Getting ready to go on vacation to Bali can be both super fun and super stressful. Sadly, for one recent traveler, things got pretty stressful pretty quickly.
Married At First Sight contestant Evelyn Ellis was recently denied boarding her flight from Australia to Bali after officials found a small tear in her passport.
To make matters worse, her new photos were later rejected by the Passport Office, which made the saga roll on.
The 28-year-old was denied entry to her Bali-bound flight on Monday 21st October. In a social media post, Ellis explained, “Had a terrible day yesterday. I was denied boarding because of a small tear on my passport.”
She went on to explain that she visited an Officeworks store to have new passport photos taken so that she could apply for an emergency passport. She noted, “Got my passport photos done at Officeworks, but apparently that was not good enough.”
Things were quickly rectified; however, by Tuesday afternoon, Ellis had posted to her Instagram on her way to Bali. Though for most people caught up in a saga like this the outcomes are far more devastating, and costly.
Ellis’ woes are an all too common story for Bali-bound tourists. Immigration officials in Bali are notoriously strict when it comes to passport inspections.
While anywhere in the world, a damaged passport will result in denied entry to a flight, in Bali, officials are stricter than most and, most notably, specifically look for damage.
Damage can include tears, even those only a few millimeters in length, page rips, notable bends and folds, ink stains, and watermarks all count as damage.
Over the last few years, dozens of tourists have been caught out by these strict rules, so much so that airlines have also become as strict as immigration officials when it comes to Bali-bound flights because airline staff knows all too well what tourists face if they land in Bali with a damaged passport.
Tourists who arrive in Bali with a passport that is deemed to be damaged will be detained by immigration officials at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport until they can board a flight home.
The flight home must be paid for and arranged by the traveler in question and be directly taken to their home nation.
Tourists with damaged passports will stay under the supervision of an immigration officer for the duration of their time in Bali Airport and be escorted throughout the terminal buildings.
As tourists are preparing to travel to Bali, whether in the coming weeks or for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, it is vitally important to thoroughly check the condition of your passport long before you travel.
Although emergency and quick turnaround passports are available from most passport offices, it’s always best to be prepared.
If in doubt, it is best to call the local passport office or reach out with photos of the condition of your passport to see whether there are any issues.
The issue of a passport with minor damage cannot be avoided by using the e-visa on arrival for Bali either. The e-visa on arrival for Indonesia allows tourists to use the newly installed autogates at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
While having an e-visa on arrival makes passengers eligible to use the autogates, passports will still be checked in person by airport and airline staff throughout the journey.
If the gates are not in use or the queues are too long, passengers may also be directed to a stated counter where a full passport inspection will take place.
Tourists planning a visit to Bali, or any destination across Indonesia, should also note that it is a requirement to have at least two completely empty pages available in the passport on arrival in Indonesia. The passport should also have a minimum of 6-month validity available.