Marrying an Indonesian as a foreigner comes down to three things: you both need to share a recognised religion, you need a “no impediment” document from your own embassy, and your foreign paperwork has to be legalised and translated before the KUA or the civil registry will touch it. Get those three right, in the right order, and the rest is mostly forms and waiting.
Last checked: November 2026. Rules and fees change. Confirm with the relevant office or your embassy before you start.
This guide is practical information, not legal advice. Local offices often add their own requirements, so treat every list below as a starting point and ask your specific KUA or Dukcapil office for theirs.
Quick answer: who does what
| Step | Who handles it | Where | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of no impediment (or equivalent) | Your own embassy or home registry | Your embassy in Jakarta/Bali, or at home | Same day to a few weeks, depends on country |
| Apostille or legalisation of foreign documents | The country that issued them | Your home country | Varies |
| Sworn translation into Indonesian | Sworn translator (penerjemah tersumpah) | Indonesia | A few days |
| Muslim marriage | KUA (Office of Religious Affairs) | Sub-district KUA | Book well ahead |
| Non-Muslim marriage | Religious ceremony, then Dukcapil (civil registry) | Place of worship, then Dukcapil | Notice at least 10 days before |
| Marriage certificate legalised for use abroad | Kemenag and/or AHU apostille | Indonesia | Varies |
The rule that surprises most people: religion
Indonesia’s Marriage Law (Law No. 1 of 1974) says a marriage is valid when it’s performed under the religion of the couple and then registered. There’s no purely civil wedding option.
In practice that means:
- You marry under one of the six religions the state recognises: Islam, Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism or Confucianism.
- Both partners are expected to hold the same religion. The German and Australian embassies in Jakarta both say this plainly on their own marriage pages.
- If you don’t share a faith, one partner usually converts before the wedding. Couples who won’t do that often marry abroad instead and then register the marriage in Indonesia (more on that below).
Don’t skip this conversation. It decides which office you deal with and which documents you’ll need.
Route 1: Muslim marriage at the KUA
If you’re both Muslim, the KUA (Kantor Urusan Agama, the Office of Religious Affairs under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kemenag) runs the whole thing. A KUA official records the akad nikah (the marriage contract), and you each get a Buku Nikah (marriage book).
A few practical points:
- Registration goes through the KUA in the sub-district (kecamatan) where the Indonesian partner lives. Registration can also be started online through Kemenag’s SIMKAH system.
- Kemenag offices say a wedding held at the KUA office during working hours costs nothing in government fees. If the ceremony happens elsewhere or outside office hours, there’s an official fee of Rp600,000, paid to the bank with a billing code. Anything above that isn’t an official charge.
- If the foreign partner converted, bring your conversion certificate (from the mosque or an Islamic organisation).
- Check your foreign name is spelled exactly as on your passport in the Buku Nikah. The German embassy specifically flags this.
The Australian embassy notes that Muslim couples usually don’t also register with the civil registry, but recommends getting a civil marriage certificate too if you plan to move abroad.
Route 2: Non-Muslim marriage (religious ceremony + Dukcapil)
For Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist or Confucian couples, it’s two steps:
- A religious ceremony at a church, temple or other place of worship, which issues its own marriage letter.
- Registration at Dukcapil (Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil, the civil registry office), which issues the Akta Perkawinan (marriage certificate).
The Australian embassy says you lodge a notice of intention to marry with the civil registry at least 10 days before the wedding, and that the marriage must be registered at the civil registry after the ceremony to be legal. Don’t treat the church or temple certificate as the finish line.
Documents checklist for the foreign partner
Lists vary by province and even by office, but these come up again and again on embassy pages:
- ☐ Valid passport (originals plus photocopies)
- ☐ Your embassy’s certificate of no impediment, affidavit or equivalent
- ☐ Birth certificate, apostilled or legalised in the issuing country
- ☐ Divorce decree or former spouse’s death certificate, if you were married before
- ☐ Proof of your Indonesian visa or stay permit (the German embassy lists this)
- ☐ Passport-style photos, often 4×6 cm. The Australian embassy mentions four photos of the couple for the civil registry
- ☐ Conversion certificate, if relevant
- ☐ Sworn Indonesian translations of anything not in Indonesian
Your Indonesian partner will usually need their KTP (ID card), Kartu Keluarga (family card), birth certificate, and a cover letter from the local neighbourhood office. KUA weddings also use standard N-forms from the village or kelurahan office.
Step by step: the order that saves you time
- Pick your route. Muslim (KUA) or non-Muslim (place of worship + Dukcapil). This decides everything else.
- Ask the actual office for its list. Visit or message the KUA or Dukcapil that will register you. Ask exactly which documents, whether foreign documents must be apostilled, whether they want sworn translations, and how recent each document must be.
- Get documents from home first. Birth certificate, divorce papers and any certificate your home registry issues. Apostille them in the issuing country if it’s a member of the Apostille Convention. Indonesia joined the convention and it took effect on 4 June 2022, so apostilled foreign documents no longer need embassy legalisation on top.
- Get your no impediment document. This comes from your own embassy or home authority, not from Indonesia. The process is different for every nationality, so check your embassy’s own page early. Some issue it the same day, others need weeks.
- Translate. Use a sworn translator in Indonesia for every foreign-language document the office wants.
- Submit and book the date. Lodge everything with the KUA or Dukcapil and fix the ceremony date. Allow plenty of slack. The German embassy suggests tourists plan for around four weeks in Indonesia.
- Hold the ceremony and register. For non-Muslim couples, don’t leave town until Dukcapil has issued the Akta Perkawinan.
- Legalise the certificate for use back home. If your home country is an Apostille Convention member, Indonesian public documents get an apostille through AHU (the Directorate General of General Legal Administration at the Ministry of Law). A KUA marriage book may need Kemenag legalisation first.
Already married abroad? Register it in Indonesia
If you married outside Indonesia, the marriage still has to be reported here. Indonesia’s civil registration law (Law No. 23 of 2006) says the Indonesian spouse must report a marriage held abroad to the civil registry where they live within 30 days of returning to Indonesia. The older Marriage Law mentions one year, which causes some confusion, so report as soon as you can rather than relying on the longer period.
Bring the foreign marriage certificate (apostilled or legalised), its sworn translation, both passports, and the Indonesian spouse’s KTP and Kartu Keluarga. Ask the Dukcapil office in advance whether they also want proof of reporting to the Indonesian embassy in the country where you married.
This registration matters later. Immigration asks for proof of it when you apply for a spouse stay permit.
Prenuptial agreements and property
Keep this short, but don’t ignore it.
- Foreigners can’t hold freehold land title (Hak Milik) in Indonesia.
- Without a prenuptial agreement, property acquired during the marriage becomes joint marital property. That can affect the Indonesian spouse’s ability to hold freehold title, because it would then partly belong to a foreigner.
- A 2015 Constitutional Court decision (No. 69/PUU-XIII/2015) means a marriage agreement can now be made before or during the marriage, not only before it.
- A prenup is drawn up by a notary and registered. Talk to a notary or lawyer about whether you need one and how to word it.
Common mistakes and delays
- Starting in Indonesia instead of at home. Most delays come from a missing apostille on a birth certificate or divorce decree. Fix those before you fly.
- Documents that are too old. Many offices want recent documents. The Australian embassy notes civil registries normally don’t accept a CNI issued more than three months earlier.
- Name mismatches. Your name must match your passport on every document, including middle names and spelling.
- Assuming the ceremony is the registration. For non-Muslim couples, it isn’t. Dukcapil registration makes it legal.
- Divorce not final. You can’t remarry until the divorce is final in your home country.
- Every office is different. A list that worked in Jakarta may not work in Bali or Garut. Ask the office that will register you.
A lot of couples use a document agency or a lawyer for parts of this, especially translations, legalisation and the Dukcapil appointment. That’s optional, but it helps if neither of you can deal with offices in Indonesian.
Once you’re married, the next big piece is residency. Browse our Living in Indonesia section and the Entering Indonesia guides, and confirm visa questions on imigrasi.go.id.
FAQ
Can a foreigner marry an Indonesian without converting?
Only if you already share one of the six recognised religions. Indonesian law requires the marriage to follow the couple’s religion, and embassies report that both partners must share it. Couples of different faiths often marry abroad and then register the marriage in Indonesia, but get advice on how that will be treated before you choose that route.
Can we have a civil-only wedding in Indonesia?
No. There’s no civil-only ceremony. Non-Muslim couples have a religious ceremony first and then register at Dukcapil.
How long does the whole process take?
It depends mostly on how fast you can get documents from home. Once your paperwork is ready, the German embassy suggests allowing about four weeks in Indonesia, and the civil registry needs notice at least 10 days before a non-Muslim wedding.
Do I need a visa to get married in Indonesia?
You need to be in Indonesia legally, and some offices ask for a copy of your visa or stay permit. Confirm with the office whether your visa type is accepted. For general trip prep, see our practical travel tips for Indonesia.
Is the marriage automatically valid in my home country?
Usually, yes, if it’s legally performed in Indonesia, but it depends on your country. The UK and Australia both say you can’t register an overseas marriage with them. You just keep the apostilled Indonesian certificate as proof. Check your own government’s guidance.
Do we need to tell anyone after the wedding?
Yes. Update the Indonesian spouse’s Kartu Keluarga at Dukcapil. If the foreign spouse will live here, apply for the right stay permit and report your address locally.
