Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration launched a dedicated enforcement unit for Bali in April 2026, and the operation has already resulted in 165 deportations and 62 detentions in its first months. The unit, called Dharma Dewata, was inaugurated on 15 April 2026 at Renon Field in Denpasar, deploying approximately 100 officers across the island.
The task force targets foreign nationals conducting commercial or work-related activities while holding tourist or social-cultural visas. Enforcement is concentrated at Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar, Badung, and Singaraja.
Who Is Affected
The crackdown specifically focuses on three categories of visitor:
Social media influencers and content creators producing commercial content — sponsored posts, paid brand collaborations, monetised YouTube or TikTok uploads — while in Bali on a tourist visa are considered to be working illegally. The distinction authorities draw is between personal travel documentation and commercial output generated for income.
Remote workers employed by foreign companies are in a legal gray area unless they hold the specific E33G Remote Worker Visa. Bali has no equivalent to Thailand’s LTR visa or Malaysia’s DE Rantau visa for digital nomads, meaning most remote workers have historically used the B211A Social Cultural Visa, which requires an Indonesian sponsor and does not formally permit work.
Wellness facilitators and retreat hosts running workshops, yoga classes, or volunteer-framed programs without proper business registration have also been targeted.
Consequences for Violations
Foreign nationals caught violating their visa conditions face deportation, detention in immigration facilities, and re-entry bans ranging from several years to a lifetime ban from Indonesia. The Sayan Village area in Ubud — popular with the wellness and yoga retreat community — has been placed under active surveillance as part of the operation.
What to Do If You Work Online
The legal route for remote workers is the E33G Remote Worker Visa, which requires proof of employment by a foreign company and an annual income of at least $60,000. The Second Home Visa is an option for those who can deposit approximately $130,000 in an Indonesian bank.
For shorter stays, some remote workers use the B211A Social Cultural Visa with a sponsor, but this does not technically authorise commercial work activities.
We cover the full entry and visa landscape in our Indonesia visa guide. For those planning to base themselves in Bali for an extended period, our Canggu digital nomad guide and Ubud digital nomad guide outline the coworking infrastructure and practical considerations on the ground.
Broader Context
The enforcement shift reflects Indonesia’s stated policy goal of ensuring tourism revenue benefits the local economy and does not displace Indonesian workers in the creative and wellness sectors. Bali recorded 59.4% hotel occupancy through the first nine months of 2026, and visitor numbers are at record levels — but the government is increasingly focused on the quality and legal compliance of the visitor mix rather than raw headcount.