Badung
South Bali regency hosting Canggu and Seminyak; the primary digital nomad hub in Dharma Dewata's sweep.
Last refreshed: 20 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Is Canggu, the world's top digital nomad hub, actually operating inside the law?
Timeline for Badung
Mentioned in: Bali's Dharma Dewata: 62 detained across three regencies
Nomads & Communities- Where is Badung in Bali?
- Badung is the southernmost regency of Bali, covering the main tourist resort areas including Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Legian, and Nusa Dua. It borders Denpasar to the north-east and generates approximately 70% of Bali's tourism revenue.
- Why is Canggu in Badung a target for Bali's immigration enforcement?
- Canggu hosts Bali's highest concentration of digital nomad co-working spaces and short-term rental villas. The Dharma Dewata operation targeted Badung because the digital-nomad business model, where remote workers earn income while on tourist visas, is illegal under Indonesian immigration law.Source: Bali Immigration Office
Background
Badung is the most tourism-intensive regency in Bali, encompassing the resort zones of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu, and Nusa Dua. It was one of the three target areas in the Dharma Dewata immigration enforcement operation of April–May 2026, and given its concentration of co-working spaces, digital nomad cafés, and short-term rental properties, it was the primary operational focus of the 62 detentions .
Canggu in particular has become internationally synonymous with Bali's digital nomad scene, hosting dozens of co-working spaces and thousands of short-term rental villas that serve a market of remote workers staying for weeks to months on tourist visas. This business model, legally grey because income is earned while on tourist status, is precisely what Dharma Dewata targeted.
Badung generates approximately 70% of Bali's tourism revenue, making it central to the provincial economy. Enforcement there is politically sensitive: actions that deter the digital-nomad and long-stay visitor market risk significant revenue loss for the broader Balinese economy.