🇮🇩 Lawful hiring · fair work · child safety
Domestic help and nannies in Bali
Bali's household-help market is often described through referrals, daily rates and flexible duties. Indonesia changed that legal context materially in 2026: Law No. 2 of 2026 on the Protection of Domestic Workers is now in force, creating a national framework for direct recruitment, licensed placement companies, pay, time, leave, social security and dispute resolution.
Last verified 29 August 2026
The short answer
Can a family hire domestic help in Bali?
Families hiring in Bali should now start with Indonesia's Law No. 2 of 2026, not an old blog saying domestic work is largely unregulated. The law recognises direct recruitment and licensed domestic-worker placement companies and provides a framework for pay, working time, leave, religious holiday allowance, social security and safe conditions. Implementing rules are still important, so verify the live process locally and put the agreement in writing.
Choose the type of help you need
Four arrangements with different responsibilities
A worker supplied by a company, a part-time household worker and a live-in nanny can create different employment, immigration, insurance and safeguarding responsibilities.
Villa cleaning service
Property-led, task-based cleaning
Direct household hire
Recurring cleaner, housekeeper, nanny, cook or driver
Licensed P3RT placement
Structured recruitment and matching
Specialist childcare service
Babysitting, newborn or short-stay support
Your responsibilities as an employer
What the rules mean for your family
Use this as a starting point, then confirm the current requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified local adviser. Swipe the table on smaller screens.
| Topic | Current position | What the family should do |
|---|---|---|
| Current law | Law No. 2 of 2026 on Protection of Domestic Workers took effect on 30 April 2026 and supersedes the idea that only a 2015 ministerial regulation matters. | Ask any adviser or agency to explain its process under the new law and provide the relevant implementing rule when issued. |
| Scope | The law regulates household-work scope, working time, direct recruitment and recruitment through a P3RT placement company. | Decide whether a vendor supplies a service or the family is the employer; document the relationship accurately. |
| Worker rights | The official summary identifies rights including wages, working time, leave, religious holiday allowance, social security and a safe and healthy work environment. | Write each entitlement and current calculation into the agreement rather than using one opaque monthly package. |
| Placement companies | P3RT companies are subject to business licensing, placement duties, prohibitions and administrative sanctions. | Verify the licence and obtain the placement and employment documents before paying or accepting a worker. |
| Disputes | The law provides for deliberation and mediation, with government guidance and supervision. | Keep signed terms, payment/leave records and contacts for the local manpower authority; create a concern route for the worker. |
| Foreign workers | A visitor or foreign resident's stay permission does not automatically authorise paid domestic work in Indonesia. | Do not import or casually engage a foreign nanny without current immigration and manpower clearance for the person, role and employer. |
What matters most
How Indonesia's 2026 law changes household hiring
The new law moves domestic work towards clearer, documented employment. Families should use written terms and check how the current rules apply locally.
Personal referral
A recommendation may introduce a person, but you still need to check identity, licence, experience and fair terms.
Defined relationship
Record direct household employment or a licensed company's service/placement role.
Written rights
Set duties, time, pay, leave, THR, social security, safety, privacy and ending arrangements.
Keep clear records
Maintain records, review any growth in duties and use current local manpower procedures for changes or disputes.
Hiring a nanny also means making safeguarding checks
Employment checks and child-safety checks are different
Lawful status does not prove childcare competence, and a warm reference does not prove lawful status. Complete both sets of checks before anyone provides sole-charge care.
Do not outsource judgement
A villa manager or friend can refer; the parents must still verify identity, references, childcare history and emergency competence.
Design for pools and scooters
Write pool supervision, beach rules, helmet/car-seat expectations, authorised transport and who may carry a child on a motorbike.
Translate high-risk rules
Use Indonesian for allergies, medicine, earthquakes, volcano alerts, evacuation, pets and emergency contacts; check understanding back.
Protect private life
Agree phone, photographs, social media, visitors and any camera use. Provide real rest and private space for live-in work.
Immediate red flags: pressure to retain a passport, unexplained recruitment debt, no private contact with the worker, resistance to direct references, a role or employer that does not match permission, or a request to hide the arrangement from an authority.
Research from home
Five steps to hiring safely and fairly
Use these steps before a scouting trip or move. They help you turn a vague plan to “get a helper” into specific checks, questions and records.
- 01
Name the legal relationship
Ask whether the person is directly recruited, placed by a licensed P3RT or employed by a cleaning/childcare service.
- 02
Verify under the 2026 law
Check identity, company licence where relevant and the current local implementation of contract, registration and social-security duties.
- 03
Test childcare evidence
Use direct references and scenarios involving pools, roads, allergies, illness and local-language emergencies.
- 04
Write a complete agreement
Include duties, place, time, rest, pay, THR, leave, social security, food/room, safety, privacy, notice and return of property.
- 05
Review after reality arrives
Meet at two and six weeks, record changed duties and keep the worker's off-duty time protected.
Budget for more than the wage
Work out the complete cost of employing someone
Figures date quickly and roles differ. Collect current written quotes, then compare every required cost on the same basis.
Wages
Use current Bali/local norms and the new legal framework; role, corridor and specialist childcare change the market.
THR and leave
Religious holiday allowance and leave need cash-flow planning and substitute cover.
Social security
The 2026 law includes social-security protection; verify current enrolment and contribution mechanics.
Placement/service fees
Obtain an itemised quote and verify a P3RT's licence before paying recruitment costs.
Transport and retention
Long cross-island commutes are fragile; fair travel arrangements can be more valuable than a low headline rate.
How local arrangements differ
What to expect in different places
- Sanur
- Compact family geography can support predictable part-time or regular arrangements.
- Ubud
- Candidate travel and weather matter across dispersed villages; emergency handover needs precision.
- Canggu
- Congestion can turn short shifts into poor jobs; recruit close to the actual home and school corridor.
- Key warning
- Advice written before 30 April 2026 may omit the new national domestic-worker law.
Continue the family research
Make domestic help part of the wider family plan
Domestic help cannot solve an impossible school run, unsuitable visa or unaffordable budget. Consider it alongside the rest of your household plan.
Common questions
Questions about domestic help and nannies in Bali
Is domestic work regulated in Bali in 2026?
Yes. Indonesia's Law No. 2 of 2026 on Protection of Domestic Workers took effect on 30 April 2026. It creates a national framework for recruitment, working time, work relationships, rights and duties, social security, placement companies, supervision and dispute resolution.
Should we use a contract for a nanny in Bali?
Yes. The relationship and rights should be written clearly even if the candidate came through a friend. Include duties, hours, rest, pay, leave, THR, social security, transport, room/food if relevant, privacy, safeguarding, notice and final settlement under current Indonesian rules.
What is a P3RT in Indonesia?
It is a domestic-worker placement company regulated by the 2026 law. The law addresses licensing, placement agreements, duties, prohibitions and sanctions. Verify the company's current business licence and documents rather than accepting a social-media profile.
How much does a nanny or housekeeper cost in Bali?
There is no useful island-wide number. Full-time versus part-time, childcare age, language, cooking, driving, live-in status and the commute change the price. Budget wages plus THR, leave cover, social security, transport and any lawful placement/service charge.
Can we hire someone working at our villa privately?
First identify their employer and contract. Private side work may breach the villa company's arrangement, create insurance gaps or conflict with the new domestic-worker framework. Obtain written agreement from the relevant parties and local advice before changing the role.
Can we bring our foreign nanny to Bali?
Do not assume a visitor or family visa authorises work. Foreign work in Indonesia requires the correct manpower and immigration basis and an eligible employer/role. Obtain formal advice before the nanny travels or performs any duties.
What Bali-specific nanny risks should we cover?
Pool and beach supervision, scooters and car seats, dogs, open villas, heat, medicines, earthquake/volcano procedures and long travel times deserve written rules and an observed handover.