In short. The kit according to WHO and CDC: a remedy for diarrhoea and oral rehydration powder, a fever reducer and painkiller, a thermometer, antiseptic, plasters and dressings, repellent with DEET from 20%, sunscreen SPF 30 or higher, an antihistamine, a motion-sickness remedy for boats, and your own prescription medicines with a reserve. There is no malaria in the resort areas of Bali and in Ubud (CDC). BPOM rules for bringing medicines in: prescription medicines with a prescription and the customs form, a supply for no more than 90 days, psychotropic drugs for no more than 60 days and only in your luggage, narcotic drugs and everything made from cannabis, including CBD, are forbidden. On the spot, buy in an apotek with an SIA licence and a pharmacist, and check authenticity at cekbpom.pom.go.id.
What we rely on. We took the contents of the kit from international bodies: WHO in its "International travel and health" section and the American CDC in its travel recommendations. For Indonesian rules we use BPOM (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan, the agency that supervises medicines and food) and the Ministry of Health. We do not give names of drugs or doses: your doctor chooses them for your age, weight and chronic conditions.
What to put in the kit. Each item with the source that recommends it:
- A remedy for diarrhoea and oral rehydration powder (to replace fluids). Both are in the WHO and CDC Yellow Book lists. CDC adds that antibiotics for diarrhoea are prescribed by a doctor and are needed only in severe cases.
- A fever reducer and painkiller, and a clinical thermometer. WHO.
- Wound antiseptic, plasters, dressings, sterile wipes, tweezers, scissors. WHO.
- Mosquito repellent. WHO names the active ingredients DEET, picaridin and IR3535, and CDC advises a product with DEET from 20% and higher. WHO adds a remedy for the effects of bites.
- Sunscreen and an after-sun product. WHO; the CDC Yellow Book specifies SPF 30 or higher.
- An antihistamine for allergies. WHO and CDC Yellow Book.
- A motion-sickness remedy if you plan boats to Nusa Penida or the Gilis. WHO.
- Your regular prescription medicines with a reserve in case of flight delays. CDC Yellow Book and WHO.
CDC separately writes that there is no malaria transmission in the resort areas of Bali and in Ubud. For some other areas of Indonesia, above all the eastern ones, CDC recommends prevention by prescription, so if you travel there, ask a doctor in advance.
Medicines in your luggage: BPOM rules. As of October 2026, according to BPOM answers, medicines for personal use may be brought in. The conditions:
- any medicines on a doctor's prescription or a hospital's recommendation, plus a special form that is shown to customs (Bea Cukai) together with the prescription;
- without a prescription only over-the-counter medicines (Obat Bebas, Obat Bebas Terbatas) are allowed, in an amount for three days;
- the overall ceiling for personal use is a course for 90 days;
- psychotropic drugs for foreigners with a prescription, for no more than 60 days, only personally in luggage, not by post;
- narcotic drugs and precursors may not be brought in;
- without the right documents, medicines may be seized and destroyed.
Smartraveller warns that some prescription medicines, ADHD remedies and all cannabis products, including CBD and oils, are forbidden in Indonesia, and punishment threatens even if you have a prescription. We covered which substances are banned by law on the page about drugs and medicines. WHO and CDC advise carrying medicines in factory packaging, in hand luggage, with a copy of the prescription and a doctor's letter in a language the country understands. If you are unsure whether your medicine is allowed: BPOM WhatsApp 0812-1298-7545, email [email protected].
Which risks the kit is built for.
Traveller's stomach. CDC: wash your hands before eating and drink fluids with diarrhoea, and rehydration powder is sold in pharmacies of developing countries. In the CDC Yellow Book list, the anti-diarrhoeal is meant for diarrhoea without blood; with blood, see a doctor.
Sun. CDC for Indonesia: sunscreen, covering clothes, shade in the hottest hours from 10 to 16.
Dengue. Spread by Aedes mosquitoes, and there are cases in Bali (Smartraveller). WHO: covering clothes, repellent, mosquito nets. When dengue is suspected, WHO and the Indonesian Ministry of Health advise drinking more fluids, using paracetamol for pain and not taking ibuprofen and aspirin, because they raise the risk of bleeding. WHO: warning symptoms such as severe abdominal pain and uncontrollable vomiting need immediate help. Details are in the guide to dengue.
Rabies. CDC: infected dogs are common in Indonesia. WHO: after a bite or scratch, wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor at once for a vaccine. What to do step by step is in the guide to rabies.
Coral cuts. We did not find a separate recommendation on corals in official sources, but CDC writes about any open wounds and seawater: wash with soap and clean running water, cover with a waterproof plaster, and with an open wound avoid salt water if possible. Healthdirect (Australian health service): redness and swelling around the wound mean a visit to a doctor. Smartraveller: after downpours do not walk through water that has flooded the streets, because leptospirosis is possible there.
Buying on the spot. A pharmacy in Indonesian is apotek. Under Minister of Health regulation No. 9 of 2017, a pharmacist with a diploma (apoteker) works in it, and on the facade or by the road there are two signs: one with the pharmacy's name, SIA licence number and address, and one with the apoteker's name, their SIPA licence number and working hours. If there are no signs, go elsewhere. BPOM divides medicines by the symbol on the packaging: a green and a blue circle can be bought without a prescription, a red circle with the letter K only by prescription in a pharmacy, hospital or treatment point (balai pengobatan). Smartraveller: buying prescription medicines without a prescription from an Indonesian doctor is illegal. A prescription is written by a doctor in a clinic or hospital; addresses are in the guide to hospitals.
Before buying, check the packaging, the label and the expiry date and enter the name on cekbpom.pom.go.id: a registered medicine has a registration number. The Indonesian Ministry of Health advises buying medicines in a pharmacy or medical facility and asking the apoteker if it is unclear how to take a medicine and what its side effects are.
When the kit will not help. The kit does not replace a doctor. High fever, a bite or scratch from an animal, severe pain, blood in vomit or stool: see a doctor at once or call 112. The call is free, including from a locked phone, and the service passes the call to an ambulance, police and rescuers.
What this means for you. Put the kit together from the list above and show it to your doctor at home: they will choose specific drugs and doses. Bring prescription medicines in original packaging with the prescription and a doctor's letter, and a month before departure check with BPOM whether your medicine falls under a ban. On the spot, buy only in pharmacies with signs and a licence number, and do not take doubtful products from markets and stalls at all. Save 112 and the address of the nearest hospital in your phone in advance.