Hello hello

Lgriff88

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Hello there! My name is Luke, from the UK, (I'm British!) whist I am not a expat in Indonesia or planning to be, I have been coming and going to Jakarta, Indonesia for the last few years (before Covid) I joined this website seeking information, insight and advice from people/westerners and so on on information related to Indonesian Law & Marriage, specifically on the Catholic side of things.

I've been with my long time girlfriend/fiancé who resides in Jakarta, Indonesia and we been attempting to plan our wedding + life together although as few as you may ofcourse be aware that the Legal system there is not the case.

I'm trying to discover exactly what documents, requirements and so on we need to marry effectively,

should I ask my questions in the "Visas, Permits & Immagrations" forum section?

And hello hello from UK , hope you are doing well over there!
 
Hello and welcome.

Sure already some info in existing threads, but plenty "old hands" on here with serious knowledge on the subject.
No help from my side, as with my long term companion (7 years) we opted for the "living together " option.
All the best to you !
 
The first questiin you will be getting is, are you both of the same religion since you must be to marry in Indonesia. If not, someone will need to convert.
 
Yes, still rather vague.

If you are different religion, you can either convert or marry out of the country (Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapura good options pre Covid). BadAzz did an excellent, comprehensive thread regarding marrying outside Indonesia.
 
If I am not mistaken a civil wedding is recognized by the Indonesian legal system. You can register the marriage with the Indonesian Embassy or consul in the UK and then go on and have a Catholic ceremony.
 
The first questiin you will be getting is, are you both of the same religion since you must be to marry in Indonesia. If not, someone will need to convert.
This is such an antiquated law, one that has caused many riffs among families of different religions.
 
Yep one has to convert to the others religion . 9 times out of ten of the females are Muslim and the family will disown her and shun her from the village if she goes against tradition and converts to a christian religion . All your Indonesian paperwork is marked as Islam if you convert , you have to promise to study the quaran and attend the mosque regularly . All a crock of shit , they say there all muslim but they all want the christian lifestyle , western clothes and all the electronic gadgets , smoking , drinking , gambling , nightclubbing etc etc . I converted to islam from Athiest , still not a hope in hell of getting me in a mosque . Any one asks what religion I am I tell them ORA AGAMA /Non religiuos .
 
I have seen plenty of Muslim women convert to Christianity by card only for marriage in Indonesia. No one gave the women grief. In almost every situation the woman was "marrying up" to a wealthier or higher social status man. The relationships usually started out as an employer/employee. I never understood the power grab in trying to insist the bule converts. Under most Indonesian traditions and law, the woman becomes part of the husband's family anyway.

Before covid Singapore had a niche industry to perform Indonesian marriages because of different religions. They had a total package with all the paperwork filed with the embassy. It is a cheap flight from Jakarta and a shitload cheaper than a wedding reception in Indonesia, but you probably won't get away without that regardless.

Besides, OP is specifically asking about Catholic.

You need "a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage from their Embassy prior to marriage in Indonesia."

"Other religious ceremonies require Civil Registration. If you are a Christian, Buddhist, or Hindu you must hold the religious ceremony first, then record the marriage with the Civil Registry Office (Dinas Kependudukan or Kantor Catatan Sipil). The Civil Registry will issue a Marriage Certificate (Akte Perkawinan or Surat Nikah), which is evidence of a legally valid marriage with a non-Muslim."


Don't forget to discuss the prenup and future financial obligations with her and possibly her parents. I have written a lot of the various cultural issues around history, law, and traditions that bule are usually clueless to until after marriage. I put 2-3 detailed responses in this inquiry that I don't feel like retyping.


With covid quarantine restrictions, I would just get married in the UK and register everything with the Indonesian embassy.

Welcome to the forum. Stick around.
 
Hello there! My name is Luke, from the UK, (I'm British!) whist I am not a expat in Indonesia or planning to be, I have been coming and going to Jakarta, Indonesia for the last few years (before Covid) I joined this website seeking information, insight and advice from people/westerners and so on on information related to Indonesian Law & Marriage, specifically on the Catholic side of things.

I've been with my long time girlfriend/fiancé who resides in Jakarta, Indonesia and we been attempting to plan our wedding + life together although as few as you may ofcourse be aware that the Legal system there is not the case.

I'm trying to discover exactly what documents, requirements and so on we need to marry effectively,

should I ask my questions in the "Visas, Permits & Immagrations" forum section?

And hello hello from UK , hope you are doing well over there!

Get married somewhere outside Indonesia, and religion does not come into it.
 
If you are both already Catholic, she will need to go to her parish and get information from them. Once you have travel to Indonesia confirmed she will need to take the dates to the parish and finalize the ceremony. Her family will set up a reception and all wedding things. If you are expecting anyone from the UK to attend then you will need to get that handled on your end.

History tells us that if she is marrying a Bule, price normally goes up and everything concerning the wedding, especially the reception gets bigger. You will need to discuss this prior to everything getting set up simply because money will definately be coming out of your pocket. She may be the sweetest girl in the world but you really need to know what you are getting into and what baggage you get afterwards. It is never simple here.
 
All a crock of shit , they say there all muslim but they all want the christian lifestyle , western clothes and all the electronic gadgets , smoking , drinking , gambling , nightclubbing etc etc .

I didnt realise all that was exclusive to Christianity. No wonder the religion was so popular in the past.
 
Water into wine, biscuits into disco biscuits.

The miracle of the big fish, little fish, big fish, little fish, cardboard box.
 

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