Bali Police Issue Strict Warning To International Consulates About Tourist Behaviour

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Bali’s Police Chief Inspector General, Daniel Adityajaya, has issued a strict warning to consulates based in Bali. He is calling for international support in helping improve tourist behavior by increasing the level of communication on provincial laws and cultural customs.

The plea comes just days after the province confirmed the imminent deportation of six foreigners found to be breaking their visa conditions. 

Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya issued the update to consulate generals from 40 countries in the province.

General Adityajaya explained to reporters that tourists in Bali are not above the law. He shared, “Of course, in accordance with the law in Indonesia. If you commit a violation of the law later, it will be processed by law as usual.”

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Since if a foreigner in Bali runs into contact with the law, consulate generals and embassies generally get involved too, General Adityajaya called on the continued support of consulate generals in the province to keep peace and harmony in the region.

He noted, “For that, we need to keep communicating with foreign countries. There are greements that allow for the handling of a case.”

Data shows that the number of foreigners and tourists in Bali who are coming into contact with the law is increasing. Numbers obtained by Bali-based news outlet detikBali show that 83 foreigners in Bali were criminally prosecuted in 2023, outside of immigration offenses. While in 2024, the figure increased to 108 people. 

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The data also showed an increase in the number of traffic incidents implicating foreigners. Throughout 2023, the number of foreigners who violated traffic law reached 71 cases, increasing to 91 cases in 2024. 

General Adityajaya explained, “The current tendency is to increase [public security and order efforts for] both traffic violations and criminal acts that not only involve foreigners as victims but also foreigners as perpetrators.”

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Since the end of the pandemic, Bali has been tightening is zero-tolerance approach to tourists breaking the law, especially those found to be breaking immigration law. In a four-day sting operation between 12th – 15th November 2024 conducted by Bali Immigration, fourteen foreigners were apprehended and found to be violating immigration law. 

On the 8th of February 2025, Bali’s Denpasar Immigration Office confirmed the arrest of six foreigners found to be violating the conditions of their visas in major ways. The six men hailed from the UK, Canada, Ghana, and India, and in a press conference, the Head of the Denpasar Immigration Office, Ridha Sah Putra, confirmed their imminent deportation. 

In response to the circular letter issued by General Adityajaya to consulate generals across the province, the Head of the Bali Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, confirmed to reporters that while crime figures have been increasing, the province remains a safe and welcoming tourist destination.

He cited ignorance as the main reason why tourists have been coming into contact with the law and referred back to the list of Do’s and Don’ts published in 2023 to help guide tourists and foreigners in the region to behave in accordance with the law and in a culturally respectful way. 

The Do’s and Don’ts of Bali Tourism were a list of twelve obligations and eight prohibitions all tourists to Bali are expected to honor during their visit to the island.

Created and published by Governor Koster two years ago, as the province prepares to welcome him back for a second term in office, it’s likely we will be hearing a lot more about these rules and recommendations again soon.

The do’s included guidelines like “Tourists must respect Balinese culture, customs, traditions, and art, in addition to the wisdom of the Balinese people” and “Tourists must dress modestly and respectfully, especially wearing appropriate clothing when visiting holy places, tourist attractions, and public spaces.” 

The most notable prohibitions stated Tourists must not work and or conduct business activities without having official documents issued by the relevant legal authority” and “Tourists must not engage in illegal activities such as trading flora and fauna, cultural artifacts, or sacred objects or trading in illegal goods, including illegal drugs.”