Roaming in Indonesia: 2026 rates, travel passes, and how to avoid out-of-bundle charges

Roaming, or roaming, is the mechanism that allows your phone to connect to a foreign operator's network while remaining linked to your usual subscription. In Indonesia, your mobile picks up the network of a local partner, such as Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo, or XL, depending on the partnership agreements signed by your operator. The latter pays the Indonesian operator for the service, then bills it back to you. The entire issue lies in the price of this rebilling.

Why Indonesia is outside of European roaming

The European roaming regulation imposes national rates within the European Union and the European Economic Area. Indonesia is not part of this: it is treated as an international destination, and each operator applies its own pricing policy there.

What happens as soon as you land

If data roaming is active, applications sync in the background as soon as airplane mode is turned off: emails, photo backups, updates. You haven't even opened anything, and the meter is already running, even before you've read the free welcome SMS from your operator.

Roaming and IMEI law: no paperwork required for a standard stay

Indonesia blocks undeclared foreign phones after 90 days of presence, via their IMEI number. Below this threshold, there are no formalities, whether you use your roaming line or a travel eSIM, which is also treated as roaming. IMEI registration concerns long stays with a local SIM card: we will return to this below.

The cost of roaming in Indonesia depends on three lines in your operator's pricing grid: the price per MB, the price per minute, and the price per SMS. Look for the "Indonesia", "Asia", or "rest of the world" line in their international grid, then check three points: is data included, is there a travel pass, and is your line blocked once a certain amount is reached?

Charged per megabyte, data usage climbs very quickly: one photo, a Google Maps route, a few stories, and the bill can exceed the price of a full plan. The cost of roaming in Indonesia depends entirely on your original operator's re-billing: locally, 25 GB sells for 150,000 IDR, approximately €9.

Two lines weigh less but still count towards roaming costs in Indonesia: voice and SMS. Outgoing calls are charged per minute, and incoming calls often are too. If your line is paid for by your company, check its roaming policy before leaving.

Each operator has its own policy for Indonesia. Among the available mobile plans, you will generally find four options, which you should compare in your plan's pricing sheet before departure.

• Data included: some plans include a data allowance usable abroad, including Indonesia. Check the volume and what happens once the allowance is exhausted.
• Day pass: a 24-hour plan that can be activated upon your first connection. Practical for a layover, costly for two weeks.
• Travel pass: a data volume, sometimes including minutes and SMS, valid for a fixed number of days. Once exhausted, you will be charged out-of-bundle rates.
• Out of plan: without an option, every megabyte, every minute, and every SMS is paid for individually. This is the formula to avoid.

Change your subscription for travel

Do you need to change your subscription for travel? With a no-commitment plan, nothing prevents you from doing so, but it's a hassle for just two weeks: a new SIM card to receive, number portability, and, if your plan is bundled with your home internet box, a discount to keep an eye on. A more practical option: keep one of the mobile plans you already have and add a travel solution on top.

Take a typical fifteen-day trip between Bali and Lombok, with 10 GB consumed: Google Maps on a scooter, Grab, WhatsApp, social media, and booking activities. With voilà eSIM, 10 GB valid for 30 days costs $9.60, a price fixed before departure.

To compare, look at what your operator charges for the same volume: the price of their travel pass if they offer one, or the price per MB out-of-plan multiplied by more than 10,000.

Second scenario: one month of remote work in Canggu, with 50 GB consumed through video calls and tethering. The 50 GB plan from voilà eSIM costs $34.90. With a travel pass of only a few GB, you would need to repurchase several throughout the month.

If your plan includes the destination or if you have purchased a pass, all you have to do is activate roaming. Activation happens at two levels: on your line, then on your phone.

Regarding the operator, before departure

Check in your customer area that international usage is authorized on your line: some operators disable it by default. If international roaming is disabled, customer service can reopen it. And if you are getting a pass, buy it before you leave: you will avoid activating roaming from the airport on a connection billed per MB.

On iPhone

1. Open Settings, then Cellular Data.
2. Tap Options (or your primary line if you have two lines).
3. Enable "Data Roaming".

On Android

1. Open Settings, then Network & Internet (Connections on a Samsung Galaxy).
2. Go to SIM Cards or Mobile Networks and select your line.
3. Enable "Data Roaming".

Once the switch is activated, the connection is established in just a few moments. If nothing happens after attempting to activate roaming, the problem usually stems from the network selection: restart the phone or manually select a network in the Network Operator menu.

To avoid roaming fees, the same switch works the other way around. If your plan doesn't include Indonesia, a series of simple steps brings roaming fees back to zero.

Cutting data abroad without losing your line

Turn off Data Roaming on your primary line, on iPhone or Android, before boarding. Your SIM card remains active: you will still receive your SMS. This is useful for your bank card: both online and traditional banks still send codes via SMS to validate a payment or access to your bank account. On the other hand, not a single byte will pass through your plan. It is the reflex that avoids most roaming charges.

Block hidden data usage

• Disable automatic photo backup and app updates over mobile data.
• Download your offline Google Maps in the Wi-Fi, before departure.
• Turn off background app refresh for data-hungry applications.
• Disable Wi-Fi Assist (iPhone) or Automatic Wi-Fi switching (Android).

Incoming calls and voicemail: the forgotten trap

Roaming fees aren't just about data. In Indonesia, answering a call is generally charged per minute by your operator, even when it's a loved one calling you without knowing you are traveling. Tell your circle to use WhatsApp, avoid sending standard SMS, and don't check your voicemail from the mobile network. To understand what an eSIM allows regarding calls, read our article on eSIMs and phone numbers.

We'll show you the setup in this video:

Once your data is cut off, three solutions allow you to avoid roaming charges while staying connected: a travel eSIM, a local SIM card, and Wi-Fi.

A travel eSIM, sometimes called an international eSIM, is a digital SIM card built into your smartphone: you download a local data plan by scanning a QR code, without changing your SIM card. You turn off roaming on your primary line, activate it on the eSIM line, and keep your number for SMS.

Here is the voilà eSIM price list for Indonesia, as of September 21, 2026:

The voilà eSIM Indonesia plans offer excellent value for money: at $0.96 per GB on the 10 GB plan, you know the exact price before you leave. The eSIM is simple to install, the app is easy to use to track your consumption or add more GB, and live customer support responds 24/7, no matter the time in Bali: if there's a problem, you talk to a real person. No subscriptions, no commitments, no automatic renewals. Data sharing is included, allowing the whole family to enjoy a single plan. voilà eSIM does not offer unlimited data, so you only pay for the volume you need.

If you are looking for unlimited data, the Holafly eSIM is only sold in this format: €25.50 for 7 days, €46.90 for 15 days, €68.90 for 30 days. For fifteen days, it is €46.90 compared to $9.60 for a 10 GB eSIM.

Only condition: an eSIM compatible phone. Check yours below, or read how to know if your phone is eSIM compatible.

To activate an eSIM in Indonesia, everything is prepared before departure, from your home, over Wi-Fi. The process consists of four steps.

1. Choose your plan based on the length of your stay and pay online. Delivery is instant: the QR code arrives via email, and the eSIM appears in your profile if you use the voilà eSIM app.
2. Scan the QR code, or tap "Install eSIM" in the app: the profile downloads and installs in less than two minutes.
3. Before boarding, turn off roaming on your primary line and set the eSIM as your mobile data line.
4. Upon arrival, enable data roaming on the eSIM line only. The plan starts automatically at your destination and the local network takes over.

You can therefore activate an eSIM in the Denpasar or Jakarta airport hall without searching for a shop: the connection is immediate. Roaming enabled on the eSIM line generates no fees, since the data volume is prepaid.

If you have no signal after landing, check that data roaming is active on the eSIM line and that network selection is set to automatic. To activate an eSIM step-by-step, follow our tutorial to install an eSIM on both iPhone and Android. One last tip before activating an eSIM: do it on a stable Wi-Fi connection, as downloading the profile requires a connection.

A local prepaid SIM card remains the best price per GB for a long stay, and the only way to get an Indonesian number. For a traveler, the question is twofold: which physical SIM card to buy, and above all, where. The place of purchase has a greater impact on the price than the carrier.

The best SIM card for a tourist is the official Telkomsel offer: 150,000 IDR, which is approximately €9, for 25 GB and 25 minutes of calls over 30 days. In the Denpasar arrival hall, the same card can cost as much as 350,000 IDR.

Three constraints to know before buying a local SIM card:

• Passport required. Indonesian law requires you to present your passport to activate a physical SIM card. Registration takes a few minutes in-store, sometimes with a language barrier.
• IMEI registration beyond 90 days. For a long stay, your phone must be declared to customs upon arrival, free of charge if the device is worth less than $500.
• Credit to manage. Top-ups are your responsibility, via the operator's app or at a convenience store, and your usual SIM comes out of the phone if it only has one slot.

Prices per point of sale are detailed in our article on the SIM card in Bali, and formalities (passport, customs, $500 allowance) in the one on the SIM card in Indonesia.

Whether you use roaming, an eSIM, or a local SIM, your phone ultimately connects to one of the operators in Indonesia. Four brands share the market, but only three distinct networks remain: XL Axiata and Smartfren have merged to form XLSmart, which began operations on April 16, 2025.

Among the operators in Indonesia, Telkomsel offers the best connectivity: over 97% of the population is covered in 4G, and an Hyper 5G network is open in 56 cities and districts, including Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Denpasar. It makes the difference as soon as you leave southern Bali.

• Bali and Java. 5G in Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak and in the major cities of Java, smooth 4G elsewhere. The four operators in Indonesia get the job done.
• Lombok and the Gilis. Good coverage on the west coast of Lombok. Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, and Gili Meno are covered, with a more stable signal on Telkomsel.
• Nusa Penida. Decent 4G around the main sites, more random on the western tracks.
• Flores and Komodo. Telkomsel is the only network to rely on. Download your offline maps before a sea crossing.

With roaming, you don't have a choice: your phone connects to your original operator's partner, regardless of their coverage on your island. The multi-network alternative removes this limit: voilà eSIM relies on four operators in Indonesia, including Telkomsel, and your phone can connect to the one with the best signal.

To have internet in Indonesia, you have five solutions: your plan's roaming, a travel eSIM, a local SIM card, pocket WiFi, and public Wi-Fi. The first three are detailed above. The last two are best reserved for emergencies.

Hotel, cafe, and coworking Wi-Fi can be helpful in Canggu or Ubud, but it won't follow you on a scooter. On an open network, avoid accessing your bank or your passwords. Pocket WiFi, a router you have to rent, recharge, and return, provides the same service as an eSIM's data sharing. To have internet in Indonesia for daily life, mobile internet remains indispensable.

For the overview (comparison of the five solutions, eSIM ranking, data volume to expect based on your usage), everything is in our article Internet in Indonesia. If your stay is focused on a single island, the eSIM Bali page covers the plans and questions specific to this destination.

Having internet in Indonesia and then in the next country makes roaming even more complicated: each destination can fall under a different zone and a different pass. For a layover or an event in a neighboring country, check out the Singapore eSIM, the Malaysia eSIM or the Thailand eSIM. To travel through several of these countries, the Southeast Asia regional plan covers them all with a single eSIM, without needing to reinstall every time you cross a border. The Asia eSIM plan goes even further, all the way to Japan. If you are heading from Bali to Australia, the Australia eSIM takes over, and the Global eSIM plan is perfect for a trip around the world.

Five steps are enough to secure your bill.

1. Look for the Indonesia line in your mobile plan price list: whether data is included or not, price per MB, and the price of an incoming call.
2. If the country is not included, turn off data roaming on your primary line before boarding.
3. Install your eSIM using your home Wi-Fi.
4. Download your offline maps and create your Grab and Gojek accounts, which require an SMS verification code for registration.
5. Let your loved ones know: in Indonesia, they'll call you on WhatsApp.

If another country outside of Europe is on the itinerary, the method is the same: we applied it to roaming in Turkey, using each operator's specific rates.

Roaming in Indonesia only makes sense in two cases: your plan already includes the destination, or you need standard voice minutes and your operator's pass provides them. Otherwise, roaming is the most expensive way to get Internet in Bali.

Setting it up correctly only takes two steps. You turn off roaming data on your primary line, which continues to receive your SMS. You install an eSIM before departure for data: $9.60 for 10 GB or $16.80 for 20 GB for 30 days with voilà eSIM, using the four networks in the country, with no bill upon your return. For a stay of several months, a Telkomsel SIM card purchased at an official store takes over.