Visa complaints led officers to online listings
According to ANTARA, residents' reports of suspected visa violations prompted intelligence officers to investigate an online platform allegedly used by foreign nationals to advertise sexual services. The advertised prices ranged from $100 (1.8 million rupiah) to $870 (13.7 million rupiah).
Officers then raided a villa on Padang Tegal Sari Road and detained the three suspects for questioning. The Denpasar Immigration Office named them by their initials: Ugandan national JN, 35; Russian national AS, 29; and Nigerian national BDC, 32. Officials have not disclosed whether the alleged operation targeted local or foreign clients.
Denpasar Immigration Office head R Haryo Sakti credited residents with helping authorities monitor foreign nationals' activities. "Residents' participation is important, as it helps us in monitoring activities of foreign nationals in Bali," he said.
Ramdhani, who heads the Directorate General of Immigration's Bali regional office, said foreign visitors must comply with local laws and the conditions of their visas. He also announced plans to intensify enforcement sweeps across Bali.
Earlier detentions and stay-permit penalties in Bali
The Denpasar arrests come after a larger joint operation on September 17, 2026. The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, the Directorate General of Immigration's Bali Regional Office and the Bali Regional Police detained 12 women and one man in Canggu, Seminyak and Umalas over alleged prostitution and misuse of stay permits.
The 13 detainees were from Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Ngurah Rai Immigration Office head Muhamad Novyandri told The Jakarta Post.
In separate figures reported by Tempo, Novyandri said his office had penalized 256 foreign nationals representing 51 countries for stay-permit abuse during 2026 through the end of October. Russians and Nigerians accounted for 25 people each, the largest national groups, while Malaysians and French nationals accounted for 14 each. Some cases involved scams, illegal online loans and prostitution, he said.
Business Insider, citing immigration data, reported 342 deportations by Bali immigration authorities in the first six months of 2026. The figures it provided for earlier periods were 378 deportations in January-September 2024 and 335 for all of 2023.
National enforcement actions rose in 2026
Across Indonesia, immigration authorities recorded 17,597 administrative enforcement actions against foreign nationals in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 10,065 during the same period in 2025, according to Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko, as reported by ANTARA News.
That represented a 74.8% increase. The January-September 2026 measures included 5,310 deportations and 5,310 residence-permit cancellations.
