In accordance with Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriages in Indonesia (Article 2 (1): “A marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned.” All couples who marry in Indonesia must declare a religion. Agnosticism and Atheism are not recognized. The Civil Registry (Catatan Sipil) can record marriages of persons of Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian-Protestant and Christian-Catholic faiths. Marriage partners must have the same religion. Otherwise, one partner must make a written declaration of conversion of religion. For a marriage to be legal, it must be conducted according to the religion, and conform to the laws of the countries of the parties involved. Moslem weddings are performed by the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) at a mosque, private home, etc, which issues Marriage Books (Buku Nikah) as a legal evidence of the marriage. There is usually no requirement for people to register such a marriage with the Civil Registry. However, if you may move to another country, it is recommended that you arrange for a Marriage Certificate in case it is needed.

For non-Moslem marriages (Christian-Catholic, Christian-Protestant, Buddhist, and Hindu), couples have to lodge a Notice of Intention to Marry with the Civil Registry at least 10 days prior to the wedding. These marriages are usually performed first in a Church, Chapel, Temple, or chosen venue (i.e. private villa). After the religious ceremony, every non-Islamic marriage must be recorded by the Civil Registry. Without the registration by the Civil Registry these marriages are considered non-legal. Marriage legitimation by the Civil Registry officials can be performed directly after the religious ceremony for an additional fee.

For the Notice of Intention to Marry, both partners have to submit following documents to the Civil
Registry:

  1. Original certificate of the religious marriage;
  2. Copy of Bride and Groom’s passports for foreign citizens, or KTP (Identity card) for Indonesian
    citizens;
  3. Copy of two witnesses’ passports for foreign citizens, or KTP (Identity card) for Indonesian citizens;
  4. Copy of Birth Certificates (for foreign citizen, the Civil Registry will require the Birth Certificate to be
    translated by a sworn translator. This service will require an additional fee);
  5. Copy of Divorce Decree (absolute) or Death Certificate regarding the termination of all previous
    marriages (these certificates must be translated by a sworn translator as well);
  6. Four pcs of 4×6 cm photos, both partners side by side, with red background;
  7. For foreign citizens, a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage issued by your Consulate-General in
    Bali or Embassy in Jakarta;

Any persons of foreign nationality choosing to be married in Bali under Indonesian Law are required to obtain a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) from their Consulate-General or Embassy in Indonesia before a wedding can take place. Most Consulate-General or Embassy apply a certain amount of fee to process the application and issue the certificate.

For the issuance of the Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage by your Consulate-General or Embassy, you will need to show valid original passports of yourself and your fiancé(e)’s and provide original proof(s) of dissolution of marriage(s) from both parties and/or Death Certificate(s) regarding the termination of all previous marriages (if any). Please contact the Consulate-General or Embassy of your country for further details before the intended date of marriage. To legitimate a marriage, two witnesses over the age of 18 are required. They must show the photocopies of their passports if they are foreign citizens or KTP (Identity Card) if they are Indonesian citizens. Additionally, the witnesses must be non-blood related to the couple. Especially for Catholic witnesses, they have to be Catholic as well. If needed, the Civil Registry employees can also act as witnesses.

The Civil Registry has a Mandatory Waiting Period of 10 working days from the date of filing. This waiting period may be waived for tourists presenting a Guest Registration Form (Form A) from the hotel or villa where they stay.

Prior to the marriage, you and your fiancé(e) also may wish to file a Pre-Nuptial Property Agreement (Surat Perjanjian Pra-Nikah) to the Civil Registry which must be signed before a local Notary Public. This contract is necessary if you wish to hold property separately during the marriage. In the absence of such a document, Indonesian marriage law assumes joint ownership of property, and subsequent property acquisitions by the Indonesian partner will be regulated according to the laws restricting foreign property ownership.

The Marriage Certificates will be issued by the Civil Registry usually on the same or next day. A sworn translation of the Marriage Certificate should be obtained to be used abroad. It is not necessary for the Marriage Certificate or translation to be registered by your Consular Agency. However, to have the sworn translation of the Marriage Certificate verified, or a special translation made by the Consular Agency of your home country or the Consular Agency of your country of residence might prove useful.