Guide
Tap water in Bali
By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026
The rule in writing
“Indonesia’s national health scheme (JKN/BPJS Kesehatan) defines participants as every person INCLUDING foreigners who have worked in Indonesia for at least 6 months (Perpres 82/2018 Art. 1(2)). The statutory obligation attaches to working foreigners; a retiree or a remote worker paid by a foreign employer is not the case that article describes, and private cover is what serves the years the scheme does not.”
Official source: Peraturan Presiden No. 82 Tahun 2018 tentang Jaminan Kesehatan, Pasal 1 angka 2 dan Pasal 6 ayat (1) — JDIH BPK — Last verified:
The official line
There is no nuance to hunt for here. UK Foreign Office travel advice for Indonesia states plainly: tap water is not safe to drink in Indonesia.
Not "in some regions", not "outside the tourist areas". The advice is national, and Bali is not an exception to it.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Indonesia travel advice, Health, read 22 September 2026.
What that means in practice
New arrivals tend to apply the rule to drinking and stop there. The places it actually catches people are the small ones:
- Ice — usually made from treated water in established venues, and usually is not in a warung at the side of a road.
- Brushing your teeth — a small volume, but a daily one.
- Salads and cut fruit, washed in whatever the kitchen has.
- Showers are fine; swallowing shower water is the thing to avoid.
Most long-term residents settle into bottled or filtered water at home and stop thinking about it. The riskiest period is the first few weeks, before the habits are automatic.
60-second check
Not sure the policy you have meets your destination's written rule? Run it through the policy check now, before you build the rest of the file around it.
Check my policyWhen a stomach bug stops being an inconvenience
The overwhelming majority of water-borne illness here is unpleasant and self-limiting. The reason it belongs on an insurance site is the tail.
Severe dehydration from sustained vomiting or diarrhoea is a genuine reason people end up on a drip in a Bali hospital, and it happens fastest to the very young, the elderly, and anyone who waits too long. An admission for rehydration is a short stay with a real bill attached.
Indonesia's national scheme is not the backstop for most foreign residents: Presidential Regulation 82 of 2018 defines participants as including foreigners who have worked here at least six months, which excludes retirees and remote workers paid from abroad. The bill is private.
Source: Peraturan Presiden No. 82 Tahun 2018 tentang Jaminan Kesehatan, Pasal 1 angka 2 — JDIH BPK, read 22 September 2026.
What to check on a policy
- Outpatient cover — most of these episodes are a clinic visit and a drip, not an admission.
- Day-case and short-stay cover for the ones that do escalate.
- Residence rather than travel cover, if Bali is where you live.
We are an insurance introducer, not an insurer. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and cover is governed by the Regency Assurance policy wording.
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