Living at Kura Kura Bali: Residences, Relocation & Expat Services

Living in Kura Kura Bali is possible today in stages: the 498-hectare Special Economic Zone on Serangan Island includes residential and mixed-use functions in its officially permitted master plan, and relocating executives typically secure a premium villa base in nearby Sanur or South Denpasar while the zone’s residential districts are built out. This guide covers what the master plan actually permits, interim housing that works for families, schooling inside the SEZ, visa and KITAS pathways, and how an end-to-end relocation package is arranged through the Juara Holding Group ecosystem.

A note on names first. “Kura Kura Bali” and “Turtle Island Bali” refer to the same place — kura-kura is Indonesian for turtle, and the zone’s developer is PT Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID). Everything on this page applies under either name.

Who This Guide Is For

This page is written for executives, founders, and families who are relocating to Bali because of the SEZ itself — a posting, a company being established inside the zone, or a long-term investment position that needs an owner on the ground. If you are a remote worker looking for a short-term base near Serangan, our separate guide to stays for digital nomads near Turtle Island Bali is the better starting point. The needs are different: a nomad wants flexibility and Wi-Fi; a relocating family needs a school place, a compliant visa, a secure home, and someone accountable when things go wrong at 2 a.m.

Residential Living in the 498-Hectare Master Plan

Kura Kura Bali was formally established as a Special Economic Zone by Government Regulation No. 23 of 2023, signed on 5 April 2023, covering 498 hectares of Serangan Island in South Denpasar. What matters for anyone planning to live there is the land-use permission underneath the headline: Indonesia’s environment ministry records that the zone’s environmental permit — first issued in 2017 for 491 hectares and later expanded to 498 — covers hospitality, residential, commercial, and education functions. Residential living is not an afterthought bolted onto a resort project; it is one of the permitted core functions of the zone.

The SEZ is positioned around quality tourism and creative industries, with a stated ambition to develop an international financial center that national authorities have discussed with an investment target of around IDR 104.4 trillion (roughly US$6 billion). By the first quarter of 2026 the zone had recorded IDR 1.62 trillion in realized investment and 2,146 jobs created. For a relocating family, those numbers translate into something practical: a district that is being built for people to work, study, and live in — not only to visit.

Purpose-built residences inside the zone are being delivered in phases, which is why realistic relocation planning treats the SEZ residence as the destination and a nearby villa as the bridge. If your interest is acquiring rather than renting once residential product is released, our guide to property investment at Kura Kura Bali explains how foreign ownership structures and SEZ positioning work in practice.

Interim Housing: Premium Villas in Sanur and South Denpasar

Serangan Island sits on Bali’s southeast coast, minutes from Sanur and within easy reach of Ngurah Rai International Airport. That geography is the reason nearly every executive relocation we arrange starts in Sanur or South Denpasar: you can be at the zone quickly, your family lives in an established neighborhood with restaurants, clinics, and beach access, and you are not committing capital to a purchase before you have lived through a wet season.

What we look for in an interim villa for a relocating family:

• Security first. Walled compound, vetted staff, controlled access, and — for principals with a public profile — properties from our secure villa portfolio rather than the open rental market.
• Commute reality. A villa that looks close on a map can sit on the wrong side of morning traffic. We shortlist by actual drive time to Serangan, not distance.
• Family infrastructure. Proximity to international schools, a hospital with international patient services, and daily conveniences your household staff can reach on foot or by scooter.
• Lease terms that match your build timeline. Six- to eighteen-month terms with extension options aligned to when your zone residence will be ready.

Secure villa sourcing for our relocation clients runs through the expat services division of Bali Premium Trip, the Juara Holding Group company that handles housing, transport, and on-the-ground support for foreign professionals across Bali.

Schools and Education Inside the SEZ

Education is one of the four functions written into the zone’s environmental permit, and the master plan’s core activities include education alongside hospitality, residential, and commercial uses — with international schooling and future higher-education partners part of the zone’s stated direction. For families, the honest picture in the current phase is this: plan schooling around Bali’s existing international schools for your first years, and treat in-zone education as a developing option to monitor rather than a facility you can enrol into on arrival day.

As part of relocation planning we map school options against your villa shortlist — curriculum (IB, Cambridge, national-plus), waiting lists, and the drive from each candidate property — so the school decision and the housing decision are made together, not in conflict. Start school conversations early; popular year groups in South Bali carry waiting lists.

Visas and KITAS: The Legal Pathway

There is no special “SEZ visa” you can pick off a shelf; relocating executives and family members use Indonesia’s existing stay-permit framework, matched to their actual role. The pathways we most often arrange documentation support for include:

• Work-sponsored KITAS — for executives employed by an Indonesian entity, including companies established inside the zone.
• Investor KITAS — for shareholders and directors of a PT PMA (foreign-owned company), a common route for principals who are setting up a business inside Kura Kura Bali and using the SEZ’s incentive framework.
• Dependent KITAS — for spouses and children of a primary permit holder, so the family relocates on one coherent structure.
• Second home and long-stay options — for principals whose situation fits a wealth- or property-based route rather than employment.

Document preparation, sponsorship coordination, immigration appointments, and renewals are handled through the legal concierge and immigration desk at Bali Premium Trip, which works with licensed Indonesian immigration consultants and law firms. You are never left to interpret a regulation change from a news article; your case manager tells you what it means for your permit and what happens next.

Disclaimer: this page is general information, not legal, immigration, tax, investment, or financial advice. Indonesian visa categories, SEZ regulations, and ownership rules change, and how they apply depends on your citizenship, corporate structure, and personal circumstances. Verify every pathway described here with a licensed Indonesian immigration consultant, advocate, or tax advisor before making decisions or payments.

End-to-End Relocation Through the Juara Ecosystem

Relocation fails in the gaps — the week between landing and getting keys, the school run with no driver, the medical question at midnight. Our relocation packages close those gaps by putting one accountable team across the whole move, drawing on Juara Holding Group companies that already operate these services daily for high-profile clients in Bali:

• Secure villa placement — shortlisting, inspection, lease negotiation, and staff vetting before you land.
• 24/7 secure transportation — professional drivers on retainer for the principal and family, including airport movements and the daily school run.
• 24/7 hotline concierge — one number for emergencies, translations, government offices, and the ordinary friction of a new country.
• Medical planning — hospital registration, insurance coordination, and specialist access arranged through our medical and wellness concierge for Kura Kura Bali before anyone needs it.
• Legal and immigration case management — KITAS processing, company documentation, and renewals tracked on your behalf.

The result is that your first ninety days in Bali feel administered rather than improvised. You attend to the zone, your company, and your family; the machinery runs behind you.

Indicative Costs for Relocating Near Kura Kura Bali

Every relocation is priced against the family’s actual requirements — villa grade, security level, number of permits, school-age children — so treat the figures below as indicative planning ranges, confirmed in a formal proposal.

All figures are indicative, exclude government fees and taxes, and are confirmed only in writing after a scoping call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can foreigners live inside Kura Kura Bali SEZ today?

Residential use is one of the permitted functions of the 498-hectare zone under its environmental permit, and residential and mixed-use development is part of the master plan. Purpose-built residences are being delivered in phases, so most relocating families live in premium villas in Sanur or South Denpasar first and move into the zone as residential product becomes available.

What visa do I need to live near Kura Kura Bali?

Most relocating executives use a work-sponsored KITAS or an investor KITAS attached to a PT PMA, with dependent KITAS for family members. The right route depends on your role, shareholding, and citizenship — which is why we route every case through a legal concierge working with licensed immigration professionals rather than offering one-size answers.

Are there international schools inside the SEZ?

Education is a permitted function of the zone and part of its master plan direction, including international schooling. In the current phase, families should plan around South Bali’s established international schools, which we help shortlist and apply to, while monitoring in-zone education as it develops.

How far is Serangan Island from Sanur and the airport?

Serangan sits just off Bali’s southeast coast beside Sanur and South Denpasar, and is reached by road — no boat required. Both Sanur and Ngurah Rai International Airport are a short drive away, which is exactly why we base relocating families in this corridor.

Can I buy property at Kura Kura Bali instead of renting?

Acquisition is a separate decision with its own structures for foreign buyers and its own timing relative to the zone’s release schedule. Our property investment guide covers ownership vehicles, SEZ positioning, and how buying interacts with your visa status; most families still rent for their first year regardless.

How is this different from being a digital nomad in Bali?

A nomad optimizes for flexibility on a tourist-friendly visa; a relocating executive needs a compliant long-stay permit, a lease that protects a family, school places, and standing security and medical arrangements. This page — and our relocation packages — are built for the second situation.

Start Planning Your Relocation

If you are moving to Bali for Kura Kura Bali — a posting, a company, or an investment that needs you nearby — start with a scoping conversation. Tell us your timeline, family size, and security requirements, and we will return a written relocation proposal covering villa, visas, schooling, transport, and medical planning. Message our team on WhatsApp at wa.me/6281128590000 or email [email protected].