S'pore couple detained at Batam ferry immigration for 2 hours over 'disrespectful' behaviour, allegedly told to pay S$100 per person for entry

Two separate groups of travellers to Batam, Indonesia, recently complained that they had to pay immigration officers at Indonesia's Batam Centre International Ferry Terminal up to S$250 in 'fees' to pass immigration checks or be turned back to Singapore.

They were led away from the immigration queue to a "hidden" room and were given reasons such as visa issues or being "disrespectful" for crossing a railing.

Reviews posted online document similar alleged experiences from different time periods.

"Disrespectful" behaviour

Speaking to Mothership, AC shared that he and his partner travelled to Batam via ferry on Mar. 13, 2026.

They are Singaporeans.

While queuing for passport clearance, the party of two moved to a shorter auto-gate line, which was where they were stopped by an officer and led to wait outside a "hidden interrogation room".

They had not cut anyone's queue as there was nobody behind them, according to AC.

They joined several other foreigners already in the waiting area.

AC and his partner's passports were also purportedly confiscated.

The individuals were then called into the room one by one, according to AC.

"My partner came out saying, 'They want money'," AC shared.

When it was AC's turn, the officers shouted at him, "Do you know what you did wrong?"

They then told him he acted disrespectfully by crossing the railing.

He explained to the officers that he had not cut anyone's queue to no avail.

"The officers shouted, confiscated my phone, intimidated, and demanded S$100 penalty per person," AC said.

According to AC, either they paid or were detained overnight and sent back to Singapore the next day.

Two hours later, AC said that he and his partner gave in and paid the "fine" in cash, which the officers supposedly added to a stack under a keyboard.

According to AC, the other foreigners that were similarly held back included those from Malaysia, China, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

Visa issues

Nay, who was travelling to Batam with his elderly parents on Mar. 14, had a similar encounter.

They hold Myanmar passports, but Nay works in Singapore on an employment pass.

During immigration checks at the Batam terminal, Nay passed without hiccups, but his parents were stopped.

They were then escorted to a small room next to the immigration counter, where they waited for 45 minutes.

There was "limited space and lots and lots of mosquitoes", Nay recounted.

He was eventually led to another room by a "guy who dressed casually" and was told that there were issues with his parents' Malaysian visas.

The officer apparently told Nay that his parents would be denied entry and sent back to Malaysia unless he paid S$150 for each of his parents.

However, some things didn't add up, Nay said.

For one, they had just visited Johor Bahru, Malaysia, that morning and cleared Malaysia's immigration checks with no issues.

They had also travelled to Batam via Harbourfront in Singapore.

"They have absolutely no authority to send us back to Malaysia," he claimed.

Nay said he resisted paying the sum of money at first, but seeing that his elderly parents were tired and that their Airbnb in Batam had already been paid in full, he decided to cough up the money.

However, he said he managed to negotiate the sum down from S$300 to S$250.

"The casually-dressed guy said S$200 for immigration officers and S$50 for himself," Nay claimed.

He has since submitted feedback to Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission.

Online reviews

Apart from AC and Nay, reviewers on Google Maps and Tripadvisor have also shared about being asked to pay a fee for entry into Indonesia.

While there have been recent posts, one was made as early as October 2015.

AC shared that he hoped that his story would serve as a "warning" to travellers to Batam.

Mothership has reached out to Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration and Corruption Eradication Commission for comments.

Top image via Google Maps