BADUNG, DEWATA.NEWS – Passenger traffic at Bali’s main international gateway continues to rise, with more than 3.4 million immigration movements recorded at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport during the first quarter of 2026.
Data from January 1 to March 31 shows a 1.9 percent year-on-year increase, reflecting growing mobility and a steady recovery in Bali’s tourism sector.
Head of Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, said total arrivals reached 1.6 million people, marking a 2.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
“Indonesian arrivals reached 157,153, up 25 percent year-on-year, while foreign arrivals totaled 1.4 million, growing by 1 percent. Crew arrivals also increased to 51,964, up 5.6 percent,” he said on Wednesday (April 8).
Meanwhile, departures recorded 1.7 million passengers, an increase of 0.8 percent year-on-year. Indonesian departures rose to 137,116 (up 6.3 percent), while foreign departures reached 1.5 million (up 0.2 percent). Crew departures also increased to 52,782 (up 4 percent).
In terms of border control, immigration authorities denied entry to 233 foreign nationals and delayed the departure of 105 individuals during the same period.
Australia remained the top source of foreign arrivals with 363,582 visitors, followed by China (164,594), India (121,390), South Korea (73,711), Russia (67,454), the United Kingdom (62,764), the United States (56,866), Japan (46,971), Malaysia (46,602), and France (38,892).
On document services, passport issuance totaled 6,478, representing a 24 percent decrease year-on-year. This included 3,280 new passports (down 27 percent) and 3,198 replacements (down 21 percent). A total of 117 passport applications were rejected. Since December 1, 2024, all passport services have been fully transitioned to electronic passports.
In residence permit services, several categories showed significant growth. Visit stay permit extensions reached 3,251 (up 30 percent), while Visa on Arrival (VOA) extensions surged 169 percent to 16,303. Status changes from visit permits (ITK) to limited stay permits (ITAS) increased by 151 percent to 919 cases.
However, some services declined, including ITAS issuance, conversions to permanent stay permits (ITAP), and Exit Permit Only (EPO), which dropped by up to 62 percent year-on-year.
Law enforcement and supervision activities were also intensified, with 66 deportations, 49 detentions, and 64 entry bans recorded. Authorities conducted 85 monitoring operations and 20 public outreach programs.
Most violations involved overstaying (46 cases) and regulatory breaches (43 cases), with offenders primarily from the United States, India, and Nigeria.
From a revenue perspective, non-tax state revenue (PNBP) reached IDR 274.3 billion by March 2026, or 17.08 percent of the annual target of IDR 1.6 trillion. The largest contribution came from visa services, totaling IDR 210 billion.
Public service interactions were dominated by WhatsApp (3,547 services), followed by Instagram, email, and TikTok.
“We continue to improve immigration services and supervision to ensure comfort and security for both residents and visitors,” Bugie said.