A major change to Bali’s immigration laws could soon see tourists who are in breach of those rules be sentenced to life behind bars.
Foreigners who have either overstayed their visas, broken the conditions of their visas or broken immigration laws more broadly could face life in prison.
According to the Bali Sun, the news comes as Indonesia’s Department of Immigration doubles down on its zero-tolerance approach to foreigners violating the law.
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Crimes that were previously punishable with sentences from six months to one year in prison are now increasing to jail time of up to 20 years.
There will also be an increase in immigration checkpoint officers, patrol officers and investigators as the laws come into effect.
The issue has become prevalent after the rapid number of forgeries in Bali, with over 400 people this year alone deported for violating a range of immigration laws.
The rules won’t affect those who apply for temporary visas on arrival and either leave within the mandated 30-day period or lawfully extend their visa and leave within 60 days.
Earlier this month, Aussie traveller Laura Devy issued a warning for people heading to the holiday island after she was stung by a fee for a passport mishap.
The Melbourne woman bought her $50 visa on arrival online prior to her trip to ensure a smooth sailing process but made a costly mistake when inputting her details.
“When he was checking my details to make sure they were 110 per cent correct, he was like, ‘You’ve got to go pay another $50 because you’ve put in your passport number wrong’,” she said on TikTok.
“I was like, ‘No I haven’t, I’ve put all the numbers in correctly’ and he was like, ‘You’ve missed the two front letters’.”
Devy soon realised the importance of the first two letters when filling out passport details.
“My two front letters are PA so all my life I’ve thought the two front letters meant ‘passport number’, so why would I have to include them,” she said.
“That is not the case.”