Indonesia’s Bali restricting access for Russians, Ukrainians after spate of visa violations
- The Indonesian resort island wants to cancel a visa-on-arrival policy for nationals from both countries following deportations for working illegally
- It comes amid a raft complaints about some Russian tourists’ actions, in particular, including a model who posed nude at a sacred tree
Russian nationals are among the biggest groups of foreign arrivals in Indonesia, according to official tourism data. At least four Russian citizens were deported this month for visa violations and immigration authorities have repeatedly warned foreigners in Bali against working on tourist visas.
Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said on Sunday he has asked the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to tighten visa requirements by cancelling the visa-on-arrival facility specifically for Russian and Ukrainian citizens due to a series of violations.
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“Because they are at war, so they flocked to Bali, including those who sought comfort or came to work here,” he said, according to a post on the immigration agency’s Instagram account. He added these two countries were singled out because their citizens’ infractions were more “significant” than those of others.
He did not provide details on the violations.
Indonesia’s Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno on Monday said, “the number of tourists from Russia and Ukraine who have … caused problems is not yet significant”. He added he would discuss the issue with stakeholders and that any plans to change visa rules must be “carefully reviewed”.