Urgent travel warning after Aussie holidaymakers are duped by fake Bali visa websites
- Urgent warning over Bali visa services
- Travellers paying triple price or buying fakes
An urgent warning has been issued to Australian travellers headed to Bali to double check they are not being scammed when applying for visas.
Numerous holidaymakers have already been duped by visa ‘agents’ and ‘brokers’ issuing over-priced or even fake visas to Australians for travel to the holiday island.
Some visa services go as far as impersonating the Indonesian government website in order to dupe unsuspecting travellers.
Reports have emerged of people being duped by visa ‘agents’ and ‘brokers’ issuing over-priced or even fake visas to Australians for travel to the holiday island
Bali has long been a favourite overseas holiday destination for Aussies, with over a million people going every year before the pandemic closed Indonesian borders
Bali has long been a favourite overseas holiday destination for Aussies, with over a million people going every year before the pandemic closed Indonesian borders.
Australians are playing a key part in helping the tourism industry recover in Bali with 89,783 locals heading to the island in March.
The Indonesian government offers B213 visas on arrival (VOA) either via its official e-visa website or in some international airports, which costs 500,000 rupiah (A$52) and can be extended by 30 days.
The difference is when travellers apply prior to travel, the e-visa is digitally ‘attached’ to your passport and visible to an immigration officer when they scan your passport.
That saves you from having to queue up for VOA at the airport in Bali.
But visa services, which promote themselves via social media and google searches can charge hundreds of dollars for exactly the same service
Some travellers have shared online they were charged higher fees because they had unwittingly used a private agency which charged a commission to purchase the e-visa through the official site.
Others said they bought visas through agents which were not valid on arrival, forcing them to buy an official visa at the airport – meaning they paid twice.
‘I haven’t slept all night as a family member sent us the [wrong] link, and we processed several applications and hence lost a lot of $,’ a traveller posted to Reddit.
The Indonesian government offers B213 visas on arrival (VOA) via its official e-visa website or in some international airports, which costs 500,000 rupiah (A$52)
Bali has long been a favourite overseas holiday destination for Aussies, with over a million people going every year before the pandemic closed Indonesian borders
‘I wished I saw this post before I clicked the website … they charged $133.34 from my debit card. I feel ashamed. I should have known better,’ another wrote.
In online Bali travel groups users are warning others to double check the website they are using.
‘Make sure you use the genuine government molina site or you get ripped off,’ one person said
Travellers wanting to stay longer than 30 days can apply for B211A 60 day visa (which cost 1.5 million rupiah) but are extendable.
Soon the visa fee may not be the only official Indonesian costs Australians going on a Bali holiday have to pay.
They could soon be hit with an extra $150 fee as the Indonesian government considers a ‘tourist tax’ to discourage unruly behaviour.
The tax being considered by President Joko Widodo’s government would be between $45 and $150 and have the dual effect of boosting revenue from the island and lifting the standard of visitors.
The holiday hotspot relies on foreign cash but, after a few quiet years, the Indonesians seem to be losing patience with boisterous and littering tourists flooding back to their shores post-Covid.
Australians have been warned to ensure they use the official Indonesian government website to apply for visas