August 13, 2026 | 07:17 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration has addressed discussions on social media, sparked by pro-Palestine activists and international influencers, concerning the activities of Israeli citizens in Bali.
Eko Budianto, Director of Visas and Travel Documents at the Directorate General of Immigration, outlined two possible ways Israeli citizens could enter Indonesia.
First, he explained that visa applications from certain countries, including Israel, are subject to a rigorous verification process involving relevant ministries and agencies.
“We have a mechanism for what we classify as countries requiring specific visa validation. For them, visa issuance must be based on verification by other ministries and agencies,” Budianto explained in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to him, visa applications from Israeli citizens require the involvement, deliberation and approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office, the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“The verification does not come solely from immigration, nor does the approval,” Budianto said.
In addition to the standard visa process, he said Israeli citizens could enter Indonesia using passports from other countries of which they are also citizens.
He pointed out that many European countries recognize dual or multiple citizenship, unlike Indonesia, which adheres to the principle of single citizenship.
He added that the possession of multiple citizenships by Israeli citizens is recognized internationally.
Meanwhile, Budianto noted that Indonesia’s immigration system relies on nationality when verifying visa applications and admitting foreign nationals.
“What gets verified or checked is our nationality, not our place of birth. After all, one could be born in America but actually hold Indonesian citizenship,” he said.
Based on visa verification results, he said very few Israeli nationals were able to enter Indonesia through the standard visa process.
However, field findings and data verification through the Immigration Management Information System (SIMKIM) revealed that a number of Israeli citizens had entered Indonesia using third-country passports.
“When we cross-checked our SIMKIM data, specifically by verifying names and alphabetical listings, we found individuals using Portuguese passports, followed by German and Greek passports,” he said.
He explained that these individuals had entered Indonesia using passports issued by countries whose citizens are permitted to enter under the applicable visa arrangements.
Earlier, several social media posts had highlighted the activities of Israeli citizens in Indonesia, with some even featuring videos claiming that the country was open to Israeli citizens.
Videos showing Israeli citizens vacationing in Bali have drawn reactions from pro-Palestinian influencers.
Imam Shamsi Ali, an Indonesian-born imam at a mosque in New York, reposted content from “Gaza Update” featuring reactions from international influencers regarding the presence of Israelis in Indonesia.
“It is making headlines. But things seem rather quiet in Indonesia. What is going on?” Imam Shamsi wrote in the post on August 3.
A video posted by Divina Michael reported the presence of a large number of Israeli citizens in Bali and claimed that social media groups had even been created to share information about entering Indonesia.
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