New figures released by the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office show that between January and October 2024, 942 foreigners were denied entry to Bali.
In total, 5.3 million international arrivals were recorded as touching down in Denpasar, showing that Bali is on track to have a record-breaking year for tourism by the time the clock strikes midnight on 31st December.
The data show that the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, which is in charge of all immigration matters at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, denied entry to 942 foreigners in the first ten months of the year.
Officers also postponed the departure of a further 355 people, a mix of both foreign and Indonesian passport holders.
The top reasons for being denied entry included being blacklisted, not having the correct visa, or being on the Interpol red notice list.
Speaking at a press conference, the Head of the Information and Communication Section of the Class I Immigration Office Special TPI Ngurah Rai, I Nyoman Asta, explained that the immigration post has processed 11,761,729 people by the end of October.
He noted,” This number has increased by 22 percent when compared to the same period in 2023.”
A breakdown of the figures shows that the total arrival of passengers was recorded as 5,842,636 people, with 325,542 Indonesian citizens and 5,366,057 foreign passport holders, and the arrival of 151,037 flight crew.
Asta shared, “From our data, it is recorded that the largest number of foreigners arriving from Australia is 1,323,369 people, followed by India with 460,887 people, and China in third position with 404,045 people.”
While the denial of entry to Bali has been notably higher in 2024, the number of deportations has also risen in the year to date.
Between January and October 2024, 159 full deportations were carried out in addition to 293 immigration supervisions, which are a form of deportation.
Asta confirmed that 140 of the deportations were a result of violations and disobedience to Indonesian laws, while 118 cases were related to overstays.
Asta explained, “If detailed by country of origin, the most violations come from Nigeria, as many as 32 cases, 29 cases from Russia, 19 cases from China, 17 cases from the United States, 13 cases from Australia, and 13 cases from Uganda.”
Indonesia’s immigration has made it clear that its commitment to zero tolerance for immigration violations will result in deportations.
Speaking in September 2024, the Head of the Bali Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Pramela Yunidar Pasaribu, explained, “The duties and functions of immigration by the Immigration Office in the Bali region have deported throughout this year without exception, including foreign nationals who violate ethics, do not provide a sense of peace and comfort for the surrounding community, and abuse residence permits and overstay. Deportation is carried out without exception.”
However, it is not only the potential for visa violations that tourists must be aware of, but the condition of their passport.
One of the biggest reasons tourists are denied entry onto their flights to Bali, even from their home airport, is due to damage to their passports.
Holidaymakers have been turned away from their flights due to the smallest of damage to their travel documents.
This has included tears to the ID page, bends or folds on pages, ink marks, and small water stains.
Tourists are reminded that their passports must be immaculate before flying to Indonesia and that airlines reserve the right to deny boarding a flight if they feel the passenger would be denied entry to Indonesia on arrival due to the condition of their passport.
As the Christmas and New Year holidays are just around the corner, Bali Airport is preparing to welcome over one million international arrivals in the space of just one month.
The General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, has confirmed that additional operational and security support will be available to ensure that the festive season flows easily for travelers.
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