A small tear in a tourist’s passport from Australia has prevented him from entering Bali. Matt Vandenberg (29), claimed he boarded at 6 a.m. Jetstar aircraft from Sydney on Tuesday to attend a friend’s wedding in Bali on Friday, the 2nd of June, 2023. However, the Australian tourist trip abruptly ended when he has turned away at Indonesian airport customs.
Vandenberg said on Twitter, “So I go to DPS, pay my visa, show my passport, and then get pulled over to the immigration office who notifies me I have a 1cm tear on my passport page – to be fair, he’s correct.
The shocked Australian tourist was led into a customs office, where he was informed that the tear was unacceptable and that he would not be permitted to enter the country.
Vanderberg detained his passport until he could get a flight home that night, despite arguing that Sydney immigration officials “were fine” when they scanned his paperwork.
Despite having two armed police guards with him at all times, the Australian tourist was permitted to roam the airport throughout his 11-hour wait.
The Australian tourist posted a photo of his beaming escorts along with the caption, “To be fair; they are the nicest people you could have stuck by my side, feel very very very sorry for me – rules are rules.”
Vandenberg was able to find humour in his predicament as well.
Vandenberg shared an image of Tom Hanks’ character Viktor Navorski from the movie The Terminal, who is stranded in an airport in the US while putting his face over the actor’s. At the same time, he waited over a torturous 12-hour span.
To still make it back to Bali for his friend’s wedding, he returned to Sydney on Wednesday, the 7th of June morning and filed for an emergency passport.
According to Vandenberg, who spoke to local media in Australia, the entire incident would likely cost him an additional $15,000 on top of his travel costs.
Vandenberg said, “It’s probably a good caution for anybody heading to Indonesia – they don’t screw around.”
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