Foreigners working in Bali without proper visas face firm action

Authorities warn of deportation and entry ban amid rise in reports of misbehaving visitors

- Hariz Baharudin

Thinking of running an in-person workshop, organising an event or spending weeks working from a cafe during a Bali getaway? You risk being sent back home, as the Indonesian authorities crack down on foreign visitors breaking immigration laws.

Foreigners working from the popular Indonesian tourist destination must hold proper visas, and the authorities have emphasised how they will not tolerate those who flout the rules, amid recent news of travellers misbehaving on the island.

“We will take firm action. There have been those who have been deported,” Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies Sandiaga Uno said on May 29.

“Repeat offenders will be given sanctions and will not be allowed to visit Indonesia for several years.”

Bali has been experiencing a post-pandemic tourist boom. The authorities said that in the first quarter of 2024, some 1.3 million people visited the island, an increase of about 32 per cent compared with the same period in 2023.