter from your banjar or kelurahan, then the resident card (SKTT) at the Dukcapil office, which by law you must obtain within 14 days of the KITAS being issued. A scooter needs your home licence plus an international permit that covers motorcycles; police checks in the tourist areas were stepped up in 2026, with fines of IDR 250,000 to 1,000,000.
Before the clock starts: visa, KITAS or something else?
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and offices differ between regencies; check each step with immigration and with the local Dukcapil. None of the sources I found says anything specific about Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh or Ukrainian passports, and the agency guides I read sell their own services, so treat their timelines as indicative.
A tourist or visa-on-arrival stay is short, and most of this checklist does not apply to it. A KITAS (limited stay permit) is the status that triggers the registration chain below. If you are still deciding between a visa and a KITAS, or between a purchase and a lease, read the article on Bali leasehold, Hak Pakai and PT PMA for foreigners and the article on retiring in Bali on a KITAS. For the general order of the first month in any country, see the first-30-days hub.
Days 1 to 3: passport, address and police
Arrive with a plan for where you will live, because the address drives everything. Carry your passport; press reports from late 2025 describe a crackdown on tourists and short-stay visitors who could not show it, so keep the original on you and a photo in your phone.
If your KITAS was processed offshore, the clock for the resident card starts on arrival. If it was processed in Indonesia, it starts when the permit is issued. Write the date down. The agency or sponsor that handled your visa usually does not handle the address papers, so ask who will.
The first paper is usually a police report, the STM (Surat Tanda Melapor). Agency guides and the Badung regency portal still list it as a standard step, and some guides say it can be issued the same day. One forum comment claims a 2025 police regulation removed the requirement for most foreigners; that is unconfirmed, and local offices differ. Ask the police station and the Dukcapil which documents they currently require, and keep your questions in writing.
Week 1: domicile letter and SKTT
With the STM in hand, ask your banjar (in Bali) or the kelurahan for a domicile letter that confirms your address. One guide gives one to three working days. The letter must match the address on your KITAS: if the two differ, you first have to update the address at immigration with an address change (mutasi alamat).
Next comes the SKTT, the resident registration card, issued by the Dukcapil (civil registration) office according to your domicile address. A typical document list is a copy of your passport including the pages with your data and visa, a copy of your e-KITAS or KITAP, the domicile letter, and a 3x4 cm photo on a red background. One guide gives three to ten working days for issuance. The legal limit quoted in the sources is 14 days after the KITAS is issued, or after arrival if it was processed offshore; the regency portal in Badung lists the STM and sponsor documents among the requirements.
An SKTT matters beyond the formality: banks, utilities and later renewals ask for it. If your agency says it is not part of its service, plan for a second person or a visit yourself.
Weeks 2 to 4: phone, scooter, health and bank
Phone and SIM. A local SIM is the easy part, but the phone itself is a separate question. Customs registration of the phone's IMEI is done through the customs site; the figures I found conflict. Several vendor blogs quote a roughly 90-day grace period, a Bali vendor says registration is not needed for stays up to 30 days with a local tourist SIM or eSIM, one report says IMEI status checks are not accessible to foreigners at all, and one source says biometric registration of new SIMs was introduced in 2026. Nothing I found concerns KITAS holders specifically. Ask the operator and check the customs page before the grace period runs out; do not assume the SIM alone is enough.
Scooter. Foreigners need their home licence plus an international driving permit that covers motorcycles; a car-only permit is not enough, according to the sources. Fines are quoted between IDR 250,000 and IDR 1,000,000 depending on the source and the officer, with the scooter possibly held; police checks in Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu, Kuta and Ubud were reported as stepped up in 2026. Long-stay holders can apply for a local SIM A or SIM C licence, but the sources say that does not replace the international permit on arrival. One guide mentions an exemption for drivers from ASEAN countries; I could not confirm it. Read the article on driving licences abroad and ask the police before you ride.
Health and bank. I did not research the insurance rules for KITAS holders or the account rules for foreigners this time. Read the article on health insurance after moving abroad and the article on resident bank accounts for the usual documents, refusals and alternatives, and ask the bank before you go. Your tax position also depends on days spent in the country; see tax residency when relocating.
Tourist stay versus KITAS
A tourist stay gives you a bed and a local SIM and nothing that needs registration. A KITAS adds the resident registration chain, an address that must match across papers, and obligations at renewal. It also opens the paper trail that banks and landlords ask for. If you plan to live in Bali for months, decide the status before you sign a long lease or buy; see Bali leasehold, Hak Pakai and PT PMA for what ownership can and cannot give you.
Mistakes that cost a month
- Assuming the visa agency also handles the SKTT and the address papers.
- Signing a lease at one address and registering another, so that the KITAS address does not match and an address change is needed first.
- Missing the 14-day window for the SKTT because the start date was counted from the wrong event.
- Arriving at Dukcapil without the domicile letter, the photo on a red background or the copies of every passport page.
- Relying on a car-only international permit for a scooter, or on no permit at all, in a police-check area.
- Leaving the phone IMEI question until the grace period is over.
- Treating a tourist-style plan as if it were a resident plan, with no health cover.
One-page checklist
- Before arrival: passport valid; KITAS type confirmed; who handles the SKTT agreed in writing; an address to register.
- Days 1 to 3: passport on you at all times; date of the KITAS issue or arrival written down; ask police and Dukcapil which documents are current (STM or not).
- Week 1: STM if required; domicile letter from the banjar or kelurahan; mutasi alamat if the address on the KITAS differs; copies and red-background photos ready; SKTT application.
- Weeks 2 to 4: phone IMEI and SIM checked; international permit with motorcycle cover; health cover; ask your bank which documents it wants; renewal date in the calendar.
- Always: keep copies of the SKTT, the domicile letter and the KITAS.
FAQ
How soon after getting a KITAS must I register? The sources quote 14 days after the KITAS is issued, or after arrival if it was processed offshore, for the SKTT resident card. They are agency and university pages rather than the regulation, so confirm the date with immigration and the Dukcapil.
Do I still need a police report (STM) in 2026? Agency guides and the Badung portal still list it, while one forum comment says a 2025 regulation removed it for most foreigners. This is unconfirmed; ask the local police and Dukcapil what they accept.
Can I ride a scooter in Bali with my Russian licence alone? The sources say foreigners need the home licence plus an international permit that covers motorcycles, and that police checks were stepped up in 2026 with fines of about IDR 250,000 to 1,000,000. Nothing I found is specific to Russian licences; ask the police.
Do I need to register my phone? The figures conflict: a grace period of about 90 days is quoted by vendor blogs and no registration is said to be needed for stays up to 30 days with a local tourist SIM or eSIM, while nothing concerns KITAS holders. Check the customs page and your operator.
Does owning a villa give me a KITAS? No. A purchase or a lease is not a permit, and the registration chain above depends on your permit and address. See the article on Bali leasehold, Hak Pakai and PT PMA.