She was instructed to carry the blue form along with her passport. (Representational Image: Unsplash)
An Australian woman was forced to pay $1000 at the Bali airport after officials said her "dirty" passport was not acceptable. Monique Sutherland was flying to the Indonesian province with her 60-year-old for a much-needed holiday, New York Post reported.
Ms Sutherland narrated that her ordeal began when the pair checked into the Batik Air Counter. The 28-year-old shared that she was singled out by airport staff due to the condition of her passport. The airport staff made her sign a special blue form as her passport was 'slightly dirty'.
"This was because my passport was slightly dirty as it is seven years old," she told 7 News.
She was instructed to carry the blue form along with her passport. After getting the paperwork in order and going through immigration, the mother and daughter were able to board the plane and enjoy their flight to Bali.
But her problems began once she landed in Bali and attempted to pass through immigration. Ms Sutherland claims that she was escorted into an interrogation room and was questioned for over an hour.
Ms Sutherland recalled that the airport staff started laughing and accusing her of breaking the law because her passport was 'damaged.'
"They told me they would be able to sort out the issue for a fee of $1000," she said, after claiming that if she didn't pay, she wouldn't receive her passport back.
Ms Sutherland recently lost her job and stood her ground and refused to pay. The airport officials decided to take advantage of her mother.
She said, "They approached my scared mother and convinced her to pay, and said if she didn't I wouldn't be getting my passport returned."
Once the officials received their money, Ms Sutherland and her mom were able to enjoy their holiday without further issues.
However, Ms Sutherland reached out to an Australian border security staff member, who informed her that she was likely corned. "My passport was never the real issue."
She added, "It was an easy way to get some money from inexperienced tourists."