Man detained at airport due to tiny passport mistake – and it could happen to you
A MAN was detained at the airport after a small passport blunder almost stopped him from boarding his flight.
John Hammond was travelling to Bali when he was stopped at Immigration.
At first, he was told that his passport could have been fake which was why he was stopped.
However, he quickly realised this wasn’t the case – and it was that his passport had a small bit of damage on it.
He told local media: “I was herded off to the bowels of the Denpasar Airport when it was put to me that possibly my passport was a fake.
“It had a little tear in it about the size of a thumbnail, and that was the reason, I believe, why I was held with security at the back of the airport.”
John, who is a lawyer, said he tried to tell the customs officer that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
He was forced to read a statement that acknowledged the passport was “of poor quality and/or a fake”.
They eventually let him go, and let him into Bali with his passport.
Bali has some of the strictest passport rules when it comes to them having any tears or water damage, which were introduced in 2019.
Indonesian authorities can enforce fines up to $5,000 (£3,292) on airlines if they bring passengers to the island with damaged passports.
And John isn’t the first tourist to be caught out by the rules, with some being banned from their flight.
Bronte Gossling was attempting to travel from Sydney in Australia to Bali last year for a holiday after the country reopened travel.
However, she was told at the desk that she wouldn’t be getting on her flight – as her passport was too mouldy.
She believed it became mouldy following the floods across Australia which have seen heavy rain and high humidity.
In 2019, Australian football player Sam Kerr, 26, was prevented from boarding her Jetstar flight to Bali after the airline deemed it was too damaged to fly with.
And one couple were left £7,500 out of pocket after they had to miss their flight to Bali due to their passport damage.
