Jakarta Immigration to Deport British National Following Unpaid Restaurant Bill

The Jakarta Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration is set to deport a British national who refused to pay for food at a cafe in the Central Jakarta area.

“We received information regarding a foreign national staying at a hotel in the Tanah Abang area. Based on that information, we conducted a pursuit and apprehended the individual,” stated Pamuji Raharja, Head of the Jakarta Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, in Jakarta on Wednesday.

A video that went viral on social media on Monday showed a foreign national, wearing a white t-shirt and blue shorts, refusing to pay for his meal. Following the footage, authorities conducted an investigation starting from the crime scene at the eatery in Central Jakarta. This led them to information regarding the individual’s stay at a hotel in Tanah Abang.

Pamuji noted that after securing the individual, further investigation revealed the person to be identified by the initials ZNB, a British national. Records show that ZNB arrived in Denpasar on 16 April 2026 and processed a Visa on Arrival. On 21 May, ZNB travelled to Jakarta and checked into a hotel in Tanah Abang.

Following the arrest and subsequent interrogation, ZNB has been transferred to the Immigration Detention Centre (Rudenim) to await deportation to his home country.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Central Jakarta Immigration Office, M. Iqbal Ma’ruf, urged all hotel, apartment, and boarding house owners hosting foreign nationals to report their presence via the Alien Reporting Application (APOA). This measure aims to ensure that all foreign nationals in Central Jakarta adhere to established regulations. Iqbal noted that 55 hotel and apartment owners have already actively reported the arrival of foreign nationals and expressed his gratitude to those complying with the reporting requirements.