Bali Just Blacklisted Two Foreigners Over an Unlicensed Running Club
A running club doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that gets two foreigners banned from an entire country. But that’s exactly what happened in Bali this week, and the story is worth knowing if you’re planning any kind of long stay on the island, not just a two-week holiday.
On July 23, 2026, two Dutch nationals linked to a Seminyak-based running club called Entourage Bali left the island on a KLM flight to Singapore, just ahead of an immigration investigation catching up with them. Indonesia has since blacklisted both from re-entering the country. One had been on a limited work stay permit, the other on an investor permit, and neither, according to immigration officials, covered what the club had actually become.
Short version: this isn’t really a story about running. It’s a reminder that Bali’s immigration authorities are now watching very closely for foreigners who build businesses, clubs, or communities on the island without the paperwork to match, and the consequences are no longer just a warning.
What Actually Happened
The trouble started when an Indonesian woman shared screenshots showing her application to join Entourage Bali’s WhatsApp community had been placed under review, while her husband’s application, submitted with a Western-sounding name and phone number, went through immediately. The club apologized publicly, saying an automated approval system had mistakenly flagged applicants using Indonesia’s +62 country code.
Whether that explanation satisfied anyone or not, it wasn’t really the point by the time immigration got involved. The bigger issue was what the club had grown into: a large, organized community running regular paid or sponsored events without the business licensing that kind of activity requires.
Why This Matters More Than the Headline Suggests
Indonesia’s Director General of Immigration didn’t mince words, describing the club’s operation as functioning like “a state within a state.” That phrase is the part worth remembering. Foreign nationals are allowed to live, holiday, and even work remotely in Bali under the right visa, but organizing commercial events or running a business, including something as casual-sounding as a members-only run club, requires proper permits and a work visa that actually covers it.
The two men’s sponsor company has also been summoned for questioning, which tells you the investigation isn’t stopping at the two individuals. Immigration is looking at the whole structure behind how the club operated.
What This Means If You’re Staying Longer Than a Holiday
If you’re in Bali purely to relax at a villa, eat well, and enjoy the beaches, none of this touches you. But if you’re the kind of traveler who ends up staying months at a time, working remotely, or thinking about starting a little side project while you’re here, whether that’s a supper club, a coaching business, or yes, a run club, this is the exact line that gets crossed. The permit you arrived on almost certainly doesn’t cover organizing paid or sponsored group activities.
It’s a smaller, more specific version of the same story behind the 342 foreigners deported from Bali earlier this year, and it fits the same pattern as the island’s tightening visa rules for remote workers and creators and the new financial screening being added to long-stay Visit Visas: know exactly what your visa permits, and don’t assume a casual community activity is exempt just because nobody’s charging admission at the door.
Quick Answers About the Entourage Bali Case
What happened? Two Dutch nationals linked to a Seminyak running club were blacklisted from Indonesia after immigration found their activities exceeded what their stay permits allowed.
When did this happen? They left Bali on July 23, 2026, and the blacklisting was confirmed shortly after.
Does this affect regular tourists? No. It applies to foreigners organizing commercial activities, clubs, or businesses without the correct permits, not holidaymakers on a standard tourist visa.
The Chimera Villas Take
Come to Bali to disconnect, not to build a side hustle you haven’t properly licensed. If you’re staying with us for a few weeks and want to join a local run club, yoga group, or pop-up dinner, that’s exactly the kind of community connection that makes a longer stay worthwhile. Just leave the organizing, sponsoring, and monetizing to people with the right paperwork, and enjoy being a guest instead of a case study.
