BeritaBali and CNNIndonesia are examining how Israeli nationals manage to open and operate businesses in Bali, even though Indonesia and the State of Israel have no formal diplomatic relations. Nonetheless, Israel and Indonesia continue to maintain quiet trade, tourism, and security contacts, with Israelis able to visit Bali and the rest of Indonesia using “on-call business visas” sponsored by Indonesians.
More recently, relations between Indonesia and Israel have worsened with the commencement of the Gaza War in 2023, made even worse when Israel attacked and occupied an Indonesian hospital in Gaza.
Indonesia officially supports Palestine.
Recent reports that Israeli nationals are living and operating businesses in Bali have attracted criticism and closer scrutiny of official immigration policies vis-à-vis citizens of the State of Israel. In response to this criticism, the Indonesian Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Affairs has pointed out that the process for Israeli nationals to enter Indonesia is not solely under the authority of the Immigration office.
Eko Budianto, the Ministry’s Director of Visas and Travel Documents, stated that the issuance of visas to Israeli nationals requires a verification and approval process involving multiple agencies.
According to Budianto, Israeli nationals wishing to enter Indonesia officially must obtain multiple approvals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Police, the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
Because of these complex requirements, relatively few official visas are obtained by Israeli nationals. Issuance is conducted selectively, involving various relevant parties.
Speaking on Wednesday, 12 August, Budianto emphasized that verification does not come solely from Immigration.
Eko Budianto revealed, however, that recent field checks by immigration officers discovered Israelis with dual citizenship living and running businesses in Bali. Many of these individuals do not use their Israeli passport when applying for visas or entering Indonesian territory.
What’s more, the State of Israel requires every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze, or Circassian to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Because of this, there is a high probability that Israelis living and working in Bali have at some point borne arms against Palestinians living in Gaza.
Bali Governor Comments
Separately, as reported by Tribun-Bali, Governor Wayan Koster has commented on media reports that Israeli citizens are living in and opening businesses in Bali.
Questions regarding this topic were, in fact, raised in a press conference led by Governor Koster held at Gedung Kertha Sabha, Denpasar, on Friday, 14 August 2026,
The Governor used the press conference to emphasize that the handling of immigration and manpower issues related to Israelis visiting or working in Bali remains under the Central Government’s control, not his provincial administration’s.
Koster said further coordination on how to prevent Israeli’s from working or living illegally in Bali should be taken up by national leaders in Jakarta. Continuing, Koster explained that the Bali Provincial Government possesses neither a dedicated system nor the technical authority to conduct in-depth verification regarding the movements of specific foreign nationals, such as Israelis. Adding: “You see, the local (Bali) government does not have a system to do that, nor do we have the authority to do so,” he clarified.
Although he acknowledged not having received an official report regarding the presence of an Israeli national deported from Bali, Koster did not deny that the issue has been widely discussed among the public and in the media.
”There is no official report, but the issue is circulating. I don’t know the exact details yet—I’ve seen it in the media—so I intend to communicate [with the relevant parties] about it,” he explained.
When asked about potential firm action by local authorities, Koster reiterated the limits of the Bali Provincial Government’s jurisdiction.
”It is not the province that takes enforcement action; that falls to the institutions that hold the authority to do so,” he emphasized.
He also suggested that the central government handle these diplomatic and immigration matters wisely and improve oversight systems to avoid sparking public controversy.
According to Eko, Israelis seeking to work and live in Bali typically use 2nd passports from other countries when applying to Indonesian immigration authorities. Adding: “This is an issue abroad; generally, Israeli nationals—sometimes—possess other citizenships,” he noted.
Some of the 2nd passports found during Indonesian immigration inspections of Israelis living in Bali were from Portugal, Germany, and Greece.
Under the “on-call visa” policy, entry into Indonesia for Israeli passport holders requires special approval before a visa can be issued.
The presence of Israeli nationals working and living in Indonesia has recently become a “hot topic” on the Instagram Account @shiftmedia.id.
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