Bali’s Singaraja Immigration Team Discovers More Foreigners Breaking Visa Rules 

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Immigration teams in Bali have launched investigations into nine foreigners who are believed to have broken the conditions of their visa permits.

Across Bali, immigration officials have been tasked with cracking down on tourists, foreign workers, and expats who have been breaking the rules in big and small ways. 

The Singaraja Immigration Office in Buleleng Regency deployed an Immigration Task Force to visit foreigners who were suspected of violating their residency permits while staying in Buleleng Regency, Karangasem Regency, and Jembrana Regency.

The targeted investigations and surveillance operations were carried out on the 21st and 22nd August 2024. 

The Head of the Singaraja Immigration Office, Hendra Setiawan, told reporters that his teams had detained nine foreigners in total; three from Australia and others from China, Germany, Japan, and Romania. 

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Setiawan said, “Our team combed a number of accommodations and villas in the Buleleng, Karangasem, and Jembrana areas, which were suspected of being places of activity for foreigners. As a result, we found nine foreigners at the operation locations who were suspected of carrying out activities that were not in accordance with their residence permits.”

He noted that further investigations would be carried out on these individuals and others who are suspected of breaking their visa conditions.

Setiawan 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.”

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As investigations remain underway, Setiawan was unable to give further details as to the kinds of visa violations the nine foreigners had been arrested for.

In 2024 so far, many foreigners have been arrested for violating public order, such as theft, traffic violations, and for ‘throwing tantrums’ as immigration officials have been describing incidences of erratic and disruptive behavior.

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Foreigners have also been arrested for breaking the conditions of their visas by working on tourist Visas on Arrival, living on pre-investment visas, or operating businesses without the correct permits and licenses.

What is clear is that immigration officers in Bali are following up on reports of foreigners breaking the conditions of their visas or conducting illegal activities and are committed to ensuring that law and order are maintained across the island.

Last year, when the conversation about the increasing number of foreigners behaving badly in Bali reached a fever pitch, a series of new measures were introduced to help immigration address the issues, including the launch of the reporting hotline. 

Late last month, immigration officials at Ngurah Rai Immigration Office revealed the details of their most recent surveillance operation.

On the 23rd July, the immigration office confirmed that 24 foreigners had been arrested for violating the conditions of their visas and that these individuals were identified and a-trended as a result of the ongoing surveillance operations.

Some of these violations included overstays, while others were arrested for invalid travel documents, and some were arrested on suspicion of working illegally or operating illegal businesses in Bali. 

By way of cracking down on the number of foreigners breaking the conditions of their visas in Indonesia, Bali immigration teams are also becoming ultra-strict on pre-arrival checks for foreigners.

In June 2024, immigration officials revealed the most common reasons why tourists refused entry to Bali.

In a press interview, the Head of Immigration, Ngurah Rai, Suhendra, explained that tourists trying to enter without a visa or without the correct visa was the most common reason immigration officers refused entry. 

He explained to reporters that the data gathered by Ngurah Rai Immigration from January 2024 to June 2024 showed 243 foreign arrivals who did not have a visa and were also not eligible for a visa on arrival and 52 people whose passport validity period was less than six months.

Suhendra confirmed that 28 people attempted to enter Bali but were recorded on the banned list, 20 people were detected as wanted by Interpol, and 212 people were on the criminal list for other immigration reasons.