Bali Tourists Warned Fresh Round Of Visa Crack Downs On The Horizon 

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The Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration has confirmed that a nationwide surveillance operation was conducted from August 22nd to 23rd, 2024.

The operation titled ‘Jagratara’ saw thousands of immigration officers mobilized across the country, including in Bali, to crack down on foreigners breaking the law. 

In a press interview following Operation Jagartara, the Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement, Safar M Godam, explained that during the two-day intensive mission, immigration officers conducted spot checks on 1,293 foreigners at 507 monitoring points spread throughout Indonesia. 

He noted that the focus of the inspection was predominately aimed at the activities of foreigners who had the potential to violate immigration regulations.

These violations could have included misuse of residence permits, working without permission, and engaging in activities that were not in alignment with the stated purpose of their visit.

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Godam explained, “This Jagratara Operation is a form of our commitment to maintaining the security and order of the country. We will continue to increase the intensity of supervision and action against immigration violations.”

Nationwide, Operation Jagratara found 185 cases of violations that require further follow-up, which is more than 10% of the total number of foreigners who have their documents and activities inspected.

Godam noted, “We will take firm action against any violations found. Our goal is to provide a deterrent effect to violators and create a conducive climate for foreigners who obey the rules.”

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He confirmed that the most common violation was overstaying, followed by foreigners conducting activities not permitted on their visas. 

Separately, the Head of Information and Communication Section of the Class I Special Immigration Office TPI Ngurah Rai, Nyoman Asta, revealed the results of the most recent Operation Jagratara mission in Bali.

He confirmed his teams managed to secure three foreign nationals involved in immigration violations. He said that the three foreign nationals were secured from two different cases.

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The first case involved two Russian citizens based in the resort of Seminyak. Both have been found to be misusing their visas and engaging in sex work.

Asta said, “The two Russian nationals have now been handed over to the Denpasar Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim) to await the deportation process.”

The second case involved an Argentinian national who was arrested for overstaying more than 60 days. His deportation was processed quickly, and immigration has confirmed that he has already left the county.

Another immigration surveillance operation coordinated by the Singaraja Immigration Office in North Bali on the 21st and 22nd of August found nine foreigners to be breaking immigration law.

The Head of the Singaraja Immigration Office, Hendra Setiawan, has confirmed that of those detained, three individuals are from Australia, and others from China, Germany, Japan, and Romania. 

Setiawan confirmed that these individuals were brought to the attention of the immigration teams during routine localized spot checks but called on the general public to report any incidences of immigration violations to the dedicated hotline. 

He said “We also hope for an active role from the public in reporting via the special hotline at 0813-5390-9733, especially regarding foreign activities and the potential to disrupt public order.”

August 2024 has seen a nationwide implementation of Operation Jagartara. This is an ongoing project for immigration officials in Indonesia, and it is expected that mass spot checks will continue to be carried out on a regular basis.

As Indonesia, and specifically Bali, commits to developing more culturally respectful and sustainable tourism while cracking down on illegal business operations and foreigners breaking the law, Operation Jagatara plays a vital role in ensuring law and order are maintained for both Indonesian communities and tourists. 

There are those who feel like initiatives like Operation Jagatara aren’t going far enough. Highly regarded singer-songwriter from Indonesia, Shandy Sondoro, spoke with reporters about his concerns about immigration and badly behaved foreigners in Bali.

He wants to see foreigners have to jump through more hoops in order to visit or reside on the island. 

Sondoro said, “If we want to go to Australia, Germany, or, for example, England, it is difficult. You have to have a lot of money. So don’t let homeless tourists come here to Bali; it’s very easy, check first whether they have a lot of money or not. If not, it will be difficult for our country.”

He added, “Bali tourism is now much better after the pandemic. But I see that there are positive and negative sides. The negative side is that many foreign tourists are not qualified [to be here]”.