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Culture and Tradition

Can I Marry with Indonesian Girl without Having Indonesian Citizenship?

You love your girlfriend and her country, Indonesia. Should you be an Indonesian?

Seriously want to take her down the aisle, you must be thinking about this. Based on your condition, maybe now is not the right time for you to have Indonesian citizenship. So, can you marry without having Indonesian citizenship?

Sure! Why not?

A lot of foreigners do this before you do. Some of them never trying to have their Indonesian citizenship yet they got married easily. Of course, there are some rules that you have to follow. Do not worry. The law is easy to follow.

As long as you respect the law and is willing to follow the procedure, you can marry with Indonesian girl without having Indonesian citizenship.

1. Religious ceremony

Acknowledge their faith to God, Indonesian must have a religious ceremony. Indonesian believe that husbands and wives must have the same faith. Therefore, make sure you discuss it with your fiancee about this.

If your fiance(e) is a Moslem, the ceremony should be held at the Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA) or the Office of Religious Affairs.

As a proof that you are legally married, KUA will issue a Buku Nikah (Marriage Book).

Having a Marriage Book, you do not need to record your marriage with the Civil Registry.

If your fiancee is a non-Moslem, the ceremony will be held at church or temple, depends on the couple’s belief. You will not get any Marriage Book, but a certificate from the church or temple.

Then, you have to present your marriage certificate from church or temple to the Civil Registry to get your marriage registered. Then, they will issue a Marriage Certificate as proof that you are legally married. You might want to know how to propose a girl in Indonesian language

2. Documents

As a foreigner, you have to prepare:

  • Certificate of No Impediment from your embassy
  • Copy of birth certificate
  • Copy of citizen ID card of your country
  • Copy of passport
  • Domicile Letter, basically explaining where your current address is.
  • 2×3 and 4×6 photos, 4 each
  • If you’re converting to Islam, you need a certificate for this as well.

Make sure that all the documents are translated into Bahasa Indonesia.

You might want to know if the Indonesian word “Bahasa” derived from Sanskrit “Bhasha”.

There are also several documents that your fiancee have to prepare. Make sure you get the documents completed. If not, there will be a lot of paperwork.

Once your documents are ready and complete, just follow the procedure and get legally married!

Here’s more about Bahasa Indonesia:

3. An approval from your parents-in-law.

Indonesian respect their parents so much. If you want to marry your Indonesian girl without getting Indonesian citizenship, make sure you discuss it with her parents properly.

Make sure their parents know and understand the law as well as you do. Assure them that although you don’t have Indonesian citizenship, it will not be a barrier for your girl to visit and stay in touch with her family. It will not also be a burden for your wife later in the future.

So, are you ready to marry your Indonesian girl? I wish you happiness from the bottom of my heart.