Bali immigration authorities have launched an investigation after an Australian tourist claimed she was forced to pay $1500 by border staff at the island’s airport over her “dirty” passport.
Monique Sutherland, from Melbourne, was heading to the popular tourist hotspot with her 60-year-old mother, when she was questioned over the state of her passport.
When the pair checked into the Batik Air counter at Tullamarine airport, the 28-year-old says she was told she had to sign an additional blue form and show it whenever she presented her passport.
She said her passport was slightly dirty as she had it for seven years.
After clearing immigration, the pair boarded the six-hour non-stop flight to Bali.
But things took an unexpected turn when they arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Ms Sutherland claims she was questioned by airport staff after they saw her blue note. She alleges they took her into an interrogation room and questioned for over an hour before being forced to pay $1500 for breaking the law because her passport was damaged.
According to Coconuts Bali – the leading English source of local news on the Indonesian island – Putu Suhendra Tresnadita, a spokesman for the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, said authorities were actively investigating the incident.
“We are still conducting an investigation to verify whether the incident really happened,” Mr Tresnadita.
Ms Sutherland claimed staff started speaking in Indonesian and laughing before they eventually accused her of breaking the law because her passport was damaged.
“They told me they would be able to sort out the issue for a fee of $US1000 ($1500),”
she explained to 7 News.
She also alleged that if she didn’t pay, she wouldn’t receive her passport back. Ms Sutherland – who recently became unemployed – refused to pay the fee.
“They approached my scared mother and convinced her to pay, and said if she didn’t I wouldn’t be getting my passport returned,” she said.
Once the staff received the family’s money, Ms Sutherland and her mum were able to continue with their holiday without further issues – but the ordeal dampened their mood.
“The entire holiday was spent stressing about this experience and researching whether my passport was acceptable,” she said. “It was a terrible experience … very traumatic.”
As they went through customs prior to departing Bali, they weren’t questioned and safely made it back home.
Another Aussie tourist also recently spoke out about his passport drama when arriving in Bali.
Sydneysider Matt Vandenberg was detained the moment he arrived at Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport over a “tiny tear” in his passport.
The 29-year-old was taken into an office and told that, because of the damage, he wouldn’t be accepted into the country and his passport was confiscated until he was put on a flight back to Australia.
He explained that while he didn’t dispute the tear, “it wasn’t even noticeable until you bent it back, and the immigration officers in Sydney were fine when they scanned it”.
The experience was “grim and exhausting” but Mr Vandenberg admitted things could have been far worse.“
“The policemen were the nicest people you could meet,” he said.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs Smartraveller website, normal wear and tear to your passport shouldn’t be an issue, rather more serious damage can stop you from travelling.
“It‘s important that: there are no tears or cuts in the passport pages, especially the photo page, everything on the photo page is legible and clear, there are no marks across your photo or in the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) on the photo page, no pages have been removed (and) there is no alteration or tampering,” a statement on the website reads.
“If you’re not sure about the condition of your passport, call the Australian Passport Office on 131 232 or contact your nearest Australian embassy or consulate overseas. We may need to see your passport to assess it.”