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Chat with Bali Zero on WhatsAppIndonesian immigration authorities deported 25 foreign nationals after finding them engaged in photography work without valid work authorization, acco
Indonesian immigration authorities deported 25 foreign nationals after finding them engaged in photography work without valid work authorization, according to ANTARA News, the state-run news agency. The operation represents one of the more numerically significant enforcement actions on record against the creative freelance sector, a segment of the expatriate population that has historically sat at the intersection of tourism and labor regulation.
Under Indonesian law, all economic activity performed by a foreign national on Indonesian soil is classified as work and requires authorization beyond a standard visitor visa. This principle is established by Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration (UU No. 6/2011 tentang Keimigrasian) and its implementing regulations. The law does not distinguish between physical labor and creative or intellectual output: a foreign national who receives payment for photography conducted while in Indonesia is working under Indonesian law, regardless of whether the client or payer is based abroad.
Photography has emerged as a particular focus of enforcement attention in Bali due to the density of foreign creatives operating on the island and the visible commercial footprint of their work — brand shoots in branded venues, sponsored social media disclosures, and on-site equipment setups that signal professional rather than personal activity. Immigration officers and joint enforcement teams have increasingly used digital evidence, including social media posts and disclosed sponsorship agreements, as grounds for investigation.
Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration has expanded joint enforcement operations involving immigration, national police, and regional authorities. These operations have targeted co-working spaces, photography studios, villas used as shoot locations, and event venues in Bali and other high-density expatriate areas. The 25 deportees were processed through standard immigration procedures before being coordinated with their respective embassies for repatriation.
Foreigners deported for immigration violations in Indonesia face a re-entry ban, the duration of which is set by immigration officials based on the nature and circumstances of the breach. In cases involving commercial work activity conducted on an incorrect visa, multi-year bans are not uncommon. The enforcement action follows a period in which Indonesian authorities have publicly signaled zero tolerance for foreigners who use Bali as a base for commercial activity while holding visas that do not permit work.
This deportation batch is not an outlier — it is confirmation of a trend. Indonesian immigration enforcement against the creative sector has been building for years, and the targeting of photography s
pecifically reflects the fact that authorities have become sophisticated at identifying commercial intent. Sponsored content disclosures, public booking pages, and on-location shoot setups are all tre
ated as evidence. The informal tolerance that characterized the pre-2022 period is gone.
The critical misconception among creative professionals in Bali is that working for foreign clients from Indonesian soil falls outside Indonesian jurisdiction. It does not. Indonesian immigration law is territorial: if you are physically in Indonesia and performing work — defined broadly as any activity generating economic value — the nationality of your client is irrelevant. A photographer billing a New York agency from a Canggu villa is working in Indonesia.
The correct structures exist and are accessible. A KITAS for freelancers or investors, established through a PT PMA, is the standard route for creative professionals who want to operate commercially in Bali with legal certainty. Transition timelines are manageable when initiated proactively. The cost of compliance is a fraction of the cost of deportation and re-entry prohibition.
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