Foreign visitors to Bali are being reminded to carry their passports whenever they go out, with videos posted by local immigration authorities showing officers telling tourists to keep travel documents on them during intensified spot checks across the Indonesian resort island.
Advertisement
The reminders come amid a broader crackdown on visa violations after authorities reported a rise in offences earlier this year, with Indonesia introducing new measures to monitor foreigners more closely and ensure compliance with immigration rules.
Earlier this month, authorities announced that an Immigration Patrol Task Force had been deployed in Bali with a mandate to “suppress illegal acts” and address immigration violations by foreigners.
“The formation of the Immigration Patrol Task Force is a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to ensure stability and security in Bali as one of Indonesia’s top tourist destinations,” Minister of Immigration and Correction Agus Andrianto said in a statement.
About 100 uniformed officers, equipped with body cams and safety vests, have been deployed to patrol 10 tourist hotspots around Bali – including the surfers’ paradise areas of Canggu and Seminyak, the spiritual hub Ubud and the seafood town of Jimbaran.
A social media video posted on Saturday by Bali’s Ngurah Rai immigration office showed officers carrying out spot checks on foreigners at Nusa Dua Beach.