Bad Bali tourists face lifetime ban

Law-breaking tourists in Bali could be banned from Indonesia for 20 years – or even life – under strict new provisions to appease rising local anger over unruly visitors.

Foreigners queue to extend their tourist visas at the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Jimbaran, Bali

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Law-breaking tourists in Bali could be banned from Indonesia for 20 years – or even life – under strict new provisions flagged by the country’s immigration chief to appease rising local anger over unruly and disrespectful visitors.

Indonesia’s immigration director-general, Silmy Karim, said the new enforcement measures were designed to address rampant overstay and misbehaviour in the Southeast Asian nation’s most popular tourist destinations.

Under previous regulations, visitors to Indonesia who break local laws or overstay their visas are banned from re-entering the country for between six months and one year. But Mr Silmy said stiffer penalties were required to deter would-be law-breakers.

“Indonesia is a country that upholds the tourist sector but comfort must be accompanied by order,” he said in announcing the new penalties and a fresh immigration blitz across Bali and Greater Jakarta.

“We want foreign nationals coming to Indonesia to understand and follow the applicable rules and norms. We also strive to ensure that those who come are quality travellers, reinforced through enhanced intelligence co-operation and information exchange with other countries.”

The new regulations increase the minimum entry ban for foreigners deported from the archipelagic nation from six months to 10 years, with a potential further 10-year ban extension at the discretion of authorities.

The natural beauty of parts of Bali is under threat from overdevelopment. Picture: iStock

Foreign nationals in Indonesia charged with serious criminal offences that carry prison time of more than five years can be banned for life.

Under the new laws, Australians previously jailed in Bali for serious offences – including Schapelle Corby and convicted Bali Nine trafficker Renae Lawrence – would never be allowed to return. But many suspect the new laws are directed more at the rising numbers of Russians and Ukrainians who have fled war and unrest in their own countries in recent years and attempted to re-establish themselves in Bali.

Their influx has sparked resentment among locals who accuse many of working illegally as hairdressers, babysitters, taxi drivers and even sex workers, while wealthier eastern European expatriates are seen to be behind a number of unpopular new developments on the Island of the Gods.

Last month, Bali’s acting governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya called for a 10-year ban on tourism accommodation development across southern Bali to protect its rapidly disappearing rice paddies and natural beauty.

Rice paddies are a common sight in Bali. Picture: Lonely Planet

In May, Indonesian Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said the incidence of serious crime in Bali committed by foreigners from Russia and Ukraine warranted “special attention”.

Mr Silmy said immigration officials were seeing many cases of visa fraud, in which foreign nationals were entering the country on investor visas to avoid paying the higher fees associated with a one-year limited stay permit.

“Ultimately we want to ensure that Indonesia is a comfortable destination for both tourists and foreign investors who adhere to the rules. On the other hand, immigration oversight is expected to create a safe environment for the Indonesian public.”

In June this year more than 100 Taiwanese nationals were arrested and deported for an alleged cyber fraud operation in Tabanan, north of Ubud, in Bali.