In Reply to: volunteering posted by darbss on Sunday, 23. September 2012 at 14:28 Bali Time:
and you have to be careful what visa you come in on, you can only come in on a tourist visa for a max of 60 days (no work allowed), you can extend it (it's not exactly legal to do it without leaving the country but people do it). If you get a social visa (no work allowed)it's 6 months but people do extend (you need to leave the country to extend it), you will need a sponsor and it is really for visiting family or social or cultural visits. If you come in on a business visa you must leave every 60 days anyway (no work allowed, can only be used for meetings or business negotiations etc), or there is a student visa, if studying at a university.
Please be careful as there have been many news articles here about task forces etc to stop foreigners coming here for any reason apart from as a tourist, retiree or genuine work (to work you must have a work permit, there have only been 1400 work permits issued in 2012 in Bali), you must work for a company (not a local company) and you must be degree qualified to do that role and more experienced than a local, therefore an expert in that field). Yes, there are many here illegally who have been doing it for years (that's another story) but if you start volunteering you will be "out there" and more likely you will be caught and deported immediately.
Some not for profit organisations can offer you a social visa if you can offer an educational exchange, not teaching English), also for research purposes.
Without a work permit you set yourself up for deportation if found working, volunteering in Indonesia is considered working. Note, a regulation was passed that it is $50,000 fine and 5 years jail. I know a DJ that was not working but got up at a private party and started spinning some records and was deported. He ended up, after long negotiations paying $10,000 and only 1 night in jail before his holiday ended abruptly. The restaurant owner was also fined heavily and his paperwork held until he paid, even though he had no idea who the guy was and the party was in a private room above the restaurant.