Indonesian anti-graft investigators have revealed that corrupt immigration officials in Bali have been running an extortion racket, charging foreign nationals and visa agencies illicit fees ranging from IDR 100.000 to IDR 2.5 million per document just to process routine residency paperwork.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) uncovered the scale of the bribery scheme following a sweeping sting operation in the popular holiday destination. Investigators found that officials at the Ngurah Rai and Denpasar immigration offices deliberately stalled visa applications unless under-the-counter payments were made.
According AntaraNews, KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo revealed the details late on Thursday following the interrogation of six witnesses in Bali, including local visa agency operators and tech staff.
“The payments demanded were varied,” Mr Prasetyo said. “They ranged from 100,000 IDR (£5) to 2.5 million IDR (£115) for every single document processed, whether it was for temporary residency permits (KITAS), permanent residency permits (KITAP), or other immigration papers.”
According to investigators, expatriates and their visa agents were forced to pay these illegal premiums on top of official government fees. If the extra money was not handed over, officials simply refused to progress the applications online.
“If the agency did not pay the requested amount, the application wouldn’t be clicked in the system,” Mr Prasetyo explained, noting that investigators have dubbed the bribes “click money”.
“Essentially, rogue immigration officers were intentionally creating bureaucratic hurdles to squeeze money out of the visa agencies handling these documents.”
The revelations are part of a massive corruption probe that has rocked Indonesia’s immigration department. Earlier this month, the KPK launched a sting operation—the 11th of its kind this year—arresting 17 people, including eight civil servants and nine private visa intermediaries.
The scandal reaches the very top of the department. The country’s former Deputy Minister for Immigration and Correction, Silmy Karim, surrendered to authorities on 3 June.
The KPK has since named eight high-ranking officials as suspects in a systemic extortion ring operating between 2022 and 2026. Alongside Mr Karim, who previously served as Director-General of Immigration, suspects include former Acting Director-General Saffar Muhammad Godam and several regional immigration chiefs.
