Mixed Marriage UK -ID help

[m17tgw]

Hey everyone, long time no speak good to see you all again, could do with some advice from a Human being as I'm trying to get simple questions answered and I'm past around from website to operator with no luck,

So I'm from the UK, currently still living & working here my partner of 5 year's she's Indonesian, we got engaged last year and would like to get married this year, were in the process of getting this done,

My requirements are an affidavit ceremony at the British Embassy, I've been sent the template for it to fill out, I'm just stuck now on what I've got to do,

Do I Need a UK based Solicitor to prepare this for me and help with translation? Getting Apostilled? How does it go to the embassy? Or can I bring all documents with me to Jakarta and translate locally with our lawyers there?

Same with my birth certificate has this got to be translated in UK or can I do this in Jakarta?

Sorry if I sound thick, I'm just not getting simple guidance by any officials all I get is ohh prepare your documents sir lol


Thanks for your input
Best wishes
Marty

 

[flavus]

Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials!

In case you can get these translated in Indonesia, the UK government has a list of approved translators:

List of Translators/Interpreters in Indonesia

www.gov.uk

 

[m17tgw]

Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials!

In case you can get these translated in Indonesia, the UK government has a list of approved translators:

List of Translators/Interpreters in Indonesia

www.gov.uk

Thank you for the link and your wishes

 

[jstar]

As you know, Indonesian authorities require that all non-Indonesian citizens obtain a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage from their embassy in Indonesia prior to conducting the marriage ceremony. This certificate is in fact just a letter and serves as that sworn affidavit stating that you as the foreigner are legally free to marry. It’s good that your embassy has a standard form that you must complete. The civil registry from your UK home town will also be involved etc. etc.

It makes much more sense to have the documents as birth certificate translated in Indonesia. I don’t see any reason to use a solicitor from the UK, unless you want a prenup which will not be valid in RI btw. (Only one by an Indonesian notary in the local language.) Of course the timing might be tight if you do everything in Jakarta and you’d better make sure the documents are complete. Again; lawyers don’t have to be involved in translations etc. at all. There is a thread here on the procedure somewhere.

Your future wife must obtain similar documents from the Kelurahan of course.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

Top tip: make sure you hold on to the Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage. When after 2 years of marriage you apply to get a KITAP, that document is very important, and without it you will have problems in getting the KITAP.

For translations, prenup etc. do not use anyone who is UK-based, it all has to be done in Indonesia.

Have you dealt with the religious aspect (i.e. needing to be both the same religion)?

 

[fastpitch17]

Top tip: make sure you hold on to the Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage. When after 2 years of marriage you apply to get a KITAP, that document is very important, and without it you will have problems in getting the KITAP.

For translations, prenup etc. do not use anyone who is UK-based, it all has to be done in Indonesia.

Have you dealt with the religious aspect (i.e. needing to be both the same religion)?

We were married in the US and never had to produce one when getting a KITAP. Then again, maybe it's because the US Embassy will not issue one as I understand from others who have tried.

 

[m17tgw]

I enquired about the Certificate of No impediment to Marriage, since 2014/15 it is now no longer a required document as this has since been replaced by the Affadavit/Affirmation Ceremony at the British Embassy, the embassy have sent me the template to make this, I'm just confused when I'm told I need to get it legalised/apostilled and also my birth certificate translated here, surely like you say it's much easier to bring my documents to Jakarta and do it there.

Thank you all for your kind input.

 

[Hawk256]

We were married in the US and never had to produce one when getting a KITAP. Then again, maybe it's because the US Embassy will not issue one as I understand from others who have tried.

I went to the US Embassy and swore in front of an offiical that I wasn't legally married. They issued a document based on that statement and I had to use it to get married here and for my KITAP. So based on that, there is a document that the US Embassy will produce. $50 from what I remember.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

I enquired about the Certificate of No impediment to Marriage, since 2014/15 it is now no longer a required document as this has since been replaced by the Affadavit/Affirmation Ceremony at the British Embassy, the embassy have sent me the template to make this, I'm just confused when I'm told I need to get it legalised/apostilled and also my birth certificate translated here, surely like you say it's much easier to bring my documents to Jakarta and do it there.

Thank you all for your kind input.

For your UK birth certificate, if you need a translation get it done in Indonesia. Certainly I never got an apostille or anything else done in the UK in relation to my marriage. If rules have changed since then, get the actual rules in writing (normally the respective government office has information leaflets etc) rather than what someone tells you. Back then you also needed N1 N2 N3 N4 forms among which was permission from her parents (regardless of her age). Maybe it has changed now.

 

[fastpitch17]

I went to the US Embassy and swore in front of an offiical that I wasn't legally married. They issued a document based on that statement and I had to use it to get married here and for my KITAP. So based on that, there is a document that the US Embassy will produce. $50 from what I remember.

Was that something recent? I was never asked for one and have had 2 Kitaps. They do get a copy of our US marriage licence and the marriage document from CatSip. It was in the old forum that sone said the US Embassy never issued them.

 

[harryopal1]

I posted your questions with Bard AI and got this response. I hope this might be of some use.


"Congratulations on your engagement! Getting married can be a lot of work, but it's also a very exciting time.
To answer your questions:

• Do I Need a UK based Solicitor to prepare this for me and help with translation?

No, you don't need a UK-based solicitor to prepare the affidavit for you. You can do this yourself, or you can hire a local lawyer in Jakarta to do it for you.

• Getting Apostilled?

The affidavit does not need to be apostilled. The British Embassy in Jakarta will accept it without an apostille.

• How does it go to the embassy?

Once you have completed the affidavit, you can either bring it to the British Embassy in Jakarta in person, or you can mail it to them.

• Or can I bring all documents with me to Jakarta and translate locally with our lawyers there?

Yes, you can bring all of your documents with you to Jakarta and have them translated locally. However, it is important to note that the British Embassy in Jakarta may not accept translations that are not done by a certified translator.

• Same with my birth certificate has this got to be translated in UK or can I do this in Jakarta?

Your birth certificate does not need to be translated in the UK. You can have it translated in Jakarta by a certified translator.
Here are some additional tips for getting married at the British Embassy in Jakarta:

• Make an appointment. The British Embassy in Jakarta requires that you make an appointment before you can come in to get married. You can make an appointment online or by calling the embassy.
• Bring all of your required documents. In addition to the affidavit, you will need to bring the following documents to your appointment:
  • Your passport
  • Your partner's passport
  • Your birth certificates
  • Your partner's birth certificate
  • A recent passport-style photo of each of you
  • A completed marriage application form
• Be prepared to pay a fee. There is a fee for getting married at the British Embassy in Jakarta. The fee is currently £100 per person.

I hope this information is helpful. Congratulations again on your engagement!"

 

[m17tgw]

Wow thank you so much for your help!

Only thing I'm stuck with now is they the Affadavit letter must be English on one side and Bahasa Indonesian on the reverse, is this how I must prepare it or can I make one copy English and one copy Indonesian?

Thank you again

 

[Hawk256]

Was that something recent? I was never asked for one and have had 2 Kitaps. They do get a copy of our US marriage licence and the marriage document from CatSip. It was in the old forum that sone said the US Embassy never issued them.

It's been almost 5 years for me but I have a US friend that just married an Indonsian and he had to do the same thing. I'm not sure that after our marriage was legal that it was needed for the KITAP but I have always kept it in the file.

 

[Hawk256]

Wow thank you so much for your help!

Only thing I'm stuck with now is they the Affadavit letter must be English on one side and Bahasa Indonesian on the reverse, is this how I must prepare it or can I make one copy English and one copy Indonesian?

Thank you again

I had all documents translated in Indoneisa. One person took care of translating everything and they must be approved by the government. I don't remember the exact cost but I don't think it was much. You should be able to get one person to handle whatever the governement requests.

 

[jstar]

For those who need to have documents legalized:

In June 2022, so only last year, Indonesia officially became an active member of the Apostille Convention of 1961. As defined by this convention, Indonesia removes the legalization requirement* for public documents issued by another member of that convention (we’re talking about approx. 120 countries in total).

So obviously the Indonesian Embassies (KBRI) don’t accept applications anymore for legalization of documents issued by countries participating in this ‘Apostille Convention’.

You can access the Indonesian online apostille service on the website of the Director General of Administration of General Laws: https://apostille.ahu.go.id/
(I never used this particular website function myself so no guarantees.)

* The alternative was/is that translated documents (by a certified translator) had/have to be validated by the legalization sections of the Ministry of Legal and Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the KBRI abroad. That was/is possible here: https://legalisasi.ahu.go.id/

 

[mas_dam]

* The alternative was/is that translated documents (by a certified translator) had/have to be validated by the legalization sections of the Ministry of Legal and Human Rights and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the KBRI abroad. That was/is possible here: https://legalisasi.ahu.go.id/

If the document originates from Indonesia for intended usage in a non-Apostille country abroad,
the third step would then be the destination country's embassy in Indonesia, not the KBRI in the destination country.

 

[m17tgw]

My lawyers In Jakarta are just asking me to bring original birth certificate and they will have translated there, understand that part, I'm just trying to find out if my birth certificate needs to be apostilled here in UK BEFORE i bring it with me to Indonesia does anyone know? Indonesian embassy I've asked 3 times and still no simple yes/no answer, more help with the monkeys at London Zoo

 

[jstar]

Obviously you do that in the UK first. Now, an apostille is a higher level of authentication than a regular certified translation with a translator's stamp. But even when it’s already in a ‘world language’ as English they (will) request to provide a full translation of the document and complete certificate.

Since an electronic apostille can not be used for the birth certificate in this case, you need a paper version, right? Just like many other countries I assume the UK can send them abroad but why would you since it’s expensive and risky.

 

[m17tgw]

Translation I will do do in Indonesia, I just need to know if my birth certificate needs to be apostilled here in the United Kingdom "Before" I bring it to Indonesia, or can they just use it as Normal, I've asked lawyers I've asked both Embassy's I've asked family and nobody's can just say yes or no

 

[Helpful Herbert]

Up until last year the answer was no. But if Indonesia has now joined the convention and local officials don't understand the implications of that, then it is hard to know. Maybe just do it anyway? Mine was already apostilled 20 years earlier for something else, but I could still use it in Indonesia which at that point was a non apostille country.