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THERE’S nothing more devastating than arriving in a new country ready for a long-awaited adventure and being sent home before you even set foot outside of the airport.
Sadly, this is the case of dozens for Australian travellers who have been sent home from Bali’s Denpasar Airport in recent months for having damaged passports as part of a crackdown by Indonesian authorities.
A British couple on their honeymoon were sent home after their dog slightly chewed one of their passports, while a 16-year-old Australian schoolgirl was refused entry after presenting a passport with a slight rip in the spine.
And it is not only the disappointment of missing out on your island holiday that is at stake with fines of up to $5,000 issued to airlines if they carry passengers with damaged passports.
The Australian Passport Office has advised Bali-bound travellers to keep their document “intact and in good condition.”
“Contact with water or other liquids can cause serious damage,” the Passport Office advises.
“You must not tear or remove pages from your passport. It is critical that all the details and the photos on the personal data pages are legible and clear, and that there is no evidence of alteration or tampering with any aspect of the booklet.”
For more information, travellers can contact the Australian Passport Information Service on 131 232 or visit a consulate for a passport check.
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