Bali Immigration Visa Update
Bali Immigration Visa Update – Tourists in Bali this festive season who are due to make visa extension applications or need to access immigration services must be up to date on office closures.
Both Christmas and New Year are public holidays in Indonesia, and as a result, government services close during the joint annual leave period.
Tourists in Bali must be aware that the island’s Immigration Offices will be closed over the coming days, affecting access to immigration services both in person and online.
Bali’s Denpasar Immigration Office has confirmed, “Due to Christmas Day, we would like to inform all immigration applicants that the Denpasar Immigration Office on Thursday and Friday 25 25th and 26th December, will be closed.”
Denpasar Immigration Office adds, “The Office will be open normally on Monday, 29th December 2025. All foreign nationals, please be advised to plan your stay permit extension accordingly. Stay permits must be extended on working days prior to expiration.
Tourists must be aware that Immigration Offices in Indonesia are closed on weekends and that the New Year is also a public holiday. This means that this year Immigration Offices and services will be closed and unavailable on 25th, 26th, 26th, 28th December and 1st January, followed by closures on 3rd and 4th January for the first weekend of the year.
This means that tourists and long-stay visitors in Bali who are due to make their stay permit or visa extension applications have limited days to lodge their paperwork. It is essential that tourists lodge their Hybrid Application System paperwork long before their visa expires.
While technically visa holders can lodge their extension the day prior to expiration at the latest, this is not a smart move. With all manner of potential delays possible, ranging from errors on the application form to delays from the Immigration services due to closures, it is simply not worth the risk of leaving extensions to the last minute.
The new Hybrid Application System was introduced in May 2025, and tourists are still adjusting to the changes in the system. The changes were brought into effect overnight, with little warning, and left some tourists unknowingly violating immigration laws. More than six months on since the new rules were brought into effect, there are no excuses for tourists getting their visa extension applications wrong.
Indonesian Immigration takes a zero-tolerance approach to overstaying. As explained by Indonesia Immigration, there is ‘nothing you can do to avoid an overstay fine.’
In a social media post, the agency explained, “Overstaying your permitted stay in Indonesia will result in a fine of Rp 1,000,000 per day, starting from the very first day of overstay. There is no way to avoid this fine; you must pay it whether you want to extend your stay or leave Indonesia.”
“Fine will be charged if you’re overstaying for more than 60 days; more than that, then you’ll be deported.”
Indonesian Immigration has outlined the most common mistakes travellers make when applying for their visa extension. The system now requires applicants to fill out an online form and then attend an in-person appointment at their closest Immigration Office to conduct biometrics and paperwork checks.
The most common mistakes applicants make when extending their visas include applying too late and risking overstay fees. Indonesian Immigration suggests applying at least 7 working days before expiry. The second most common mistake is not updating changes to the status of the stay, including new addresses, different sponsors, or passport details.
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However, this is typically more of an issue for foreigners who are extending longer stay and socio-cultural visas, more so than those extending tourist visas.
The third most common reason is incomplete documents. Indonesia Immigration explains that incomplete files mean that extensions are denied.
They remind applicants to check all requirements prior to starting the extension application to make sure all documents are complete and ready to submit.
The fourth issue is often with incomplete payment. Indonesia Immigration explains that occasionally, some credit cards do not work in the system, or the system may be under maintenance. It’s essential to check that all payments have been completed before closing the applications page.
The fifth is down to relying on agents; tourists are reminded that they are solely legally responsible for their applications. The sixth is skipping the online application. The Hybrid Application System requires visa extension applicants to complete the paperwork online and attend the in-person appointment.
Bali's Festive Traffic 2025
Does anyone remember the New Year travel chaos in Bali in 2023/4 and 2024/5?
With congestion so bad that tourists were forced to abandon their taxis and run to the airport just to catch their flight on time, it was the stuff of travel nightmares.
As the festive season is in full swing in Bali, local police have vowed to keep everyone moving safely and comfortably this year.
Bali’s Christmas and New Year Command Posts are in full operation right now. Across Bali, Operation Lilin Agung 2025 is also in full flow, and security teams from across government agencies are working together to reduce traffic congestion across the province so that tourists can enjoy every moment of their vacation and minimise time on the roads.
Speaking to reporters about the work that is happening behind the scenes to keep Bali moving, Head of the Badung Police Traffic Unit, AKP Ni Luh Tiviasih, shared, “The presence of personnel in the field is a form of police service to the public. We want to ensure security, safety, order, and smooth traffic flow, especially ahead of religious holidays and the end-of-year holidays.”
Badung Regency is home to many of Bali’s busiest tourism resorts, including Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, and Uluwatu, all of which will see the majority of the Christmas season arrivals.
She called for the public to work cooperatively with officers stationed around the province to ensure that everything remains safe and smooth. Tiviasih concluded, “Obey traffic regulations and prioritize your safety while driving. We ask for your cooperation to ensure traffic remains orderly, safe, and smooth.”
Police teams over at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport are also working around the clock to ensure public safety, keep everyone moving, and help mitigate the increased risks posed by the extreme weather Bali is experiencing this rainy season.
Speaking to the media, I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport Police Public Relations Chief, First Inspector I Gede Suka Artana, confirmed that the Ngurah Rai Airport Police are routinely monitoring weather updates from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). He shared, “We have put all personnel on standby by checking the readiness of personnel on duty throughout the airport area.”
He added that teams have been tasked with reducing flood risks and the risk of falling trees. First Inspector Artana explained, “We are implementing this security measure to ensure that the tree felling and pruning process runs safely and does not disrupt the smooth flow of traffic.”
Artana also called on local residents and tourists to take personal responsibility for their movements around the island, as well as working cooperatively with the officers deployed to keep them safe.
He concluded, “We urge the public to remain cautious, safeguard themselves and their belongings, and comply with the directions of officers in the field to ensure a safe and conducive public order situation in the Ngurah Rai Airport area.”
Over the next two weeks, Bali will welcome more than 1.5 million tourists. The team at Bali Airport has confirmed that the Command Post will be in operation 24 hours a day over the festive season to help ensure that all agencies work together seamlessly to provide an enjoyable travel experience for all passengers, especially with the potential for extreme weather thrown into the mix.
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The Head of Communications at Bali Airport, Eka Sandi, told reporters, “There are several challenges, particularly related to weather factors, during the seven days of this integrated command post service. We ensure that all airport services remain optimal, prioritising the safety, security, and comfort of all service users.”
He concluded, “This collaboration is key to maintaining smooth service during the Christmas and New Year period. We hope that I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport can continue to provide optimal service to all airport users.”
Tourists traveling to Bali Airport over the Christmas and New Year period are urged to leave above and beyond enough time to arrive at the airport. With heavy rains causing localised flooding, in addition to the increased volume of vehicles on the road, congestion is still likely despite all the best efforts of the authorities, and it always takes longer to travel from A to B than expected.
Bali’s Trash Desaster
Bali’s biggest open landfill was set to close for good on the 23rd December. However, this long-anticipated closure is now experiencing more obstacles.
Following the grant of an extension on the closure date, demonstrations have been held in Denpasar as waste collection teams have become vocal about their concerns over sustainable solutions for waste disposal when the Suwung TPA is closed.
Suwung TPA is Bali’s largest open landfill. Located close to some of Bali’s top tourism resorts, including Sanur and Nusa Dua, the landfill was opened in 1984.
Currently standing over 10 storeys high and sprawling over 32 hectares, Suwung TPA receives more than 1,000 tonnes of trash every day. The site technically stopped receiving organic waste as of August this year; however, it is unclear how much mixed waste has still been permitted to be dumped at the site.
With such a huge volume of trash still unable to be processed through alternative waste disposal systems (TEBA), TPS3R (Recycling and Recycling), TPST (Recycling and Recycling), shredding and decomposer machines, and source-based waste management systems, the Mayor of Denpasar, wrote a formal request letter to Bali Governor Wayan Koster to ask for an extension on the closure.
As a result, Governor Koster has communicated with the Indonesian Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisal Nurofiq, who has granted a two-month extension. In a statement, Governor Koster wrote, “The Minister of Environment has provided a response in the form of a decision to extend the deadline for implementing administrative sanctions until February 28th, 2026.”
Governor Koster explained, “The Mayor of Denpasar and Regent of Badung are committed to ensuring that the closure of the Suwung Landfill must be carried out no later than February 28th, 2025. After that, they will not request a postponement or extension of the closure period. They will also ensure that no waste will be dumped at the Suwung Landfill by March 1st, 2026.”
This decision is receiving a mixed response from local residents and environmentalists in Bali.
Since the initial closure notice for the 23rd December was issued earlier this year, many are disappointed that, despite more than enough time to coordinate a plan post-closure, an extension still had to be granted.
For many, however, the closure extension notices are proving to be yet more bad news.
On 23rd December, hundreds of independent garbage truck operators gathered in a demonstration in Denpasar to call for a better solution to be sought.
More than 500 garage truck operators gathered to raise their concerns that without a replacement landfill site, and without sufficient waste processing facilities and Waste to Energy (PSEL) systems in the area, the closure of Suwung TPA will do more harm than good.
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The Chairman of the Bali Waste Self-Management Communication Forum (Forkom SSB), Wayan Suarta, told reporters, “This two-month delay means nothing. The PSEL construction process alone takes up to two years. Therefore, we request that the Suwung Landfill be permanently opened until a real solution is found.”
He added, “According to Law Number 18 of 2008, the government is obliged to ensure proper and environmentally conscious waste management.”
Speaking at the SSB Communication Forum, Secretary I Wayan Sujendra told reporters that all existing efforts to create alternative waste processing systems in Bali have been insufficient, leading to even greater reliance on independent garbage truck operators who transport waste directly to open landfills like Suwung TPA.
He shared, “Hundreds of billions of rupiah have been disbursed, but the results are suboptimal. Meanwhile, we, as a tax-compliant waste collection service that contributes to the local revenue (PAD), seem to be neglected.”
It remains to be seen if the Suwung TPA will be formally and finally closed on 28th February 2026, but what is evident is that there is still a lot more work to be done if Bali wants to mitigate its waste management issues in a sustainable way for the betterment of the environment, local residents, and tourists.
Bali Beach Trash Flood
A tide of plastic trash has washed up on Bali’s Pantai Jerman. The popular beach, nestled between Kuta and Jimbaran, is typically one of the worst-affected beaches when the annual tides of waste start washing up.
Pantai Jerman, or German Beach, saw over 7 tonnes of waste wash up overnight on Monday, 22nd December. Local residents awoke to find the shoreline strewn with piles of driftwood and plastic waste.
The local community, along with the beach management team, quickly rallied on Monday morning to clear as much of the waste as possible, making the beach ready for holidaymakers. Pantai Jerman is a beach popular with both domestic and international tourists, especially those with young families.
Typically, the annual tides of waste start appearing on Bali’s beaches around mid-December, but this year the waves of waste started arriving in late-November.
Typically, the worst-affected areas are Jimbaran Beach, Kedonganan Beach, Pantai Jerman, and then Samigita Beach, which is the local name for the stretch of coastline that runs from Kuta through to the end of Seminyak.
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This area is the worst affected because of the way tidal currents flow. Occasionally, tides of trash also wash up in Uluwatu and as far east as Canggu.
Speaking to reporters, Pantai Jerman Management Chairman I Ketut Werka explained, “The waste is dominated by wood, with the rest being plastic. Today alone, the volume collected is estimated to reach 7 to 10 tons.”
He explained that the waste is being collected into large piles, and that Pantai Jerman teams are awaiting further information from Badung Environment and Forestry Agency regarding its disposal location. Werka shared, “We hope for government attention, especially amidst the Suwung Landfill closure policy, as the volume of waste being sent is extremely large.”
Speaking separately, the Kuta Village Chief, Anak Agung Ngurah Andika Jaya, expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm of the residents involved in the community service. In Indonesia, this kind of community effort is referred to as Gotong Royong.
He said this spirit of togetherness reflects a growing awareness within the community of the importance of maintaining the village’s reputation as a tourism destination.
Last Thursday, Kedonganan Beach was hit by the worst wave of waste of the season so far. Kedonganan and neighbouring Jimbaran are busy local fishing villages, and both beaches are often characterised by the colourful traditional jukung fishing boats that are moored along the shoreline.
Teams of government agency staff, local community members, and NGO teams came together to clean the beach up as quickly as possible.
Since this is an annual phenomenon, the Cleanliness and Hazardous Waste Management Division of Badung Regency has a series of teams on standby throughout the region’s coastline, ready to respond to tides of trash as quickly as possible.
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Speaking to reporters, Anak Agung Gede Dalem confirmed that these teams will remain on standby throughout the rainy season, which typically runs until late March or early April. Dalem confirmed that there are 6 loaders, 2 beach cleaner units, 2 diggers, and 5 trucks on standby every day. This is in addition to 41 trash trucks that can be deployed if the volume of garbage increases.
He explained, “DLHK Badung stated that it is ready to deploy 300 cleaning personnel, while the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is ready to deploy 1,500 personnel to assist in handling if there is a surge in garbage shipments.”
Tourists traveling to Bali this rainy season may encounter beaches affected by the tides of trash. However, tourists can rest assured that teams work from the very early hours of the morning to have the coastlines clear by the time tourists arrive at the beach in the late morning.
Tourists who don’t want to risk encountering waves of waste in Badung Regency but still want to enjoy a beach vacation should look to areas further east and to the north of the island, such as Candidasa, Amed, and Lovina. Alternatively, Nusa Pendia, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan are seldom affected by these tidal patterns.
All above article are provided by “The Bali Sun”
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