What Bali’s patrols are doing now

Bali’s Dharma Dewata Immigration Patrol Task Force has been active since April 15 and it’s focused on visa compliance, overstays and foreigner activity in hot spots like Canggu and Ubud. The team is about 100 officers strong, with routine checks, surprise stops and quick enforcement when people break the rules, which, surprisingly, is the point.

It’s not subtle. Officers are moving through Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Uluwatu, Kerobokan, Kediri and other high-traffic zones and they’re working with village-level immigration watchers called APOA so violations can be spotted earlier, not just after a big case blows up.

Why nomads and expats should care

If you’re on a tourist visa and doing remote work, that’s the big risk, because Bali officials are checking whether your activity matches your permit and frankly, they’re not treating “I’m just working from here” as a defense. Overstays are getting hit hard too, with a daily fine of IDR 1,000,000 and the real possibility of detention, deportation or a blacklist.

The pressure is already showing. A Ukrainian national was detained in Canggu on April 18 for a 66-day overstay and suspected drug issues and before the patrols fully ramped up, Bali immigration had already logged 165 deportations and 62 detentions from January 1 to April 12.

What to do before officers stop you

Carry your passport and visa details at all times, keep your activity matched to your permit and if you’re doing remote work, use the right status, such as the E33G Remote Worker Visa, not a tourist entry that can’t cover it. Apply through evisa.imigrasi.go.id and don’t assume villa life in Canggu or coworking in Ubud makes you invisible, because it doesn’t.

This is the moment to clean up your paperwork, honestly, before a roadside check turns into a deportation case. For broader context, check our visa updates and read our full Indonesia guide for the complete picture.