A tourist who recently traveled to Bali encountered a distressing situation upon arrival in the country. Matt Vandenberg, who was visiting Bali for a friend’s wedding, was halted at Denpasar International Airport due to a minor tear in his passport.
Upon submitting his passport to immigration, Vandenberg was taken aside and informed about the 1cm tear in his passport. He explained in a Twitter thread, which has gained significant attention, that he had been unaware of the tear until the immigration officers bent the passport backward, making the tear visible.
While Vandenberg acknowledged the validity of the tear, he expressed surprise that it had gone unnoticed during the scanning process at Sydney immigration. Nevertheless, due to the passport tear, he was denied entry into the country, and his passport was confiscated until he could return to Australia.
In a positive light, Vandenberg mentioned that he was accompanied by two sympathetic officers throughout the day, who showed kindness and expressed their regret for his situation. He recognized that the officers were simply following the rules.
Reflecting on the experience, Vandenberg advised other travelers heading to Indonesia to be aware that the country strictly enforces its regulations. He then shared updates on his journey, which involved flying back to Sydney that same night, attending an emergency passport meeting the following morning, and eventually returning to Bali on June 9.
The travel ordeal took a toll on Vandenberg, as he endured 12 hours of air travel and 17 hours in airports. He expressed feeling drained from the experience.
Vandenberg’s tweets
deported from Indonesia
What a wild wild wild day it’s been.
So anyway one of my best mates is getting married on Friday in Bali, so obviously all the lads and I have flown over!
I take the 6am flight out, Jetstar – everyone well behaved, staff were great
So I arrive at DPS, pay my visa, present my passport, get brought over to the immigration office who alerts me I have a one cm tear on my passport page – to be fair, he’s correct (I had no idea until he bent it all the way back, and it stood out.
You couldn’t see it any other way.
Get brought into an office to be told that my passports tear isn’t acceptable and I won’t be allowed into the country – and my passport will be confiscated until I get on a flight home tonight.
Im not disputing the tear – but it wasn’t even noticeable until you bend it back (and immigration officers in Sydney were fine when they scanned it)
So anyone I’ve had two airport police by my side the whole day – to be fair they are the nicest people you could have stuck by my side, feel very very very sorry for me – rules are rules
So flying home tonight and I have an emergency meeting tomorrow about my passport tomorrow morning, so hopefully can get a new one and get back over.
Probably a good warning for people travelling to Indonesia – they do not mess around!
Still have another seven hours left at DPS – after spending six hours in the air and have already been here for five hours. I’ll be in a state when I take off, but at the moment all I can do is laugh.
Get brought into an office to be told that my passports tear isn't acceptable and I won't be allowed into the country – and my passport will be confiscated until I get on a flight home tonight.
— Matt Vandenberg (@M1D3V) June 6, 2023
Im not disputing the tear – but it wasn't even noticeable until you bend it back…