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. Emergency care is not held up waiting for a payment conversation. Make that call first, then contact this desk.
The money conversation at a Bali hospital is short, happens at the worst possible moment, and is held in a second language. This page is about that conversation: what a deposit is, why we will not tell you how much it will be, how to read the bill, and what to ask before handing anything over.
Why a deposit is asked for, and why we publish no figure
What it secures
A deposit before admission is common practice for self-paying and foreign patients in Indonesia. Being asked for one is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It secures the facility against an unpaid bill for treatment it is about to begin, and it is normally reduced or waived once an insurer confirms cover in writing — which is why the first call should be to the insurer.
What it is not
It is not a price. It is not an estimate of what the treatment will cost, and it is not a payment you have lost. It is money held against a bill that does not exist yet.
No verifiable Bali-wide standard exists
We publish no deposit figure, because we have no sourced figure we could stand behind. The amount varies by facility, by ward, by the expected treatment and by whether an insurer has confirmed cover. Any site quoting a number for Bali is guessing or repeating someone else’s guess, and a wrong number is worse than none. Ask for the figure in writing at the admission desk before agreeing to it.
Reading an Indonesian hospital bill
Line items, room class, and what changes the total
Ask for the itemised bill, not the total. An itemised bill separates the room, the doctors’ fees, procedures, medication, consumables, laboratory and imaging. Two things move the total more than anything else: room class, and how many separate specialists have seen the patient. Both are worth asking about on the day, not at discharge.
For an inpatient stay, ask whether a running statement can be printed daily. A query on a line item is far easier to settle on the day it appears than in a queue on discharge morning, and where an insurer’s guarantee has a limit, a daily statement is how you see the total approaching it in time.
Paying: card, transfer, cash
What to ask before you are standing at the counter
Card and cash are usually both possible at private facilities, but do not assume it at three in the morning. There are three questions worth asking in advance: which methods the admission desk takes, whether a card attracts a surcharge, and whether cash has to be in rupiah. We ask those three in Indonesian before you are standing there deciding.
Two more are worth adding. Whether the facility places a pre-authorisation hold on a card, for how much, and when it is released — holds can sit for days after discharge and quietly block other spending. And whether the card limit and your bank’s overseas rules will let the payment through, which is a conversation for the bank rather than the hospital.
On passports: we have not verified any claim that hospitals in Bali retain a patient’s passport against a bill, so we do not repeat it as fact. What we can say is that we never hold a passport, and that if anyone asks for one as security, call the desk before agreeing.
Getting the deposit back
The condition to ask about before you hand it over
A deposit is normally set against the final bill, with any balance refunded on discharge, and that is the wording to confirm before you pay. Ask two things: how a refund is returned, and how long it takes. A refund to a card is not the same as cash at the counter, and the timing can run past your flight.
Keep the receipt. Your insurer will want it alongside the itemised bill, and a refund document is part of the same file. The full list is in admission and discharge paperwork.
If you cannot pay right now
What we can ask on your behalf
This happens, and it is not a moral failure. The honest position is that we cannot make a facility treat anyone, we cannot guarantee a bill, and we do not pay deposits or advance money for patients — be careful with anyone who offers to.
What can be asked for is time and information. Whether the insurer’s assistance line can issue a written guarantee now rather than tomorrow. Whether the facility will accept that guarantee in place of a deposit. Whether a written estimate can be given before treatment. Whether payment can be staged. Whether your embassy or consulate can help. Asking those questions in Indonesian, quickly, is the part we take on.
What we do, and what we do not do
What we do: ask the billing desk what is required and get the answer in writing; ask what the deposit covers and how the balance is refunded; ask which payment methods are accepted and whether a hold is placed on a card; review the itemised bill and translate the line items; collect the daily statement during an inpatient stay; keep every receipt for the claim; and put the insurer in the conversation early.
What we do not do: we do not settle, guarantee or advance a hospital bill or deposit. We do not negotiate clinical charges or tell a facility what its treatment should cost. We publish no facility tariffs and no deposit amounts, because we have none we could source. And we are not an insurer: we cannot approve a claim or issue a guarantee of payment.
Related: what a Guarantee of Payment is, what the family has to handle, how to choose a hospital in Bali, and how the coordination desk works.
Questions people ask
Do Bali hospitals ask for a deposit up front?
Expect to be asked for one. A deposit before admission is common practice for self-paying and foreign patients in Indonesia, and being asked is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is usually reduced or waived once an insurer confirms cover in writing, which is why we contact them immediately.
How much deposit do Bali hospitals require from foreign patients?
We do not publish deposit amounts. We have no sourced figure, and the amount varies by facility, by ward, by the expected treatment and by whether an insurer has confirmed cover. Ask for the figure in writing at the admission desk before you agree to it. We ask for it on your behalf.
Is a hospital deposit in Bali refundable?
A deposit is normally set against the final bill, with any balance refunded on discharge, and that is the wording to confirm before you pay. Ask how a refund is returned and how long it takes, especially on a card. Keep the receipt: your insurer will want it with the itemised bill.
Will a Bali hospital place a pre-authorisation hold on my credit card?
A pre-authorisation hold is common commercial practice and you should ask directly whether the facility uses one, for how much, and when it is released. Holds can sit on the card for days after discharge and quietly block other spending. Get the answer in writing; we ask at the admission desk.
To reach the desk: WhatsApp +62 811-2859-0000, or email sales@balipremiumtrip.com. Sanur Emergency is a non-clinical medical coordination desk in Bali, Indonesia. We hold no ownership or management interest in any hospital, clinic or ambulance service.
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.