During a recent raid, Singaraja’s immigration office arrested four foreigners for violating visa regulations. Among them were a 74-year-old Swiss citizen, a 57-year-old Canadian, and a Russian couple with the initials DS, 41 years old, and AV, 33 years old.
It was reported that the Swiss citizen had been living with an expired residence permit for nine months. The administrative process is now nearing completion, after which he will be deported to his home country and banned from re-entering Indonesia.
The Canadian was in the country on an investor visa but could not prove that his activities on the island matched the details in his documents. He also admitted to the officers that he had lost contact with his sponsor and had nowhere to live.
As for the Russians, they had failed to notify the immigration office of their change of address while staying in Bali, which was a requirement under their visa conditions.
Head of Singaraja’s Immigration Office, Hendra Setiawan, stated that the foreigners were arrested during Operation “Jagrata,” conducted in October 2024. At the same time, immigration officers from the same office were working in the districts of Buleleng, Jembrana, and Karangasem.
During the same days, checks were carried out in Ubud, near the Monkey Forest and the Art Market, but no violators were found there.
This is part of a nationwide operation led by the Directorate General of Immigration. Raids are regularly conducted to prevent violations of immigration laws and other illegal activities involving foreigners.
Regular raids will continue in Bali’s most popular areas, especially now that the island’s immigration service has received more than 20 new patrol vehicles, enabling officers to be more mobile.
Additionally, Denpasar’s immigration office plans to improve staff training in rural areas. Officials believe that not all rural colleagues are fully aware of the procedures for reporting suspicious foreigners, which sometimes delays the detection of violators.
From January to September 2024, immigration officers deported 412 foreigners from Bali. This number has significantly increased compared to 2023 when 335 foreigners were deported.
Most deportations involve citizens of Russia, China, the Philippines, the United States, Australia, Nigeria, and Ukraine, with reasons ranging from overstaying visas or visa misuse to involvement in criminal activities.
Meanwhile, the number of visitors to Bali continues to grow. In the first nine months of this year alone, 22% more people passed through Ngurah Rai Airport’s immigration control compared to the previous year. A total of 10,492,791 border crossings were recorded by September 2024.
However, there were also those denied entry. This year, 832 people were refused entry, including those previously deported and banned from visiting Bali. Many are unaware that even after a six-month ban, they cannot simply re-enter; they must first initiate a process to lift the ban and wait for an official decision. Soon, this option will be removed, as authorities aim to impose a minimum 10-year ban for offenders.
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