PIKIRAN RAKYAT – The Denpasar Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim) in Bali has deported two Nigerian nationals, identified only as COO (26) and SMR (33) after they were unable to pay the fine for overstaying their visas. The two were deported via the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday, March 31, 2023.
According to Babay Baenullah, the head of Rudenim Denpasar, COO entered Indonesia in December 2022, while SMR entered in late December 2022. COO overstayed for 37 days, and SMR overstayed for 46 days.
Baenullah explained that, according to immigration regulations, foreign nationals who overstay their visas must pay a fine if their overstay is not more than 60 days. However, if they are unable to pay the fine, immigration authorities can deport them and ban them from re-entering Indonesia.
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"Foreigners who do not pay the penalty can be subject to immigration administrative action in the form of deportation and banning," said Baenullah.
Baenullah also explained that, according to Article 78, paragraph 2 of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration, the amount of the fine imposed on foreign nationals for overstaying is IDR 1 million or USD 66,7 per day per person.
Previously, the Indonesian Immigration Office had arrested COO and SMR in a joint operation with other agencies. They were apprehended in a rented house in the Dalung area of North Denpasar. The joint operation was a follow-up to reports from the public regarding the suspicious activities of some Nigerian foreign nationals in the area.
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When arrested, COO and SMR claimed they were applying for a limited-stay visa for business purposes, but the process had not been completed as promised by one of their acquaintances.