Documents required for muslim mixed marriage in Indonesia

[Aidan1988]

Greetings everyone.

Just been checking requirements for Muslim wedding in Indonesia. My partner is Indonesian and i am a New Zealander.
I understand i need 4 documents:

a] Passport copy translated and legalized by govt. in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy.

b]Birth cert translated and legalized by govt. in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy.

c]Certificate of no impediment translated and legalized by govt. of NZ, then by Indonesian embassy, then with consular certificate attached at NZ embassy in Jakarta.

d]My Islam certificate from NZ from 2 years ago notarized and translated and legalized here in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy. ( Although i should probably just get another one in Indonesia written in bahasa, although i dont want to be asked about khitan, which i haven't done.)

Ive also thought of just not registering the wedding in Indonesia and registering it here in NZ at a later date at the marriage registry office, in effect marrying twice. NZ doesnt require any documents for marriage, just statutory declaration. Sometimes they'll ask a foreign spouse for an original birth cert. But my partner is having a meltdown at this option for some reason, thinking her family wont like it.

Is there a cheaper way to do this? Because im estimating about 9.5 million rupiah for all this now. Can i convince a KUA to accept non translated, non legalized originals? Can i get the translation and legalization done on the cheap in INdonesia in a short period of time, ill only have 1-2 weeks in Indonesia before nikah.

On a side note, whats with all the red tape and bureaucracy surrounding wedding registration in Indonesia? I see for foreign non citizens, non Muslims residing in Indonesia wanting to marry, they have to register marriage at least 10 days prior to event and supply a dump truck full of documents, including wait for it!!!... evidence of tax paid, police certificate and ive read somewhere, health cert ( ive read in some places), documents from immigration !!! I mean, when did marriage offices in Indonesia become tax enforcers, morality police and immigration enforcers. Its quite ridiculous really.
IN New Zealand, as i mentioned before, marriage is very straight forward. Register intent to marry at least 3 days in advance. No documents required. Then marry with celebrant or at registry office. No documents required, citizen or not, just stat. declaration. Simple.

Thanks for any help anyone.

 

[ekspat]

Greetings everyone.

Just been checking requirements for Muslim wedding in Indonesia. My partner is Indonesian and i am a New Zealander.
I understand i need 4 documents:

a] Passport copy translated and legalized by govt. in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy.

b]Birth cert translated and legalized by govt. in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy.

c]Certificate of no impediment translated and legalized by govt. of NZ, then by Indonesian embassy, then with consular certificate attached at NZ embassy in Jakarta.

d]My Islam certificate from NZ from 2 years ago notarized and translated and legalized here in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy. ( Although i should probably just get another one in Indonesia written in bahasa, although i dont want to be asked about khitan, which i haven't done.)

Ive also thought of just not registering the wedding in Indonesia and registering it here in NZ at a later date at the marriage registry office, in effect marrying twice. NZ doesnt require any documents for marriage, just statutory declaration. Sometimes they'll ask a foreign spouse for an original birth cert. But my partner is having a meltdown at this option for some reason, thinking her family wont like it.

Is there a cheaper way to do this? Because im estimating about 9.5 million rupiah for all this now. Can i convince a KUA to accept non translated, non legalized originals? Can i get the translation and legalization done on the cheap in INdonesia in a short period of time, ill only have 1-2 weeks in Indonesia before nikah.

On a side note, whats with all the red tape and bureaucracy surrounding wedding registration in Indonesia? I see for foreign non citizens, non Muslims residing in Indonesia wanting to marry, they have to register marriage at least 10 days prior to event and supply a dump truck full of documents, including wait for it!!!... evidence of tax paid, police certificate and ive read somewhere, health cert ( ive read in some places), documents from immigration !!! I mean, when did marriage offices in Indonesia become tax enforcers, morality police and immigration enforcers. Its quite ridiculous really.
IN New Zealand, as i mentioned before, marriage is very straight forward. Register intent to marry at least 3 days in advance. No documents required. Then marry with celebrant or at registry office. No documents required, citizen or not, just stat. declaration. Simple.

Thanks for any help anyone.

Do the translated documents need to get legalized by the Indonesian Embassy as well before they can be used in Indonesia?

 

[Aidan1988]

Do the translated documents need to get legalized by the Indonesian Embassy as well before they can be used in Indonesia?

Well, im not sure. Probably should ring the embassy.
But there is something written on their website that documents need to be legalized by them to be used in Indonesia, only after they've been translated/legalized here though.
But im not sure if it can all be done in Indonesia, the translating and legalizing i mean. It may save money, its just i may not have time to do it.

To be honest, having to translate and legalize a passport is pretty silly. I mean, do i need to provide a translated/legalized copy of my passport to immigration at the border, no of course not.

Im really just hoping someone on here with the same experience knows the cheapest and fastest way to do this.

 

[ekspat]

Well, im not sure. Probably should ring the embassy.
But there is something written on their website that documents need to be legalized by them to be used in Indonesia, only after they've been translated/legalized here though.
But im not sure if it can all be done in Indonesia, the translating and legalizing i mean. It may save money, its just i may not have time to do it.

To be honest, having to translate and legalize a passport is pretty silly. I mean, do i need to provide a translated/legalized copy of my passport to immigration at the border, no of course not.

Im really just hoping someone on here with the same experience knows the cheapest and fastest way to do this.

I also wonder whether the documents can be professionally translated by accredited translators in Indonesia after they are legalized in NZ.

 

[jstar]

Ive also thought of just not registering the wedding in Indonesia and registering it here in NZ at a later date at the marriage registry office, in effect marrying twice. NZ doesnt require any documents for marriage, just statutory declaration. Sometimes they'll ask a foreign spouse for an original birth cert. But my partner is having a meltdown at this option for some reason, thinking her family wont like it.

In fact what you think about is having one ceremony and one official wedding, not two marriages. An option would be to do a Nikah Siri in Indonesia. This non registered wedding would pacify the family in law, and allow you to have a civil marriage abroad.

But you would still be required to register the marriage at the KBRI in NZ, and afterwards at return in Indonesia as well.

Is there a cheaper way to do this? Because im estimating about 9.5 million rupiah for all this now. Can i convince a KUA to accept non translated, non legalized originals? Can i get the translation and legalization done on the cheap in INdonesia in a short period of time, ill only have 1-2 weeks in Indonesia before nikah.

On a side note, whats with all the red tape and bureaucracy surrounding wedding registration in Indonesia? I see for foreign non citizens, non Muslims residing in Indonesia wanting to marry, they have to register marriage at least 10 days prior to event and supply a dump truck full of documents, including wait for it!!!... evidence of tax paid, police certificate and ive read somewhere, health cert ( ive read in some places), documents from immigration !!! I mean, when did marriage offices in Indonesia become tax enforcers, morality police and immigration enforcers. Its quite ridiculous really.
IN New Zealand, as i mentioned before, marriage is very straight forward. Register intent to marry at least 3 days in advance. No documents required. Then marry with celebrant or at registry office. No documents required, citizen or not, just stat. declaration. Simple.

You really need to talk to the representative of the KUA where you would wed. If there is one rather 'flexible' group of people on these matters, it is them. There have been huge amounts of foreigners converting 'on the spot' just to get married. And the documents you mention, besides CNI and birth certificate, have almost never been requested. (As tax filing, health certificate, ...)
.

 

[jstar]

Btw, most foreign embassies and consulates in Indonesia provide lists with sworn translators for their official languages. Often they're even posted on the websites. If NZ can not provide these, look at Australia or U.K.

 

[dafluff]

Why not have the marriage (legal stuff) in NZ, and a wedding (party) in Indonesia.

A lot of the time, that is what people do. Many Indonesians couldn't care less about the paperwork, as long as there is a wedding at the hometown.

FWIW, for my non-Muslim wedding, I certainly did not provide any documents other than passport, visa and CNI. None of which needed to be translated. But this was in Bali. Other places with less foreigner contact may certainly be more complicated.

 

[Aidan1988]

In fact what you think about is having one ceremony and one official wedding, not two marriages. An option would be to do a Nikah Siri in Indonesia. This non registered wedding would pacify the family in law, and allow you to have a civil marriage abroad.

But you would still be required to register the marriage at the KBRI in NZ, and afterwards at return in Indonesia as well.



You really need to talk to the representative of the KUA where you would wed. If there is one rather 'flexible' group of people on these matters, it is them. There have been huge amounts of foreigners converting 'on the spot' just to get married. And the documents you mention, besides CNI and birth certificate, have almost never been requested. (As tax filing, health certificate, ...)
.

Considering the argument i had with my partner over this last night, shes not keen on idea of nikah siri and registering marriage here in NZ. She thinks her family wont accept, despite her not even asking about it.
I think she just wants the buku nikah and everything done normally.

Which leaves me at getting these documents sorted.
The KUA my partner has spoken to has not mentioned anything about legalization, just using a sworn translator for the documents. However its my understanding that really they should be legalized and i dont want the KUA on the day of my nikah complaining about no legalization.
And its the legalization of these documents that blows the cost right out. Especially following procedure of legalization by my govt first then the Indo embassy.

Although ive seen a legalization and translation process in INdonesia too:
"Legalization of all documents is done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kementerian Luar Negeri), Directorate for Consular Affairs - Legalization Section, Jl. Taman Pejambon 6, Jakarta Pusat.

Then these documents have to be translated into Bahasa Indonesia by a certified translator.

The translations have to be validated by the Ministry of Justice (Kementerian Hukum dan HAM), Legalization Section, Jl. Rasuna Said 3, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan and also by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

When you finish all the paperwork detailed above, take it to your government's embassy in Jakarta where they can validate any necessary documents. In your home country, you can present these wide array of official documents to the local government to get a legal wedding certificate in your home country."

But who knows how long that takes or costs. Ill only have 1-2 weeks in Indonesia before the nikah.

 

[jstar]

The KUA my partner has spoken to has not mentioned anything about legalization, just using a sworn translator for the documents. However its my understanding that really they should be legalized and i dont want the KUA on the day of my nikah complaining about no legalization.

You're right of course. And yes, the procedure is via the two ministries etc.

But but but; what you know many others don't! We are often used to working following the rules, to the letter of the law, be risk averse and avoid possible problems. What I've seen here over the years defeats all logic, and is amazingly flexible depending on the person and often open to interpretation.

So why not have all documents translated by a sworn translator and meet the KUA with those first to get to see what they say and get his 'blessing'? The chances are really high they won't require all the official legalization steps.

 

[Aidan1988]

You're right of course. And yes, the procedure is via the two ministries etc.

But but but; what you know many others don't! We are often used to working following the rules, to the letter of the law, be risk averse and avoid possible problems. What I've seen here over the years defeats all logic, and is amazingly flexible depending on the person and often open to interpretation.

So why not have all documents translated by a sworn translator and meet the KUA with those first to get to see what they say and get his 'blessing'? The chances are really high they won't require all the official legalization steps.

Yeah, ive always suspected some rules get made up as they go in Indonesia.

So ill send copies over to my partner for her to get translated and take them to KUA in advance of me arriving in Indonesia and see if theyre happy with that.
Avoiding the legalization step would be brilliant and i dont want to use the government translation service here as its $85 NZD per document.

Ill keep this thread updated with how i get on.

Cheers.

 

[Bad_azz]

Welcome to the forum Aidan1988

I just wanted to say that I think it is great that you intend to keep the forum updated about your journey through the paperwork.
All these real life and current contributions are what keeps this forum alive, ticking and respected.
Congratulations on your forthcoming marriage.

 

[El_Goretto]

If your wife to be, or someone in her family knows someone in "certain departments" just pay the money and go Nikah Siri.
There are problems though later if you have children in Indonesia, as they will require a birth certificate for education etc., but this can be also fixed, which I won't mention here. I know this to be the case as a good number of my family are Indonesian.
To be able to stay in Indonesia without revealing your marriage as Nikah Siri, you will have to engage a friendly trustworthy immigration agent, and it will cost you $$$.
Of course, if you don't take that road, you can stay in Cambodia quite easily these days and travel back to Indonesia via Singapore ferry to Batam. Then get an Indonesian domestic flight from Batam to where ever you are living.
That way you avoid the immigration hot-heads who are looking for ways to get money off of you, or give you a hard time at the International airport.
I'm here to help the underdog.

Word of advice: do not do any of the above.

Not only do we not condone illegal advice, it's already been stated that nikah siri is not an option.

That said, it would make things easier if your wife would accept a nikah siri, then you get an official marriage in NZ and you register the marriage here at the Catatan Cipil.

The marriage will be just as valid and religious, it's just a different and easier way.

Also, I may be out of bounds but she's the one marrying you not her family, I don't see why they should have to dictate how you guys wanna get married. Feels like they will have a say in many aspects of your lives. Better to stifle this now than later. Maybe a way to "appease" them would be to explain that the catpil option will save you a lot of money which would go towards a better wedding or a better house for your wife. My 2 cents.

 

[Aidan1988]

Welcome to the forum Aidan1988

I just wanted to say that I think it is great that you intend to keep the forum updated about your journey through the paperwork.
All these real life and current contributions are what keeps this forum alive, ticking and respected.
Congratulations on your forthcoming marriage.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Aidan1988]

Word of advice: do not do any of the above.

Not only do we not condone illegal advice, it's already been stated that nikah siri is not an option.

That said, it would make things easier if your wife would accept a nikah siri, then you get an official marriage in NZ and you register the marriage here at the Catatan Cipil.

The marriage will be just as valid and religious, it's just a different and easier way.

Also, I may be out of bounds but she's the one marrying you not her family, I don't see why they should have to dictate how you guys wanna get married. Feels like they will have a say in many aspects of your lives. Better to stifle this now than later. Maybe a way to "appease" them would be to explain that the catpil option will save you a lot of money which would go towards a better wedding or a better house for your wife. My 2 cents.

My partner hasnt even spoken to her family about it. It was my partner having a meltdown over it, although she mentioned she assumes her family wont like it.

Anyway we've decided it wont be nikah siri and its getting registered at KUA for our buku nikah.

I just hope having a sworn translator translate the documents in Indonesia will be sufficient. And they can sight the originals too.
Thats all the KUA office said over the phone to my partner that we have to do, get the documents translated by a sworn translator. But i know that really they should be getting legalized too, i just hope that will be an unnecessary step.

 

[El_Goretto]

Alright, good luck @Aidan1988, let us know kow how it goes!

 

[Pablisimo]

d]My Islam certificate from NZ from 2 years ago notarized and translated and legalized here in NZ, then by Indonesian embassy. ( Although i should probably just get another one in Indonesia written in bahasa, although i dont want to be asked about khitan, which i haven't done.)

Your Islam certificate? Talk about bureaucracy. Even your Islam needs a certificate!

What is an Islam certificate, anyway?

My wife and I had to have baptism certificates to get married. I had to have one written up from America about 16 years after the event

 

[jstar]

Ya it all seems somewhat overkill, esp. since many conversions have been done 'on the spot'.

 

[Aidan1988]

Your Islam certificate? Talk about bureaucracy. Even your Islam needs a certificate!

What is an Islam certificate, anyway?

My wife and I had to have baptism certificates to get married. I had to have one written up from America about 16 years after the event

Islam certificate is just a record you've made the 'Shahada' statement. Belief in God and Muhammed as his prophet.
I obtained mine from New Zealand.
But i have heard of people doing them on the spot at the religious marriage office in Indonesia.

Yeah the marriage laws and procedures are onerous to say the least.
I mean they have two seperate bureaucracies for marriage in Indonesia. One for muslims, another for everyone else. Non Muslims have to record intention to marry at least 2 weeks before marriage at the the civil registry office( i think tourist can get an exemption on that).

This is an excerpt from an Indonesian embassy website for document requirements for a Muslim mixed marriage.

Marriages based on Religion
For the bride (Catin) Indonesian nationality (citizen)

• A statement has never been married (single) at the top of the seal / stamp duty worth Rp.6000, – (six thousand dollars) from Head of District (Ketua RT-RW).
• A cover letter from Head of District (Ketua RT-RW).
• Certificate of Marriage (N1, N2, N4) of the Village / Village domicile.
• Approval of the two candidates (Bride and bridegroom) (N3).
• Letter of Recommendation for the ones who are non-natives of the area.
• Copy of ID Card, Family Card / Domicile, birth certificate and diploma, respectively 2 pieces.
• Copy description vaccine / immunization TT (Tetanus Toxoid) for the bride.
• Original Divorce Certificate for widow / widower who previously divorced life.
• Certificate / Death Certificate husband / wife and quotations previous marriage certificate for the widow / widower since died.
• Photograph 2 x 3 and 3 x 4 blue background, each of the 4 pieces. For members of TNI / Polri must wear a uniform entity.
• Permit from the commander (of unity) for members of TNI / Polri.
• Permission from a parent (N5) for bride or bridegroom who are not yet 21 years old.
• Marriage guardian in writing of the local KUA for marriage guardian (of the women) who are unable to attend the ceremony.
• Certificate of embracing Islam for converts.

I mean where the heck did they get the idea for a tetanus vaccine to get married!!!???

Surely a group of bored lawmakers and bureaucrats sat down here and thought right! Let's make this process as demanding, non sensical and inefficient as possible!

Marriage at the civil registry requires copy of visa, record of tax paid, police certificate.
I mean, it's just so unnecessary.
Although I'm don't think they always enforce requirement for these documents.

I mean we have to keep in mind that this is a country that does 2 finger virginity tests on female military recruits, formerly police officers too i believe.

 

[jstar]

Tetanus? ? A Tdap vaccine makes sense (be)for(e) a pregnancy. And during the pregnancy if they already got the booster at the time. So I guess that's where that is coming from? To require a MMR vaccination for the bride, would also be logical before marriage then.

 

[Aidan1988]

Tetanus? ? A Tdap vaccine makes sense (be)for(e) a pregnancy. And during the pregnancy if they already got the booster at the time. So I guess that's where that is coming from? To require a MMR vaccination for the bride, would also be logical before marriage then.

Just tetanus alone is strange.

Contrasting all this New Zealand where all is needed is a statutory declaration in front of registrar at least 3 days prior to wedding, no documents required and then a ceremony with a celebrant or at the registry office with 2 witnesses.

So simple and easy, no ID needed, no certificate of no impediment, no other documents. Doesnt matter either what religion, gender or nationality both partners are either, as long as above age of consent.