Two company officers among 17 foreigners deported by Bali immigration officials

In brief: Ngurah Rai Immigration said on 24 September that it had deported 17 foreign nationals between 8 and 18 September 2026. Two Australians in that group were found to have worked as a company director and commissioner while holding visit stay permits, according to the immigration office.

The figures came from enforcement operations following immigration patrols conducted from 5 to 14 September within the Ngurah Rai office's jurisdiction. The report is particularly relevant to foreign entrepreneurs considering a company role in Bali: an appointment in corporate paperwork does not, by itself, establish permission to perform that work in Indonesia.

Two Australian nationals held visit stay permits

Officials identified two cases involving Izin Tinggal Kunjungan (ITK), Indonesia's visit stay permit. According to the immigration office's account, the Australians were working as a director and a commissioner of a company despite holding permission issued for visits. They were among the foreigners deported during the period covered by the September announcement.

The account does not provide the company's name, the precise visa classifications or a detailed description of the individuals' activities. It therefore cannot be used to make a blanket claim about every foreign shareholder or business visitor. Attending commercial discussions, owning an investment and actively fulfilling a management position need to be assessed against the actual permissions granted for the person's stay.

A business may have formally appointed someone to its board, but immigration rules address a separate issue: whether that individual may carry out the role while physically present in Indonesia. The difference becomes especially consequential when a visitor begins taking on operational responsibilities.

Another case involved a limited stay permit and an alleged role change

The same announcement discussed JSM, a holder of an Izin Tinggal Terbatas (ITAS), or limited stay permit. Immigration officials alleged that the individual had taken on overlapping positions and remained active in a company where they no longer held a formal role. JSM was deported through Soekarno–Hatta International Airport on 11 September, according to the report.

Unlike the two visit-permit cases, this concerned the scope of activity under an existing limited stay permit. Details of the person's authorisations and employment arrangements were not made public in the cited accounts. The allegation should not be turned into a general rule that holding more than one position is necessarily prohibited, or that all limited stay permit holders have identical employment rights.

The 17 deportations were based on different grounds

Ngurah Rai Immigration attributed 10 of the deportations to Article 75(1) of Indonesia's Immigration Law No. 6 of 2011, which allows administrative immigration action in circumstances including breaches of the law and concerns about public order. The remaining seven people had overstayed their permitted period by more than 60 days and were deported under Article 78(3). That threshold describes the legal basis for these particular deportations; it is not a grace period during which overstaying is automatically acceptable.

These were completed enforcement actions reported by one immigration office, not a new immigration regulation or a count of all deportations across Bali for the month. The authorities' published summary does not establish a new restriction on foreign company ownership.

For anyone planning to manage a Bali business, the better check is whether the specific visa or stay permit covers the duties actually performed. A move to another company, a new executive appointment or a substantial change in day-to-day responsibilities can warrant a fresh review of the immigration documents. The answer depends on the individual's permission and circumstances, not the job title alone.

• Bali Global News, “Imigrasi Ngurah Rai Mendeportasi 17 WNA, Menyalahgunakan Izin Tinggal” — 25 September 2026.
• Republic of Indonesia, Immigration Law No. 6 of 2011, Articles 75 and 78 — 5 May 2011, as subsequently amended.