Do kids have to pay the Bali tourist levy?
Yes — and this surprises a lot of families. The Bali Tourist Levy is IDR 150,000 (about $10) per person with no age exemption, so a newborn travelling on their own passport pays exactly the same as the adults. There's no family cap, no under-12s discount, none of the usual breaks other countries give.
A lot of tourist taxes around the world wave children through. Bali's doesn't, so it's worth building into the budget before you're surprised at the airport.
What a family actually pays
Because it's a flat per-head charge, the maths is simple — just multiply:
| Travellers | Bali levy total |
|---|---|
| Solo | ~$10 (IDR 150,000) |
| Couple | ~$20 (IDR 300,000) |
| Family of 3 | ~$30 (IDR 450,000) |
| Family of 4 | ~$40 (IDR 600,000) |
| Group of 6 | ~$60 (IDR 900,000) |
Remember this is just the levy. On top of it, each traveller who needs a Visa on Arrival also pays around $35 for that, and everyone completes the free arrival card — so the levy is usually the smallest line on the family's entry bill, but it's the one most likely to be forgotten.
The bit families get wrong: one QR per person
Every traveller needs their own payment and their own QR code, including the kids. You can't pay one lump sum for the family and show a single code at a temple check — each person's code is tied to their passport.
That's not a reason to do it five separate times, though. The sensible way to handle a family or group is to pay for everyone in a single session so all the codes come back together, rather than juggling five confirmation emails. Then keep them organised:
- Save every QR in one place — a dedicated album in your phone's photos works well
- Label each one by name so you're not squinting at five identical-looking codes at a temple gate
- Have one parent be the "keeper" of all the codes, with backups shared to a second phone
The name-matching trap
This is the one that quietly causes problems. Each levy payment must carry the traveller's name exactly as it appears on their passport — full middle names, correct surname order, hyphens and all. The QR is linked to the person named, not to the card that paid.
For kids this matters more than you'd think, because children's passports sometimes list names differently to how parents write them day to day. Use the passport, character for character, for every family member. A mismatch can mean a code that doesn't verify cleanly when an officer checks it.
Travelling as a bigger group
Wedding parties, multi-family trips and tour groups are common in Bali, and the same rules scale up: every single person, every age, their own IDR 150,000 and their own code. For a group of a dozen, doing that one payment at a time on the official portal — with the international-card declines that can crop up — gets old fast.
Paying for the whole group together, in English, with all the QR codes emailed back at once, is genuinely the easier path here, and it keeps one tidy record instead of a dozen scattered confirmations.
What about cruise passengers and day trips?
If you arrive in Bali by cruise ship and disembark — even for a day ashore — you're a foreign visitor entering Bali, so the levy applies to each person who goes ashore. The exception is genuine transit where you never clear into the island. If your cruise line doesn't bundle it, it's worth each passenger having their QR sorted before the port day so nobody's held up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do children and babies pay the Bali tourist tax?
Yes. The levy is IDR 150,000 (about $10) per person with no age exemption, so children and infants travelling on their own passport each pay the full amount and need their own QR code.
Is there a family discount or cap on the Bali levy?
No. It's a flat per-person charge with no family cap and no children's rate. A family of four pays four full levies, around $40 in total.
Can I pay one Bali levy for my whole family?
You pay for the whole family, but each person gets their own QR code tied to their passport — there's no single family code. The efficient way is to pay for everyone in one transaction so all the codes arrive together.
Do my kids need their own QR code at the airport and attractions?
Yes. Each traveller, including children, has an individual QR code. At a spot-check, each person's code is checked against their passport, so keep them labelled by name and easy to find.
What if my child's name on the levy doesn't match their passport?
It should always match exactly. A mismatch can cause the code to fail verification. Enter every family member's name precisely as printed on their passport, including middle names and surname order.
Do cruise passengers stopping in Bali pay the levy?
Yes, if you disembark and enter Bali you pay the levy like any other foreign visitor. Only passengers who remain in transit without clearing in are exempt. Sort each passenger's QR before the port day to avoid hold-ups.
The short version for families
Everyone pays, including the baby. Pay for the whole family in one go so the codes come back together, name each payment exactly as the passport reads, and keep all the QR codes in one labelled spot on your phone. Do that and a family arrival is no slower than a solo one.