If this is life-threatening, call 112 (national emergency) or 119 (medical emergency / ambulance) first. 112 is the national emergency number in Indonesia; 119 is the public health emergency line (PSC 119) for ambulance and medical dispatch. Make that call before you contact us. Once help is moving, message the desk and we take over the coordination around it.
Almost everything that goes wrong in a medical problem abroad goes wrong in the first ten minutes, and most of it is preventable with ten minutes of preparation done while nothing is wrong. This checklist you can finish yourself, today, without buying anything from anyone.
The ten-minute checklist
Numbers to save
Save 112 and 119 as contacts in the phone you carry, not in a note you would have to search for. Add your insurer’s 24-hour assistance line, which is on the policy document and not always on the app. Add a bilingual coordination number beside them, ours or anyone’s: the emergency number sends help, but somebody still has to handle the destination, the language and the paperwork. What the two official numbers are and who operates them is explained in Indonesia emergency numbers 112 and 119.
Documents to photograph
Passport pages. The insurance policy, including the assistance number and the policy reference. A list of current medication with the names and doses copied exactly from the packet. A note of allergies and existing conditions. The name and number of your usual doctor at home. Keep them together somewhere you can open without a password you will not remember while panicking, and give a copy to whoever travels with you.
One line to write down
Your accommodation, in a form a local driver can use: the pin from the map, the nearest landmark, which side of the road the gate is on, whether there is a gate code or a security post, and the property’s local name if it differs from the booking. Do this on arrival. Many Bali properties sit on unnamed lanes, and “the villa near the beach path” has cost people real time.
What to check in your policy
Scooters and motorbikes. Read the exclusions rather than the summary. Many policies restrict or exclude motorbike injuries unless conditions are met, and those conditions commonly involve a licence valid for the machine and a helmet. Scooter injuries are the most frequent reason visitors need urgent care in Bali, so this is the clause most worth reading before you land.
Notification before treatment. Many policies require you to call the assistance line before non-emergency treatment. Claims get argued over later when nobody called. Know whether yours requires it.
Direct settlement or reimbursement. Whether the insurer pays the facility directly or pays you back afterwards determines whether you need a payment method available for a deposit. Accepting insurance and billing your insurer directly are two different things. Ask which Bali facilities your insurer will bill directly under your policy number, and get the reply in writing. See what a Guarantee of Payment is.
Evacuation and repatriation. Check that it is covered and what triggers it. Coverage usually depends on medical necessity as judged by clinicians and on the insurer being notified before arrangements are made. See how repatriation is arranged.
We do not recommend a particular insurer or policy and we are not selling cover. Read your own wording: it is the only version that will be applied to you.
Know your area before you need it
Learn which direction the nearest emergency department is from where you are staying, and write it next to the address. That single line saves a conversation you do not want at two in the morning. The larger facilities cluster around Denpasar, the corridors towards the southern resorts congest unpredictably, and map distances mislead because ceremonies close roads without notice.
The facilities listed in each area, with the official source and the date each line was checked, are in the Bali hospital directory by area. How to weigh one against another is in how to choose a hospital in Bali. Capabilities and opening hours change. We confirm by phone at the time of your case.
Medication you are bringing
Carry prescription medicines in their original packaging with the pharmacy label, plus the prescription or a letter from your prescriber, in English, naming the medicine and the condition. Some medicines ordinary at home are controlled in Indonesia, and whether yours is admissible is answered by the Indonesian authorities or your embassy, not by us and not by a forum. Check before you pack. We do not advise on medicines, doses or substitutions.
If you are travelling with children, while pregnant, or older
Take your own paperwork with you rather than relying on memory: vaccination records, a summary of any ongoing condition, current medication and doses, and the contact details of the specialist who normally manages it. If you take regular medication, bring more than the trip needs. Anything clinical, including whether travel is advisable at all, is a conversation with your own doctor before you book. See children, pregnancy and older travellers in Bali.
What we can set up in advance
Send us a pre-arrival note and we hold it on file: who is travelling, where you are staying, your insurer and policy reference, any condition a coordinator should know about, and who to call if you cannot speak for yourself. It commits you to nothing and us to nothing clinical. It means that if you do call, we are not starting from your name.
What we do and what we do not do
What we do: answer the phone around the clock; help you choose a hospital or clinic; call it in Indonesian on your behalf; arrange ground transport; accompany and interpret; handle admission paperwork and insurer liaison; stay with the case until it is handed to licensed medical staff.
What we do not do: we are not a clinic, hospital or ambulance operator; we employ no doctors, nurses or paramedics; we do not diagnose, prescribe, give medical advice, or give first aid or any other clinical care, which only licensed providers may do; we do not sell or recommend insurance; and we promise no arrival time in minutes.
Questions people ask before they travel
Does travel insurance cover medical evacuation from Bali?
Many travel policies include emergency medical evacuation, but coverage depends on your wording, on medical necessity as judged by clinicians, and on the insurer being notified before arrangements are made. Never assume approval. We help you notify them early and keep the medical documentation moving in one file.
Which hospitals in Bali accept international travel insurance?
Accepting insurance and billing your insurer directly are two different things, and the gap between them is where travellers lose money. Many private Bali hospitals work with international insurers, but the arrangement depends on your specific insurer and policy. Confirm it with your insurer, in writing, before you need it.
Can I call 112 in Indonesia without an Indonesian phone number?
112 is published as a free call on the official Indonesian 112 portal, including from a locked handset, and it needs no mobile data. We still recommend testing that your roaming line can place a voice call on arrival, because coverage, not the number, is what usually fails on the islands.
Do Bali emergency operators speak English?
Assume the call will be handled in Indonesian. We have seen no official guarantee of an English-speaking operator, so plan for it: ask hotel or villa staff to dial and speak for you, or call our desk and we place the call in Indonesian on your behalf and stay on the line.
To reach the desk: WhatsApp +62 811-2859-0000, email sales@balipremiumtrip.com, or use the contact page. If something has already happened, start with after a scooter accident in Bali or what to do, in order.
Sanur Emergency is an independent medical concierge. We are not a clinic, hospital or ambulance operator, we do not employ medical staff, and we are not affiliated with any medical facility. All clinical care is delivered by licensed providers.