Take your passport swimming with you in Bali

 

If you are heading for Bali there is one rule - albeit a very stupid one - that you should bear in mind.

It has always been the case that foreign nationals in Indonesia must carry their identification and documents with them at all times, but it is a rule that has rarely been enforced.

Until now. The Bali Sun reported recently that immigration officers are carrying out spot checks on an increasingly regular basis throughout the island.

It said this is part of a province-wide initiative aimed at preventing foreigners from overstaying their visas and violating their visa conditions.

A team of immigration officers, wearing security vests and body cams, is conducting spot checks on tourists, asking to review their passports and questioning them. 

And you must carry your actual passport with you; not a copy. That means you must carry your passport to the beach, or the coffee shop. 

What if you want to pop in the water for a dip? 

Should you leave your passport on the beach with your towel, from where it could easily be stolen?

Or should you put it in a waterproof container and take it with you into the waves? 

Probably not, because if a passport is damaged it cannot be used to travel. And you could be stranded until you get a new one. 

It's clearly one of those occasions where the law is an ass.