A woman has warned other travelers to check their passports thoroughly after finding a "tiny" issue meant she was rejected from boarding a flight from Sydney, Australia, to Bali, Indonesia.
Emma Doherty, a Brit who recently moved to Australia, found herself "stranded" at Sydney airport after planning the 10-day getaway and "digital detox" trip.
While she had been looking forward to soaking up the beautiful views in Bali, a tiny issue with her passport meant she wasn't able to get on the plane.
Emma revealed that she was told she could end up "in a cell" in Bali if she traveled to the country, all because of a small bit of water damage to her passport.
She explained in a TikTok video: "So I've just been rejected on my flight to Bali and I'm currently stranded in the middle of Sydney airport. No idea what to do or where to go.
"I literally just got told that if they’d let me into Bali, the military and the security in the airport would have put me into a cell."
Emma revealed that the reason for the furor was all down to a "tiny bit of water damage" at the bottom of her passport, which she'd never noticed and which had never been an issue before.
"I travel all the time and it’s never been mentioned to me before," she said, adding: "But apparently Bali airport are really, really strict and they are known for putting people into a cell if they don’t like your passport.
"Obviously, I’m really upset, like I’m literally gutted. I’ve just been sat here crying for the last 15 minutes. But I’m just going to tell myself that everything happens for a reason, and I wasn’t meant to go on that flight today."
She advised anyone else making the journey to "triple-check" their own passport in case of any marks or damage which could affect their journey into Bali.
Followers in the comments thanked her for sharing, and revealed some of them had also been rejected from flying to Bali for similar reasons.
One wrote: "This happened to me a few years ago! Exact same thing with the water damage too!!! I had to get a brand new passport in 24 hours lol", while another added: "I travelled from Ireland and got though all the countries okay until I got to Bali and they denied me. I got in eventually but what I went though."
Another follower wrote: "My partner’s passport page was a little bit ripped and they also didn’t let him board the flight to Bali."
"Literally my boss had a water stain on her passport about two weeks ago and she was rejected also. Must be a crack down," one viewer speculated.
Others found they didn't have the same issues, writing: "Just came back last Thursday from Bali and they are supper chilled at airport", "This blows my mind because I literally have been through Bali security 3 times in the past year and they are so chill", and: "Na there not I’ve had mine soaking wet and got into Bali."
One user explained why the water damage could flag up potential issues, explaining: "Most fraudulent passports have water damage to make them look real, I learnt that from border security aus."
Best check your passport carefully if you're planning on jetting off to Bali anytime soon!
