A MAN was banned from entering a country due to a tiny mistake with his passport.
Matt Vandenberg, 29, was travelling from Sydney to Bali to celebrate a friend's wedding.
However, after arriving at the airport for his 6am Jetstar flight, he was allowed to board - only to run into problems at Indonesian customs.
He explained on Twitter: "One of my best mates is getting married on Friday in Bali, so obviously all the lads and I have flown over.
"I take the 6am flight out, Jetstar - everyone well behaved, staff were great.
I'm a flight attendant who only carries hand luggage on holiday - here's how
"So I arrive at DPS, pay my visa, present my passport, get brought over to the immigration office who alerts me I have a 1cm tear on my passport page.
"To be fair, he's correct (I had no idea until he bent it all the way back, and it stood out. You couldn't see it any other way.)
"Get brought into an office to be told that my passports tear isn't acceptable and I won't be allowed into the country - and my passport will be confiscated until I get on a flight home tonight."
He said he "didn't dispute" the tear but that it wasn't noticeable until you bent the passport back, so Sydney immigration didn't see it.
He said he spent around 12 hours at the airport before being forced to take the next flight back home, although praised how friendly airport staff were.
He continued: " I've had two airport police by my side the whole day - to be fair they are the nicest people you could have stuck by my side, feel very very very sorry for me - rules are rules.
"So flying home tonight and I have an emergency meeting tomorrow about my passport tomorrow morning, so hopefully can get a new one and get back over.
"Probably a good warning for people travelling to Indonesia - they do not mess around!"
He later explained that he was left around AUD$1,500 (£804) out of pocket during the whole experience.
People on Twitter were shocked by his story.
I'm a pilot - the passenger habit that drives me mad and I bet you're guilty
One person wrote: "I’m flying to Bali in a few weeks. About to go and check the state of my passport!"
Matt replied that they refuse "a couple of hundred a day" due to the strict rules.
Someone else simply commented: "Dude that sucks."
Matt isn't the first person this has happened to when travelling to Bali.
Back in February, John Hammond was detained at immigration due to a "tear the size of a thumbnail" on his passport.
And 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.
The new rules were introduced back in 2019 for anyone travelling to Bali.
