Can I buy a nice house?

You write in your profile that you’re an Indonesian living in Brisbane, so, if that is the case, meaning you haven’t changed your citizenship to Australian, then having a property deed (Hak Milik) in your name anywhere in Indonesia is your right as an Indonesian citizen.

As for buying a “nice house” in Bali for $60,000 that’s not going to be very likely unless you decided to live in the most remote areas of the island.

Hi Paul11021969 and welcome to Expat.com!

I have created a new topic with your message on the Bali forum.

Christine

Hi Paul

Maybe you haven't been back to Bali in a long Long time. Generally speaking your budget would only buy you 2 ara of land but no Nice House

If your still an Indonesian citizen Yes you could have ownership in your Name  May I suggest you Google Bali property and study the asking price of the various areas of Bali, to see for yourself.

Good Luck

Ubudian,

Hi Roy,
This post raises an interesting question about heritage in Indonesia
If an Indonesian subject by birth  Do they loose those  heritage rights ?? by becoming say an Australian citizen, or other . 
If Paul has taken Australian Citizenship, which I strongly suggest he would still be allowed to retain his Indo. passport with an Aussie entry permit stuck into one of it pages.
Howard

You’re absolutely right Howard, this is indeed a “dicey” topic.

As you likely already know, Indonesia does not recognize dual citizenship*, so, when an Indonesian citizen (natural born or otherwise) takes the citizenship of another country their Indonesian citizenship has been abdicated.

However, as you note, if Paul has a current Indonesian passport OR (and more importantly) a current KTP (identity card), it is very possible that he’d have no problems, BUT, he would almost certainly have to get a current KTP here in Indonesia.

At a certain age, KTP’s are not needed to be renewed (I think it’s age 60 and so long as that person remains in the same Province) but under that age they have to be renewed (and at the Province where living in Indonesia), and I think that’s every 3 years.  KTP issuance has recently undergone some changes, so Paul would have to check on this to be certain.

As you noted, if Paul’s Indonesian passport shows an exit stamp from Indonesia, and an entry stamp into Australia which is not followed by an exit stamp out of OZ, AND a re-entry stamp into Indonesia within certain time parameters, he could run into problems if he relied on his old Indonesian passport to prove his Indonesian citizenship.

With all that being said, I have been told that where an Indonesian citizen, who at one time in their life became a citizen of another country, that the process of re-patronizing is not anywhere near as difficult as the process required for foreigners wishing to become Indonesian citizens. 

As I said, this is a dicey (and complex) topic and without doubt, each and every case is unique.

Also, your comments about land prices in Bali are spot on.  In my own village where we were once able to buy local land at 30 million an are, that price (Balinese to Balinese) is now 250 million.  Paul’s $60,000 might net him about 2 are, but as you said…not a “nice house.”

Cheers!  Roy

*The exception being children of mixed Indonesian/non Indonesian legal and recognized marriages up to age 18.

This is a very interesting topic, thx for sharing everyone

Hi Ubudian,
I think that's every 5 years we need to renew our KTP

Jimmy

Hi Jimmy.

welcome along

Auuie HJ

hi there

iam sure its possible. but location is in limited choice.
you are not possible to own property in bali on your own name. but still possible to make partnership with local people with agreement on legal attorney.

cheers
nyoman

the "nominee" situation
cost you 5% of the price to be paid to the nominee + all contract costs for notary+lawyer(s) ....
If than you have bought through an agent than there alredy easy 5% .... makes your purchase minimum 10% more expensive
BEST always try find a long long tern LEASEHOLD and keep 12-16years for reselling

"cost you 5% of the price to be paid to the nominee."

Maybe yes, maybe no.  It all depends on who your nominee is.  There is no such thing as a 5% nominee fee being set in stone. 

By no means should anyone EVER use their real estate agent as their nominee. 

If you insist on using a nominee scheme as opposed to a long term lease agreement, then use an attorney (not a noraris) as your nominee.

Basically buying property in Indonesia is not that cheap at all. esp for foreigners as we have to incur stages and stages of legal fees plus other commissions to get the property kinda owned.
It is simpler for foreigners to buy properties with other countries that has got a more open foreign ownership regulations, but they aren't quite as nice as Bali's.

SURE about NEVER AGENT as nominee!!!

some even go as far as advice NEVER with own wife (when not married first with prenoptional contract)

> and yes the 5% not a fixed thing (HOW CAN IT BE as normally ILLEGAL but so far TOLERATED)but over the 4 last years I do hear / understand to calculate that as guide line

> the main issue with nominee can not be now but in most cases when nominee deceases and than big problem in his family + it can be used as base of pressure by some "not so nice" people with bad intentions ...... similar happened already with businesses and PMA nominees where bules lost all ....

Carol, if it were as simple for foreigners to buy land here as it is in other countries, this place would be headed down the drain in a New York second.

Personally I hope, and I also lobby with every Indonesian government official I meet, that the current laws regarding foreign ownership of land never change here, particularly in Bali.

Here in Bali land is very closely tied to Bali Hindu Agama and the Balinese culture.  As bad as the erosion of Balinese culture currently is, a change in the land laws allowing foreign ownership would be the death knell of Balinese culture.  I have three very good reasons to feel the way I do…Wayan Bima, Made Rama Wishnu and Komang Ari…my three sons. 

And btw, land ownership laws here are very similar in another very popular SE Asian tourist destination, that being Thailand. 

Daniel, I don’t know how long you’ve been on Bali, for me it’s going on 16 years and in those years I’ve been through a whole lot of various land transactions.  What is more common (in my neck of the woods anyway) is to work the nominee into the lease agreement with him or her promising a 5% transfer fee should the land be subsequently sold in the future. 

Also important is to include mandatory wording to the effect that the nominee automatically agrees to any future changes to the Hak Malik on the property should the foreign “buyer” ever decide to outright sell the land in the future. 

There is nothing illegal about a nominee demanding a 5% fee (or more if they want) to be the nominee (owner) on the Hak Malik, but if you think about it, paying a local up front to be a nominee for a land purchase is ludicrous since eventually, down the road, he or she, or their heirs will end up having full control of the land, all the while maintaining complete and legal ownership.