Unlike other countries, Indonesian law has no provision for non-religious civil marriages. The validity of marriage is governed by the Marriage Law of 1974 which took affect in 2nd January 1974. The mixed-marriage couple needs to pay attention to the legal issues surrounding their union. If something unforeseen happens down the line, lack of legal requirements in your marriage will put you into an unfavorable condition. If the law doesn’t recognize your marriage, you are considered to be not marriage at all. This lack of a legal status will affect your divorce, division of marital properties, alimony, and child custody.
Religious Marriages
Indonesia’s 1974 Marriage Law stipulates that marriage can be legally recognized if it is performed according to the religion of the two parties. In Indonesia religion is the main issue in marriage. Marriages between different religions is not allowed in Indonesia. Both spouses must have the same religion in order to get marry legally.
Once you have made the decision to marry in Indonesia, you must choose the type of religious ceremony that you intend to have. For Non-Moslems, you must hold a church (or temple) ceremony first, and then record the marriage with the Civil Registry Office. The couple will experience two types of ceremonies. The religious ceremony will be performed first, followed by a civil ceremony. The Civil Registry will in turn issue a Marriage Certificate, which is evidence that you are legally married. A Non-Moslem wedding which is not recorded with the Civil Registry is not considered legal. There will be two certificates presented at the end of ceremony, one from the church/temple, and one from the Civil Registry Office.
If you have decided the marry in a Moslem ceremony, you must register your marriage at the local Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama/KUA). Persons wedded in a Moslem ceremony are issued a Marriage Book and need not record their marriage with Civil Registry Office.
Civil Weddings
Considering that Indonesian law has no provision for non-religious civil marriages, the couple who wishes to perform a civil wedding should provide the religious marriage certificate first (i.e. Certificate of Marriage Solemnization), which means that they have completed the religious marriage in their country. Some foreign tourists who get married while on their vacation/honeymoon in Indonesia, choose this route.
International Recognition
Mixed-marriage couples married in Indonesia should pay attention to this issue, especially if they have married in Moslem ceremony. The Moslem Marriage Book is NOT accepted in several countries - for example, Netherlands. The immigration regulations in the Netherlands require a Certificate of Attestation from the Indonesian Civil Registry Office. This is the certificate that show that the marriage has been registered with the Indonesian Civil Registry Office in order to register at the Civil Registry Office in the Netherlands. You need to submit supporting documents such as your passports, visa, marriage books, and photographs (with groom on the right side).
