Bali Immigration has issued updates on the latest round of deportations and investigations it has undertaken on foreigners in the province.
Bali continues to crack down on tourists and expats breaking the law to any degree as part of a nationwide immigration offensive called Operation Jagratara.
A 31-year-old Moroccan citizen was deported from Bali on the 28th of November after he was found to be overstaying his visa by 373 days.
The man had also been reported to the Indonesian authorities by his ex-wife, an Indonesian citizen, on the grounds of alleged domestic abuse.
The man, known only by his initials EA, was deported to the Moroccan city of Casablanca, and immigration leaders spoke to the media as he left the country.
The Head of the Denpasar Immigration Detention Center, Gede Dudy Duwita, confirmed that EA had been held by Denpasar Immigration since 8th November 2024.
He confirmed, “In addition to being deported, EA has also been included in the Directorate General of Immigration’s prevention list to prevent him from returning to Indonesia in the near future.” EA has first entered Indonesia on a 30-day visitor visa on 9th September 2023.
Speaking separately the Head of Bali Immigration Office under the Ministry for Law and Human Rights, Pramella Yunidar Pasaribu, emphasized that this swift action was an effort by the department to enforce the law and maintain national security.
She said “We will not hesitate to take firm action against any immigration violations. All foreign nationals in Indonesia are expected to always comply with the applicable residence permit provisions.”
Duwita also confirmed the deportation of two Russian nationals who were caught operating what the Balinese authorities have referred to as “plus massage services” on the island.
The women, known by their initials AT and KM, were caught as a result of a digital patrol mission carried out by the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office and arrested at a villa in Seminyak in November.
The pair were deported on Tuesday, 3rd December, and added to the prevention list, also referred to as the black list.
While the crimes committed by the three most recent deportees from Bali are of a serious nature, tourists have been known to be denied entry to the country and deported for seemingly minor and innocuous offenses.
Ahead of the festive season and peak vacation period in Bali, tourists are urged to check the condition of their passports far ahead of their upcoming travel date. Tourists should check the condition of their passport with an eye out for the smallest tear, fold, or stain.
Over the last 12 months, an increasing number of tourists have been denied entry to their Bali flights after airline staff found almost imperceptible damage to their passports.
Tourists are reminded that their passports need to be in immaculate condition in order to be allowed entry to their flights.
Some travelers have noted that passport damage was not an issue when traveling to other destinations; traveling to Indonesia is a different story! Passports have no stains, tears, folds, or damage of any kind, and there are no exceptions.
Tourists traveling to Bali this festive season are advised to make the most of the eVisa on Arrival service.
This allows tourists to pay for and obtain their 30-day visa on arrival before touching down in Bali; it also enables travelers to make use of the autogates upon arrival and departure, which reduces the time spent on immigration checks to just a few seconds.
With over one million tourists expected to travel to Bali in December, every step tourists can take to reduce time in queues is worth it!
The eVisa on arrival can be applied for single travelers or for groups of up to five people via Indonesia’s official eVisa website; be sure to apply using a desktop device and turn off any VPNs or ad-blockers in order for the site to load properly.
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Thommo
Friday 6th of December 2024
Bali's stance on non entry for minor passport damage is ridiculous relative to other countries around the world and to any logic. Given passports are issued for 10 years and are expected to remain immaculate is totally unrealistic. Consider regular travellers and that expectation if their passport is well into its tenure. Given that immigrasi had my passport recently for months due to an abbreviated middle name issue on my Indonesian wife's ID card (which was issued 20 years ago) how was I supposed to look after my passport? The levels of insane bureaucracy and corrupt process in this country is bewildering.
Loups-Garoups
Saturday 7th of December 2024
@Thommo, I have always kept my passport in a mint condition. It's not that hard you know. Some countries do keep an eye on damaged passports. It's a government document after all.
Bureaucracy exists in the West that can also make your head spin. Indonesia as a former colony of the Netherlands and has adopted it's style of bureaucracy (bureauratie) into modern Indonesia. However from an experience in Jakarta, different government agencies have improved tremendously since the last administration, things can be acquired online or in person as well without the stress and anxiety. In Bali it is a whole different circus with a provincial governmental management. Too many tourists and foreign residents, more to watch out for...
J West
Thursday 5th of December 2024
The thousands of military age Ukrainians are being given a pass to return without penalty. Show some balls boys, your family needs you.
Exp
Friday 6th of December 2024
@J West, Bali beaches full of trash or the winter war trenches in Ukraine. Tough choice.
Goose
Thursday 5th of December 2024
Russians again. Just deport them all already.
Nyoman
Saturday 7th of December 2024
@Goose, we - Balinese, prefer Russsians over australians and americans. Are you one of them? Fat, rude, drunk and primitive?
Randy
Thursday 5th of December 2024
Overstayers, and working illegally under a tourist visa are the main reasons that many nations are aware of all over the world with incoming visitors. It’s not rocket science!!! A visa does not guarantee you to enter a country, it will again be determined at the border whether you say who you are and what you will intend to do while visiting under a tourist visa for example. The intended VFS global visa online processing could be a good step to process all visitors with good intentions and weed out the bad ones in a matter of hours or in a day or so. That could also alleviate longer lines with the border immigration inspectors at the point of entry. Using the auto gates could speed everything. Besides several countries now share datas with law enforcement of other countries. Those tourist who have broken the law or became fugitives by hiding in Indonesia, the local enforcement will know.
Therefore when entitled pessimistic individuals here are quick to jump on the bandwagon that it is an attack on foreigners visiting, well guess what nobody is above the law no matter what nationality you are when you visit a sovereign nation like Indonesia, and no one receives any kinds of entitlement. Bali is only a province of Indonesia with an entry point and NOT a country for that matter.