Australian passport warning to Bali visitors

A small amount of water damage to a passport caused a young holidaymaker to stop boarding a plane to Bali from Sydney airport.

Personal fitness coach Emma Doherty departed Sydney airport on June 21, excited for her 10-day solo trip to Bali.

But the traveler was not allowed to board her flight and was told by officials that water damage to her passport caused it to look “dodgy.”

Moments after she was kicked off the flight, Ms Doherty spoke out about the incident in a video posted to social media.

“So I’ve just been rejected on my flight to Bali and I’m currently stranded in the middle of Sydney airport,” Ms Doherty said.

“No idea what to do or where to go, and I was literally told if they allowed me into Bali, the military and security at the airport would have put me in a cell.

“Basically, there was a little bit of water damage on the bottom of my passport.”

Ms Doherty said the damage had never been brought to her attention before.

“I didn’t even notice,” Mrs. Doherty said. “I travel all the time and it has never been said to me before.

“Apparently Bali’s airport is very strict and they are known to put people in a cell if they don’t like your passport.”

The devastated traveler said she sat in the airport crying for 15 minutes after the ordeal at customs.

She is now warning others going to Bali to “triple check” their passports.

“Obviously I’m really upset, like I’ve literally been robbed. I’ve been sitting here crying for the last 15 minutes,” Ms Doherty said.

“I tell myself that everything happens for a reason and I wasn’t supposed to get on that flight today.

“If you guys go to Bali make sure you triple check your passport to see if there is no damage, no stains, no water or anything on your passport because they won’t let you in and if they do , you will end up in a cell in Bali.’

Social media users admitted that they had similar experiences while traveling from Australia to Bali.

“My partner’s passport page was a bit torn and they wouldn’t let him board the flight to Bali either,” one person commented.

‘I’ve had the same thing. Landed in Bali, had to wait in a cell until I could get a flight,” a second person added.

This happened to me a few years ago! Exactly the same with the water damage!!! I had to get a brand new passport within 24 hours,” another person wrote.

Another person who lives in Bali confirmed that travelers with damaged passports are being detained when they land on the tropical island.

“When you come to Bali… you have to make sure your passport is literally in mint condition. It’s true – you are being held,” they wrote.

The Australian Passport Office website notes that normal wear and tear on a passenger’s passport should not prevent them from travelling.

Severe damage, including missing pages, faded ink, markings, and tears or cuts in pages – with particular reference to the photo page – can cause border guards to deter a person from travelling.

“Contact with water or other liquids can cause serious damage,” the Passport Office advises.

“You must not tear or remove any pages from your passport. It is critical that all details and photographs on the personal information pages are legible and clear and that there is no evidence of alteration or tampering with any aspect of the booklet.”

Bali has some of the strictest passport regulations when it comes to travel documents with tears or water damage.

The laws were introduced in 2019, allowing Indonesian authorities to detain travelers and fine airlines more than $4,700 for allowing the passenger to travel with a damaged passport.

It comes after a Western Australian lawyer was detained in Bali early this year for having a small tear in his passport.

A tiny detail on a prominent Western Australian lawyer’s passport led to his detention immediately upon arrival on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.

John Hammond flew into Denpasar airport on Feb. 5 and was going through the immigration process when he was “chased away” by officials who believed his passport was fake.

“I was driven to the bowels of Denpasar airport when I was told my passport might be counterfeit,” Hammond told radio station 6PR.

“It had a tiny tear the size of a thumbnail and that was, I believe, the reason why I was held at the back of the airport.

“I had to read a statement that I acknowledge that my passport was of poor quality and/or a counterfeit.”

Mr Hammond was eventually released after being asked to sign a statement claiming he would never return to Bali with a damaged passport.