Indonesia’s holiday island deported three foreigners—including one Indian yoga instructor—on 28 July for violating tourist-visa conditions by working without authorisation. Immigration authorities said the offenders will be black-listed, reflecting a wider crackdown on misuse of Bali’s Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme. Although far from the corporate relocation sphere, the incident is a timely warning for digital nomads and retreat organisers who market “work + vacation” packages to Indian clients. Since January, Bali has doubled spot-checks at co-working spaces and yoga shalas; over-stayers now face on-the-spot fines of IDR 1 million per day and swift removal. Travel managers should brief employees scheduled for extended stays in Indonesia that paid work—including unpaid teaching—requires the new Second-Home or B211A visas. Event planners must ensure foreign presenters hold the limited-stay Expos visa. Indonesian officials say stricter enforcement aims to protect local jobs and preserve Bali’s tourism image. Indian nationals make up Bali’s fourth-largest source market; even a handful of deportations can lead to negative social-media buzz and tighter scrutiny at Ngurah Rai airport.
Source: NDTV Travel
