Certificate of non-impediment for a Singaporean to wed

[rols]

We are (finally) setting a date for our wedding which will be in Indonesia. One requirement is a 'certificate of non-impediment' from me. I'm Singaporean. This is the frustrating language from the official Singaporean site ..

"The Consulate-General and the Singapore Registry of Marriages (ROM)/ Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) do not issue Certificates of No Impediment. You may apply to ROM/ ROMM at http://www.marriage.gov.sg/ to obtain the official Search for Marriage Records conducted on the marriage registers. The official search result can be collected at ROM/ ROMM or delivered to you by mail."

Getting the marriage search is easy and I did it but it's covered in warnings about how it's not official and cannot be used to prove marital status. So I think Indonesia is going to want more.

Has any Singaporean here been through this and knows what I can ask the embassy in Jakarta for, I assume I'm going to have to go there, which will work as well as the certificate of no-impediment which Singapore will not issue. Perhaps some kind of statuary declaration sworn at the embassy?

(one particular annoyance is that Singapore requires this certificate for people marrying in Singapore, so I think it's pretty annoying that they refuse to issue them.

 

[marcus]

I had the same problem with my Embassy (not Singaporean) when I was to marry in Indonesia in 2010 . In my country I could marry with just a new issue of my birth certificate (as it shows if I am married already or not) . But I was afraid Indonesia would not accept as Indonesian birth certificate has not the same function , so I made a notarized 'statement of being single' with 2 witnesses (in my country) , later accepted by my local Indonesian Marriage Office (KUA) .

My local KUA even didn't ask to legalize this document (but asked to sworn translate , in Indonesia) . But I suggest you ask first at your local KUA or Registry Office/church where you intend to marry .

 

[rols]

I had the same problem with my Embassy (not Singaporean) when I was to marry in Indonesia in 2010 . In my country I could marry with just a new issue of my birth certificate (as it shows if I am married already or not) . But I was afraid Indonesia would not accept as Indonesian birth certificate has not the same function , so I made a notarized 'statement of being single' with 2 witnesses (in my country) , later accepted by my local Indonesian Marriage Office (KUA) .

My local KUA even didn't ask to legalize this document (but asked to sworn translate , in Indonesia) . But I suggest you ask first at your local KUA or Registry Office/church where you intend to marry .

That’s very useful. We are going to hit up the KUA next week and knowing what other people have done in the past helps as we can ask “how about I do this”.

 

[jstar]

Possible solutions:

is Certificate of Impediment And or Or?

Hi all, reading the Vitas application guide, i came across this in required documents :- If married in Indonesia, a certificate of no impediment from your embassy. You should have already have this, because is one of the requirements for marriage in Indonesia. If your embassy is not able to...

www.expatindo.org

 

[ccm]

Hi, I'm a fellow singaporean that is married to Indonesian. We got married in SG first. Then, I registered the SG ROM cert with Indonesia Embassy in SG. With these 2 documents, my Indonesian spouse registered our marriage in local Indonesia. So, in my case, the certificate of impediment is not needed.

 

[rols]

Hi, I'm a fellow singaporean that is married to Indonesian. We got married in SG first. Then, I registered the SG ROM cert with Indonesia Embassy in SG. With these 2 documents, my Indonesian spouse registered our marriage in local Indonesia. So, in my case, the certificate of impediment is not needed.

Thanks for this, nice to meet a fellow Singaporean here .

A few questions.

You registered with ROM (not ROMM) so does that mean your marriage was not a muslim marriage and both of you are of the same (non-muslim) faith?

If your spouse is Muslim and you are not then .. amazed as registering mixed marriages in Indonesia has become, I believe, impossible.

We actually don't have this option as you my spouse would have to be resident in Singapore for 31 days and that would be impossible at this point, for many reasons.

Just to give an update on the story so far. I have talked at length to the Singapore embassy here. They are very helpful and will provide some documentation which says I am
a) Singaporean
b) not married

However there is a twist. Even though I am not (yet) Muslim, as the marriage will be a Muslim marriage, in order to get the 'Muslim' documentation from the embassy, I need a certificate from ROMM allowing an overseas marriage. Of course I cannot get this as .. I'm not yet Muslim. Obtaining it would require becoming Muslim either in Singapore, or overseas and then getting it recognized by MUIS which is not guaranteed, then filing a fairly huge amount of paperwork to get the letter. The embassy will provide the non-muslim version but not yet sure it will work with KUA.

Basically getting married overseas is just hard.

 

[marcus]

... I have talked at length to the Singapore embassy here. They are very helpful and will provide some documentation which says I am
a) Singaporean
b) not married

This is all that KUA needs from the Embassy (a proof that you are not married) .

... The embassy will provide the non-muslim version but not yet sure it will work with KUA.

Do you mean that your Embassy's statement that you are not married has different version depending on the religion ?

... Obtaining it would require becoming Muslim either in Singapore, or overseas and then getting it recognized by MUIS which is not guaranteed ...

Becoming a Muslim in Indonesia is relatively simple . Do you mean that Singaporean Government doesn't easily recognize a Muslim conversion in Indonesia ?

 

[rols]

This is all that KUA needs from the Embassy (a proof that you are not married) .

Do you mean that your Embassy's statement that you are not married has different version depending on the religion ?

Yes supposedly they do. They have not been clear what the differences actually are but they ask if you are have a Muslim or non-Muslim marriage and the documents required differ and they said

... Embassy is able to issue the status letter for Civil or non-Muslim marriages. You may wish to confirm with KUA directly whether the status letter for Civil marriages will be sufficient for your intended marriage in Indonesia

This is I think partly because civil and Muslim marriages (and records) in Singapore are overseen by two different bodies, ROM for civil and ROMM for Muslim. I have obtained records from both that I am unmarried, however Singaporean Muslims wishing to marry overseas, as far as I can tell, need 'permission' from ROMM and it's this that the embassy wants in order to issue the 'Muslim' version of whatever they issue.

Becoming a Muslim in Indonesia is relatively simple . Do you mean that Singaporean Government doesn't easily recognize a Muslim conversion in Indonesia ?

So as well as ROM and ROMM there exists MUIS, which is the governing body for Muslims in Singapore. It is they who can issue the card recognising an overseas conversion. They carefully state that it is at their discretion that they do so. So yes an overseas conversion can be recognised but there's no guarantee it will be, and there's at least one trip back to Singapore for that.

Conversion INSIDE Singapore is handled by another body, MCAS, who run preparation courses and strongly advise that converts take them. So I think MUIS' discretion about foreign conversions is to stop people popping over to Indonesia, reciting the Shahada and then returning saying 'hi I'm Muslim now can I have my card please'.

Once you are Muslim in Singapore then if you wish to marry (even overseas) the list of documents you need to supply from both bride and groom in order to get the letter saying yes you may marry overseas is quite daunting.

So (and sorry this post is so long) I think I have two options.

1) get the letter from the embassy saying that in my current non-Muslim status I am unmarried and hope that is enough for KUA to then allow the marriage and convert me, and I'll worry about being a Singapore Muslim when I need to.

2) If that fails then the best option is probably to do the MCAS course (online 4 nights for 2 weeks), go to Singapore to do the conversion, try to get all the documents I need to get the letter and do it all that way.

I hope 1) works.

 

[marcus]

... (and sorry this post is so long)

Please don't be sorry for clarifying the situation .

I think I have two options.

1) get the letter from the embassy saying that in my current non-Muslim status I am unmarried and hope that is enough for KUA to then allow the marriage and convert me, and I'll worry about being a Singapore Muslim when I need to.

This Embassy's statement/letter is acceptable .
For conversion to Muslim, it may be easier at a Mosque near your Indonesian fiance's home (or at any Mosque) . I personally don't have a good opinion about our area's KUA .

2) If that fails then the best option is probably to do the MCAS course (online 4 nights for 2 weeks), go to Singapore to do the conversion, try to get all the documents I need to get the letter and do it all that way.

I don't think option 1 will fail , but anyway , your options are relatively easy , in my view .

 

[harryopal1]

Married my Indonesian wife in a civil registry marriage in Australia. Then, to appease her mother, we went to a Masjid in Townsville. The conversion to being a "Muslim" at the Masjid took a couple of minutes and then had an Islamic ceremony. Total time about 20 minutes. I had no idea that this was going to be relevant when later moving to Indonesia. My KTP card shows me as Muslim. So no problems. I would prefer not to have a designated religion but that is not acceptable here.

 

[rols]

I don't think option 1 will fail , but anyway , your options are relatively easy , in my view .

I think option 1 has a good shot and isn't very hard to do. Option 2 is pretty guaranteed but is a longer term one. It would take a few months and at least 2 or 3 trips back to Singapore to get it done which we'd love to avoid.

I'm going with option 1 and let's see how far we get

 

[ccm]

Thanks for this, nice to meet a fellow Singaporean here .

A few questions.

You registered with ROM (not ROMM) so does that mean your marriage was not a muslim marriage and both of you are of the same (non-muslim) faith?

If your spouse is Muslim and you are not then .. amazed as registering mixed marriages in Indonesia has become, I believe, impossible.

We actually don't have this option as you my spouse would have to be resident in Singapore for 31 days and that would be impossible at this point, for many reasons.

Just to give an update on the story so far. I have talked at length to the Singapore embassy here. They are very helpful and will provide some documentation which says I am
a) Singaporean
b) not married

However there is a twist. Even though I am not (yet) Muslim, as the marriage will be a Muslim marriage, in order to get the 'Muslim' documentation from the embassy, I need a certificate from ROMM allowing an overseas marriage. Of course I cannot get this as .. I'm not yet Muslim. Obtaining it would require becoming Muslim either in Singapore, or overseas and then getting it recognized by MUIS which is not guaranteed, then filing a fairly huge amount of paperwork to get the letter. The embassy will provide the non-muslim version but not yet sure it will work with KUA.

Basically getting married overseas is just hard.

Hi, yes both me and my spouse we are not muslim. In that case, it would be better to just register in Indo. I think agent could help you with paperwork.

 

[marcus]

Such a Sad State of affairs, when a country force's People to adopt a Religion! ... I see Religions as a form of Mind Control. Where the leaders convince the Flock, that the Leaders Only, have a closer contact with whoever their God is ... Here, If you don't follow the Ceremonies in your village, then you are Outcast from People Lives! ...

Shadrach , I am sorry to say that for your own benefit + the benefit of people who access this Forum , I think you should learn more and write (a lot) less as unfortunately a lot of what you say is useless and may mislead people .

 

[john madden]

Mod note: Shadrach, I've deleted a number of your posts over time and each time sent you a message "only helpful answers in Laws etc channels". You clearly have not got the message/s. Keep it up and you will get another, longer holiday from the forum. Thanks.

 

[rols]

Such a Sad State of affairs, when a country force's People to adopt a Religion! This a personal matter. No one has the right to influence anyone else on their Spiritual beliefs. I see Religions as a form of Mind Control. Where the leaders convince the Flock, that the Leaders Only, have a closer contact with whoever their God is. And All below them, must provide the Masters with everything they need, for Free!
Spirituality is supposed to be something one feels in their Heart! Not what others want you to believe to be part of the Organization? Here, If you don't follow the Ceremonies in your village, then you are Outcast from People Lives! If this all your friendships are based on, then are they really your Friends?

You are certainly entitled to that opinion but I feel I have to reply because I quite strongly do not agree.
Why should Indonesia not require that everyone has a religion? Countries evolve towards the beliefs of the majority and if the majority feel that faith is part of who you are, why should that not be part of the basis of the country's laws? Most of the country is Islamic, but they don't require that you are of THAT faith, just that you are of A faith. Also in a country which believes your faith is important, it's not particularly surprising that they want married couples to share beliefs. In fact it's probably a good idea as that is one less point on which they may later disagree.
Indonesia's faith-based laws are inconvenient to me right now, but I chose to live here, I chose an Indonesian girl as my partner and I respect the country I now call my home. I suspect if I embrace things they way they are, I will be the better for it.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

Requiring that everybody has a religion is like requiring that everybody supports a football team (even those that have no interest in football) and then the name of that team is put on your ID card.
On the other hand it is their country and they can do what they like.
I feel quite lucky that I was able to register a mixed marriage back in the day, sadly something that the younger generation will not be able to do it seems. It does seem rather unusual considering that the president himself is from a mixed religion family, but anyway it is what it is.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

Also in a country which believes your faith is important, it's not particularly surprising that they want married couples to share beliefs. In fact it's probably a good idea as that is one less point on which they may later disagree.

You're assuming that these forced conversions actually cause someone to change their beliefs. If someone wants to change their religion they can, but the thousands of KTP muslims who only converted to get married didn't change their beliefs at all. No-one is going to stop going to church just because they were forced, for administrative reasons, to put Islam on their KTP. It is still going to cause tension and stress in the household if kids are forced to be indoctrinated in a religion that the husband doesn't believe in, regardless of what it says on paper.
There is a good argument that non-muslims shouldn't marry muslims, to avoid religious stress, and I would agree with that. But saying that this can be resolved by a forced conversion doesn't make sense. It would be like saying if a lifelong Liverpool supporter unenthusiastically signs a piece of paper saying he now supports Man United, he will automatically actually support Man United going forward.

 

[marcus]

rols said
... Why should Indonesia not require that everyone has a religion? ...

Requiring that everybody has a religion ...

Let me clarify that we (foreigners) are not required to have a religion to live in Indonesia . We are required if we want to marry in Indonesia .

is like requiring that everybody supports a football team (even those that have no interest in football)

I think that this comparison is not fair unless you say "in a hypothetical country where near 90% of the people are fans of a single team , it is like requiring everybody to support a team" .

Anyway , even with few religious rules , life in Indonesia is very little influenced by religion (quickly remembering , maybe one of the most felt case is the high tax for alcoholic beverages) , as far I have felt/heard in more than 25 years living in Indonesia .

I myself made a (small) compromise to convert to Islam but my Muslim ex-wife & her 2 children + my present wife & her 4 children never pressed me into their religious life and we never had any problem due to religion (but have to say that I respect Islam : I don't drink alcoholic beverages , don't eat pork meat , don't have a dog , .. ) .

... and then the name of that team is put on your ID card...

Not necessarily anymore , the Indonesian Constitutional Court said that you may choose to be adherent to belief in the One Almighty God or similar , instead of a specific religion (see below) .

Anyway , as far as I saw/heard , the other minority religions are not treated unfairly , even explicitly differentiated in the identification card .

I was able to register a mixed marriage back in the day, sadly something that the younger generation will not be able to do it seems.

There is/are option(s) to solve that .

-----------------------------------------------

From https://www.detik.com/jatim/berita/...tar-ganti-kolom-agama-di-ktp-jadi-kepercayaan
Title : Dozens of Blitar Residents Changed Religion Column on ID Cards to Belief - free translation
By Fima Purwanti - detikJatim , July 2025

Around 78 of Blitar Regency residents have chosen to change the religion column on their ID cards to "believe in God Almighty". The change in belief column is a result of the Constitutional Court's (MK) ruling regarding belief adherents ...

the phenomenon of changing religion columns on ID cards/KTPs occurs not only in Blitar Regency but also in other regions, as believers are given authority by the Constitutional Court ...

 

[Helpful Herbert]

So if they change their ID cards to "believe in God Almighty" they are free to marry Muslims and register it at the catatan sipil?

 

[Balifrog]

So if they change their ID cards to "believe in God Almighty" they are free to marry Muslims and register it at the catatan sipil?

My KTP indicates Agama : OTHER

But I have no wedding plans..