On 13th March 2024, a French tourist was deported from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport after refusing to pay his overstay fine. The deportation occurred as a result of his refusal to settle the residence permit fine and his subsequent inappropriate behaviour towards immigration officers.
Gede Dudy Duwita, Head of the Bali Immigration Detention Center, stated that the tourist was detained for 12 days at his own expense. Furthermore, the individual has been placed on the list of individuals prohibited from entering Bali.
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“Deterrence can be applied for a maximum period of six months as stipulated in Article 102 of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration, with the possibility of extension for another six months each time,” clarified Dudy.
He further elaborated that the foreign individual, who arrived in Bali on a visit visa on arrival (VoA), disrupted his departure to Singapore. Immigration officers routinely verify the validity of visas for outbound travellers to Singapore.
Immigration officers promptly sought assistance from airport security (Avsec) to restrain the French tourist and delay his departure. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Intelligence and Enforcement Division of the TPI Ngurah Rai Special Class I Immigration Office for further processing.
During the interrogation, the French tourist confessed that he was unaware of his overstayed status because the travel agency, which assisted with his residency permit, informed him that he could remain in Indonesia for up to 60 days after his visa was issued.
“Apart from his lack of awareness, the tourist attributed his behaviour to his emotional state at the time, exacerbated by consuming beer and wine the previous night, which left him slightly intoxicated,” clarified Gede Duwita.
