Marriage in Indonesia is a spiritual bond between a man and a woman as husband and wife with the aim of forming a happy and eternal family (household) based on belief to one and only God. We take marriage a very serious matter. We require both religious and civil marriage to be conducted in order to gain legal recognition. The marriage is legal if you perform the religious marriage before the civil one. We have two types of marriage ceremony in Indonesia i.e. Moslem marriage, and Non-Moslem marriage. Both types of ceremony must go through religious marriage. As for Moslem marriage, they don’t require civil registration as it is legally recognized.
Getting marry in Indonesia is simple, legal, and hassle-free. We encourage people to marry because we think running a marriage is the same thing as if you’re worshiping God. That may be the reason why the require religious marriage comes first before the civil one. Apart from that, there are ten (10) piece of marriage checklist that you must meet with before lodging the notice of intention to get marry. At Wijaya & Co, we always pay attention to details of our client’s case.
Minimum Age to Marry
In September 2019, the Indonesia’s parliament passed a bill on revising the 1974 Marriage Law regarding the minimum age to get marry. You must be at least 19 (nineteen) years of age to be able to get marry legally. The minimum age limit applicable both to bride and groom.
Waiting Period
You must wait at least 10 (ten) days waiting period in order to perform the marriage. This is to meet the publicity requirement. During this period, the marriage registry will publish the notice of the marriage intention to the public to see the if they have any objection to their marriage. Any objection why the two should not be married must be made within this waiting period. Therefore, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Marriage Registry
Since Indonesia has two types of marriage ceremony, we have also two marriage registries. Office of Religous Affairs (so called “Kantor Urusan Agama” / KUA) for Moslem couples, and Civil Registry for Non-Moslem couples, such as Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. Your marriage registry must have jurisdiction according to your legal domicile. Your actual residence may not be the same with your legal domicile. Therefore, always check your paperworks before lodging any marriage intention.
Legally Free to Marry
You must legally free to marry to your partner. You must supply a certificate of singlehood, if you’re single. Your divorce must be absolute, if you’re a divorcee. Your divorce certificate must be surrendered in order to get marry and a marriage license will be presented as your new status. If you’re a foreigner, you need to supply a certificate of non-impediment letter. It certifies that you are legally free to marry. It must print your name and the name of your fiance(e).
Bride and Groom
A legal marriage must have a bride and groom to perform the marriage. You must be present during the ceremony. The bride is a female, and the groom must be a male. Indonesia does not recognize same-sex marriage. It is illegal in Indonesia. Straight only!
Witnesses
You must provide at least two (2) witnesses to testify during the marriage. They’re must be adult and aged above 19 years of age to be a witnesses. As for Moslem marriage ceremony, the witnesses must be men. They can be either from your family members, common friends, coworker, etc.
Marriage Guardian
You need a marriage guardian to get marry. You need to have his blessing. If you were to marry in Moslem ceremony, the marriage guardian must meet certain requirements. The guardian is the bride’s biological father. If he passed-away, her grand father must replace his place. If both of them are gone, you need her biological brother from the paternity line to replace both of them and perform the ritual of marriage.
Prenuptial Agreement
It is highly recommended to sign a prenuptial agreement before the marriage. It is very useful to secure your financial interests in order to protect your family future from unwanted business risks, preclusion to own property in Indonesia for mixed-marriage couples, etc. Please contact me for further information regarding the prenuptial agreement. Our prenup is the best product in the market. It protects you and your family future.
Dowry
The dowry is a present you give to the bride for accepting the marriage to you. The presents usually in the form of jewellery, such bracelet, necklace, etc. This symbolize the bond of the marriage between the two persons.
Feast
You need to celebrate the marriage with at least a small feast. It is advisable to provide at least snacks and drinks to people who come to your wedding.
Those are the ten pieces of marriage checklist that must exist in your marriage in Indonesia. As I told you, we take marriage very serious. One item missing from your marriage proceedings may cause you marriage challengeable.
I am Asep Wijaya. Thank you fo reading my posts!
