11/10/25

Immigration Checks: Bali Cracks Down on Illegal Villas and Overstayed Visas

The Bali authorities are launching a large-scale cleanup of illegal accommodation and foreigners with overstayed visas. In the first months of 2025, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office managed to open 402 administrative cases, deport 135 people, and detain another 121. The main focus is on underground villas and guesthouses that have flooded Kuta and its surroundings: they do not pay taxes, lure clients away from licensed hotels, and turn areas into 'grey zones'.

Immigration Checks in Bali: Who is at Risk?

Immigration services have started active raids against foreigners violating visa regulations. The following groups are under scrutiny:

How to protect yourself?

If you want to live and work legally, contact us. We will help you to get the appropriate visa.

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The rules are strict. An overstay of up to two months incurs a fine of one million rupiahs for each extra day; more than 60 days results in deportation and a lifetime entry ban.

To keep the situation under control, all hotels and villas are required to submit daily information about their guests through the online reporting system for APOA foreigner residence. The information is fed into a centralized immigration database accessible to security agencies in real time. In May, the 'Bali Becik' operation ('Good Bali') was launched: inspectors visit accommodation facilities, check documents, and respond promptly to any alerts.

Behind the dry numbers lies a serious problem. Underground accommodation takes money out of the budget, reduces the occupancy of legitimate hotels, and brings additional issues - from drunken riots to tourists with fake passports. That's why the raids involve the police, customs, district authorities, and even local communities - the banjars.

Banjar and Immigration Unite to Track Foreigners

The Denpasar Immigration Office has involved village and traditional communities in Bali to collaboratively monitor foreigners living permanently in their areas.

“We engage village administrations and banjars in overseeing foreigners,” said the head of the office, Soyuda Rahardjo. He noted that local residents are best placed to know who among the newcomers ha…

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Don't want to become part of the deportation statistics? Renew your visa on time. Legal Indonesia can help you do this smoothly and without hassle: we can arrange the renewal in a couple of days, and if you're already in trouble, we’ll advise you on how to resolve it and remain on the island in peace.

Bali is undergoing a painful but necessary reset. Living on the island without a visa and not paying taxes is becoming increasingly difficult — and this seems to be just the beginning.

Sources: antaranews.com, kemenimipas.go.id

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