Bali deported 342 foreigners from 60 countries in the first six months of this year, as Indonesia tightens enforcement around its growing community of foreign residents and visas for content creators.
A dedicated immigration unit called Dharma Dewata now runs routine checks through Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak, Kerobokan and Uluwatu, the areas where the island’s creator economy has settled.
The deportations covered visa breaches of every kind, not only social media work, but the timing follows Indonesia’s move to give content creation its own visa category.
Indonesia introduced the C5A Content Creator Visit Visa in May 2025. It allows creators to film and post on their personal social media accounts and travel around the country, but it does not cover journalistic or commercial film work, working for a local employer, or earning income inside Indonesia.
The visa runs for 60 days and can be extended twice from inside the country, up to 180 days in total. Overstaying or working outside those limits can bring fines, cancellation, detention, deportation and an entry ban of up to 10 years.
Janet Deneefe, an Australian who has lived in Bali for 42 years and runs several businesses there, told CNA the crackdown was overdue, though she said the boundaries around money still need defining.
Martin, a travel YouTuber, said the island’s old barter economy, free rooms and meals in exchange for a post, is now effectively finished for anyone without the right visa, since that kind of arrangement now counts as earning inside Indonesia.
He added that the rules remain unclear for creators who take nothing from local businesses and earn only from automated advertising on their videos.
Thailand introduced a similar visa earlier and has faced less pushback over it. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), launched in July 2024, names digital content creators as one of its intended groups, alongside YouTubers, podcasters and influencers with verifiable income.
It runs for five years, allows 180 days per entry with one extension of a further 180 days, and requires applicants to hold 500,000 baht in the bank, usually for three months.
The DTV carries the same restriction Bali is now applying: holders cannot get a Thai work permit, work for a Thai-registered company, take freelance jobs from Thai clients, or accept free stays or meals in exchange for content, since that counts as payment from a Thai business.
Working without a permit carries a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation and a two-year bar on applying for a work permit, while the Thai business involved faces a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 baht per foreigner. Thailand also introduced a new deportation regulation this month, setting out clearer grounds for removing foreigners over their conduct.
The main difference between the two countries is sequence. Thailand introduced its visa rules first and is now enforcing them against a framework creators can already read, while Bali is enforcing and defining the rules at the same time.
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