Lost or Damaged Luggage on Arrival in Bali: How to Claim

Report it before you leave the baggage reclaim area. At Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, the Lost & Found or airline baggage service counters are inside the arrivals baggage hall, and that is where you file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Without a PIR, claims to the airline and your insurer get much harder. Time limits and compensation amounts below were checked in October 2026.

Step 1: In the baggage hall, before customs

• Wait until the carousel has fully stopped and check the oversized baggage area nearby. Surfboard bags, strollers and boxes often come out there.
• Go to the Lost & Found counter or your airline's baggage service staff. Bring your passport, boarding pass and bag tag stub (usually stuck to your boarding pass or passport cover).
• Describe your bag: brand, colour, size, type (hard case, backpack, golf bag), distinguishing marks such as ribbons or stickers, and the main contents.
• If your bag is damaged or items are missing, show the staff on the spot and photograph the damage there, including the bag tag still attached.
• Ask for a copy of the PIR and note the file reference. This number (usually starting with the airport code DPS and the airline code) is used to trace the bag through WorldTracer, the system many airlines use.
• Write your full accommodation address and an active WhatsApp number on the form. For villas down small lanes in Canggu or Ubud, add the banjar (neighbourhood) name and a Google Maps location link.

Step 2: Know which rules apply

International flights (for example Sydney, Perth, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to Denpasar) fall under the 1999 Montreal Convention, which Indonesia ratified through Presidential Regulation No. 95 of 2016. The essentials:

• Damaged bag: written complaint within 7 days of receiving it.
• Delayed bag: written complaint within 21 days of it being handed to you.
• If the bag hasn't arrived after 21 days, or the airline admits it is lost, you can claim for lost baggage.
• Airline liability limit since 28 December 2024: 1,519 SDR (Special Drawing Rights) per passenger, roughly US$2,000 depending on the rate. That is a ceiling, not an automatic payout; you still need to prove your loss.
• Any court action must be brought within 2 years.

Domestic flights (for example Jakarta, Surabaya or Labuan Bajo to Denpasar) are covered by Transport Minister Regulation No. 77 of 2011 on Air Carrier Liability:

• A bag counts as lost if not found within 14 calendar days of arrival.
• Lost baggage is compensated at Rp200,000 per kg, up to Rp4,000,000 per passenger.
• While the bag is still missing, passengers are entitled to a waiting allowance of Rp200,000 per day for up to 3 days.
• Damage is compensated according to the type, shape, size and brand of the bag.

If your domestic flight is part of a single international ticket (say Tokyo to Jakarta then on to Denpasar on one booking), the whole journey is generally treated as international and the Montreal Convention applies.

One weakness of the domestic rules worth knowing: the Rp4 million cap rarely covers a traveller's bag with a camera, surfboard or dive gear. For expensive items, travel insurance or a declaration of higher value at check-in protects you far better.

Step 3: Your first day without a suitcase

• Buy only basics: toothbrush, a change of clothes, swimwear, medication. Minimarkets in Kuta, Seminyak or Sanur stay open late.
• Keep every receipt. Airlines and insurers ask for proof of purchase, and anything seen as excessive may be refused.
• Prescription medicine stuck in your bag: take the prescription or old packaging to a pharmacy or clinic; don't wait for the bag.
• If your bag carries a tracker such as an AirTag, send the airline a screenshot of its location along with your PIR number. It helps, but the airline still has to collect and deliver the bag.

Step 4: Following up with the airline

• Garuda Indonesia: the PIR is made at the arrivals Lost & Found counter. Continue the claim through the official customer service channels on garuda-indonesia.com, quoting your PIR number.
• Jetstar: report to Jetstar Baggage Services or the service desk before leaving the airport. For international flights the limits are 7 days (damaged) and 21 days (delayed or lost). You can check a delayed bag's status online with your reference number, and reimbursement for essentials is claimed in writing through the baggage enquiry form with receipts. Its baggage services team works 24 hours a day.
• Virgin Australia: report in the baggage reclaim area. You'll get a 10-character reference you can track on WorldTracer. The baggage contact centre contacts you daily, and the claims process starts if the bag isn't located within 7 days. Note that Virgin Australia does not cover scratches, dents, minor cuts, broken wheels, zips, locks or straps, or damage from overpacking.
• AirAsia: report at the airport baggage service counter, then follow up through the official help pages on airasia.com with your PIR number.

For other airlines, find the "delayed/damaged baggage" page on the official website. Send a written claim (email or form) even if you've already reported it in person, and keep proof that you did.

Step 5: Insurance claims

Travel insurers and credit card cover usually ask for the PIR, boarding pass, bag tag, receipts for emergency purchases, photos of damage, and a letter from the airline stating what it has or hasn't paid. A bag lost in the airline's custody is proven by the PIR. A police report is only needed when something is stolen outside the airline's responsibility, such as from a car or villa; we explain that process in our article on reporting lost or stolen items to the police.

Official contacts and locations

• Lost & Found counter: in the arrivals baggage reclaim hall, before customs. See the airport on Google Maps.
• Official airport information: ngurahrai.injourneyairports.id (the old bali-airport.com address redirects there). Terminal layout is in our Ngurah Rai airport 2026 article.
• Claim forms and tracing: the baggage page on each airline's official website. We deliberately don't list phone numbers; take them from your PIR or the official site so you don't fall for fake numbers on social media.

One small habit that saves a lot of time: photograph your suitcase and its contents before you fly. Those photos answer half the questions on a PIR form.