Paradise tightens up: Check if your passport is approved

It is a good idea to check that your passport is in tiptop condition, if you are planning a vacation to Bali in the near future. More travelers are namely reportedly been denied access to the ferieparadiset, because their passport was damaged upon arrival.

It writes the british The Sun and the australian News.com.au, both of which have been in contact with a number of travelers, who have made the long trip to the indonesian resort island, only to be sent back shortly after landing.

Two of the travelers are a british couple by the name of Daniel and Tia Farthing, in October to celebrate their honeymoon at the turistkære island, but which was rejected by the indonesian authorities on the arrival, because the couple's dog had bitten a small corner of Daniels passport.

It is, however, not only upon arrival in Bali, you risk to be sent with the snout home, if you are travelling with a worn passport.

Already at the airport, the holidays can, in fact, be destroyed, as several airlines travelling to Bali alleged to have taken the consequences of the indonesian government's tightened pasregler and are beginning to reject the travellers, if they show up with a damaged passport as the airlines get fined - what amounts to - 23.000 dollars, if their customers are arriving to Bali with a passport, not being approved by the airport authorities on the holiday island.

It writes The West Australian.

Thus was an australian woman and her husband, who traveled with a nine-year-old 'slightly damaged' passport, christmas eve rejected at the airport in Perth, when he tried to travel with the airline Batik Air to the island.

According to the couple explained to the airline, the rejection, by a reference to the airport in Denpasar, Bali, clamp down on the travelers with damaged passports.

- Denpasar enforce a rule that means that the passengers with the smallest error, will be sent home, and that the airline will get a fine, they explained, according to the pair.

the Couple tells, moreover, that the airline took a picture of the man's passport and forwarded it to their office in Bali to get it approved, but the office rejected this, as it was 'too risky'.

in Addition, pointed out the airline employee, the airline, in several cases, have received a fine, because the passengers had been sent home again by the arrival.

- They told us that they had stopped about 20 passengers on the way to Bali in the course of the past month, because they had a damaged passport, telling the australian woman.

Since the australian couple was rejected by Batik Air, they chose to take the chance with the airline AirAsia, which confirmed that the indonesian authorities have tightened pasreglerne, but not assessed, that the man's passport was so damaged that he would be rejected.

The West Australian has been in contact with Batik Air, which has not yet commented on the matter. It has a spokeswoman from AirAsia, however, which confirms Bali's stricter rules and says the following to the australian media:

We continue to follow the current advice from Indonesia's immigration authorities. Passengers are responsible to ensure that they have the correct travel documentation, and that no damage is - especially when it comes to the pages with identification and the biometric chip, " she says, and continues:

- in Order to ensure that there are no problems, we advise travellers to check their passports and travel documents are in good condition before departure. If you are in doubt, contact the relevant authorities.