- +62 8128 2128 999
- aw@wijayaco.id
Child custody in Indonesia is a family issue that may come into subject matter of the court if you're filing for a divorce. This is something normal in relation to the divorce case. Both parents claim that they are the best for the custody of their children. But do they? How the laws in Indonesian govern something like this? Read on!
Fathers' Engagement
Nowadays, fathers are getting more engaged in the child upbringing in Indonesia. They take the children to school everyday before they go to work. Fathers read with their children at night, teach them and get involved with their everyday's schooling works. Some of them also take them for taking a bath, feed them and get them dressed decently. You can't ignore this phenomenon. This is happening everywhere. They are doing this because they think fathers can do it too. They can even do it better in getting involved with their child's upbringing in Indonesia.
Mother's Career
Just because your wife is working and have a career, it doesn’t mean that she can’t nurture the child. Just because she’s busy with work, it does not mean she may be able to lose custody of a child if a divorce case in session.
Husband and wife are equal in the marriage life. Both of them have the same rights in their career and business. According to Article 31 of Marriage Law imposed that both husband and wife have the rights to earn a living. Even sometime, just sometime, wife’s making more money than her husband.
Custody of a Child
When you’re still married, they called it parental authority. If you’re divorced, they called it custody. Pretty much the same issues. It just in Indonesia, we recognized custody parent, and non-custody parent. But this is in theory as in the law books. There's more to it than meet the eyes. The judges are happy as long as you and the child are happy.
According to Article 105 of Compilation of Islamic Law, child under 12 (twelve) years old, the custody belongs to the mother. For the child above 12, he may choose his custody parent holder. Supreme Court’s ruling number 210/K/AG/1999 imposed that a mother’s privilege for child custody may be revoked if she’s committing apostate and practise other religion beside Islam.
Other Supreme Court’s precedence number 376/PK/Pdt/2011 regarding this matter is also applicable when the female spouse was committing apostate and turned Moslem. Nevertheless, the male spouse was charged with criminal sentence for abandoning their child. So, the judges favor the party with less liability in order to raise the child.
How to Win the Custody
It’s simple: the best interest of the child! That’s the keywords. It does sounds simple, but might not be easy to do it. Many people knows it, but many of them also fail. Getting yourself involved in school with the children, and teaching them with their English reading are a good start. Really good start. Keep up the good work!
You don’t say that you are richer than your spouse and therefore makes you a better parent. You need to prove that you are better because you put the child first. You need to promote yourself, and destroy the credibility of the opposing party. It sounds cruel, but it's a divorce case anyway. The moment you lodged the case to the court, both of you are opponents. No longer husband and wife. After all, you're doing it for the child. You need to to do it in order to win the custody of the child. But hey, remember this: it's not about you. It's about the child. Read my lips, put the child first. Please contact me when you need any further assistance with this issue. We have previous portfolios that you can use as your reference.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Marriage in Indonesia is a choice of legality, simplicity, and hassle-free. The reason I put legality first is because the marriage laws protects your marriage, and a little family you raise. The laws require you to perform the marriage according to your religion belief, and recorded at a marriage registry. You need to understand that Indonesia does not recognize only civil marriage. You need to conduct religious ceremony first, before your marriage is legally recognized. In another words, solemnization first, then civil marriage, then reception party.
Bonafide of Your Marriage
The marriage registry in Indonesia will issue marriage license to both you and your spouse as proof that you are legally married. For Moslem couples, they will receive two marriage books. One original copy for each spouse. The colours of the books are brown, and green. They have the same biographic information, and both of them have your pictures too. As for Non-Moslem couples, you will receive two marriage certificates. Each spouse gets one certificate. Both certificates represents the groom and bride information and their picture together.
The marriage license from Indonesia, both being the marriage book and the marriage certificate are legally recognized worldwide. Major countries like the United States, United Kingdom, China, and some other major European countries recognize and may be able to be used as one of the supporting documents for immigration spousal sponsorship.
Ten (10) Days Waiting Period
In order to obtain legal recognition under the marriage law in Indonesia, you need to allow ten (10) days waiting period. This time frame was meant to give time to the public to recognize you, whether you are legally free to marry or not, You need to meet the marriage requirements in Indonesia, otherwise it is challengable at the court of law. You may face annulment claim by one of the relevant parties. Please see here for further details of how you can avoid your marriage being nullified.
Simplicity
You can perform a marriage in Indonesia with a simple, but yet legal. We cherish a marriage because it is one of the good things in life. If you can show that you are legally free to marry and have no legal impediment why the two of you should wed, our marriage registry will register your marriage and issue a marriage license. One of the most important documents to register your marriage in Indonesia ia Non-Impediment Letter. Some call it Certificate of the Non Impediment ("CNI"). Some event call it Certificate In Lieu of the Non Impediment, because this thing does not exist in a country like Canada. Since they are required to issue one, the issue it anyway.
Please give me a call or drop me an email, should you wish to talk of how I can assist you in any way you need!
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Marriage legalization is applicable to Moslem couples in Indonesia. It is to legalize the marriage previously conducted under religious rites, but not legal according to the state law yet. It may be happened for so many reasons like one of the spouse was ready to make a new commitment with you, but he/she was not legally divorce yet. This can be a burden socially to you, your spouse, and your family. So, you decided to performed the religious marriage. Consuming a marriage life like this is the same thing as if cohabitation. It is the life without legal recognition. The marriage laws in Indonesia are not applicable to you, yet. Not until you legalize the marriage.
Having a marriage legalization means you are legally recognizing the marriage previously conducted. Your official marriage date would be the date you performed the marriage. They may issue you a marriage license and the issuing date of the documents may be recent. That's fine, as it is only to show the issuing date of the documents only. When they do that, your marriage to your spouse is legally registered with the registry database. The marriage law, and family law in Indonesia are applicable normally to you, your spouse, and to your children. This is why the marriage legalization in Indonesia means for you, and your family.
The thing is, a marriage only legally recognized when it meets two requirements i.e. it is performed according the couple’s religion affiliation, and it must be registered according to the prevailing laws. Article 7 (1) of Compilation of Islamic Law stipulates that a marriage book issued by the marriage registrar is an evidence of a legal marriage. So, the marriage legalization is applicable to the marriage that does not meet this stipulation. It means you can perform the legalization of marriage for getting your marriage registered and issued a marriage book.
There would be no legal protection for the marriage without any registration. The marriage book itself is an evidence that the marriage exists. The registration is protecting your spouse, and children born into your marriage. You see, the marriage is the very basic foundation in your life. As a father, your name will not appear on your child’s birth certificate. Your spouse may not be able to prevail as your next of kin, nor your children. Your assets may not be distributed according to your wishes, and your family may not receive the benefits of your estate. This is the last thing you want.
Article 7 (2) of Compilation of Islamic Law further states that a marriage legalization application may be lodged to the court in the event you’re unable to prove the marriage with a marriage book. The court responsible for your case may have to cross examine all the evidence you submitted together with the witnesses in this matter. There's no guarantee that the court may approve your application, therefore the attempt to legalize the marriage must be done with enough supporting documents, and compliance to the prevailing procedures with the legal system.
The outcome from the proceeding of the marriage legalization in Indonesia will give your spouse, and your children legal protection. Both of them is legally recognized both their rights and obligations according to the laws in Indonesia. Upon completion of the proceedings, your marriage will be recognized, and the court verdict is the proof of your marriage. It consist of some pages of court decision. It may not be practical, but at least it give you protection you and your family need.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Child legalization in Indonesia is a very important issues. This is the proceeding to legalize the child born outside of a legal marriage. He/she has legal relationship with the mother and her family only. In order to obtain a custody privilege, the alleged father must conduct child legalization. No legal relationship will be established between the father and the child without the consent from the biological mother.
Under the laws in Indonesia, the relationship between the child and the father is not recognized when it comes to the inheritance matters. At least, if you compare it with the legitimate child. The thing is, inheritance is some arrangements that will only be done when you're gone. You don't know whether your assets are being distributed according to your wishes and whether the child entitled to them or not. This is why the legalization of child born out of wedlock in Indonesia really matters, especially if you're from a Non Moslem family.
As you probably aware, the inheritance issues are referred to the person's religion affiliation. We have Compilation of Islamic Law for Moslem families, and Civil Code. Since the issues of child born out of wedlock is very familiar with the civil law, there the law defines the child into three (3) categories as follows:
- A legitimate child, is the child born in the legal marriage of a man and a woman;
- A child born out of wedlock, but acknowledged by his father and/or his mother. The legal relationship is being established between the three (3) of them. They are now a family recognized by law, but it does not take effect to their extended families. The acknowledgement only applicable to the three of them. The law will consider the child as a legitimate one when the two of them are married to each other.
- A child born out of wedlock. No acknowledgement made by the father as well as by the biological mother. Legally, he is an orphan. Poor child. No inheritance law applicable to him.
Civil Code has a very distinctive ruling on inheritance for child born out of wedlock in Indonesia. The law refer the child born out of wedlock as a "natural child." It is comprehensive and detailed. It avoids conflict between the heirs. In the event that the deceased has left legally acknowledged natural children, the inheritance shall be implemented as the following manners: According to the Article 863 and Article 865.
Article 863 stipulated that in the event the deceased has left any legal descendants or a spouse, the natural children is inherit one third of the share, which they would be entitled to if they were legal; they is inherit one half of the estate, if the deceased does not have any descendants, or spouse, but has blood relatives in the ascending line, or brothers and sisters or their descendants; and three quarters if the only remaining family is related in a more distant degree. If the legal heirs of the deceased are related in unequal degrees, the closest relative in one line is stipulate the amount of the share to which the natural child shall be entitled, even with respect to those who are in the other line.
The child born out of wedlock may inherit all the assets in the event his father (the deceased) passed-away without any other legal heir. Article 865 imposed that if the deceased has not left any legal heirs, then the natural children shall be entitled to the entire inheritance.
The above stipulation is not applicable for the child born due to incest, and adultery. The aforementioned stipulations in Article 863 and Article 865 are not applicable to children conceived through adultery or incest. This imposed by the Article 867 of the Civil Code. On another words, the child must be conceived through
As I said, the legalization of the child born out of wedlock is really matter. In fact, it's a big deal. It protects your child from the claims that may be made by other family members. Without the legalization, he only deserve 1/3 of the portion of the legitimate child. You need to do something to protect your flesh and blood. We both know that as parents we want the best for our children, and in this case, the legalization of the child born out of wedlock does really matters.
---
I am Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Marriage in Indonesia is a spiritual bond between a man and a woman as husband and wife with the aim of forming a happy and eternal family (household) based on belief to one and only God. We take marriage a very serious matter. We require both religious and civil marriage to be conducted in order to gain legal recognition. The marriage is legal if you perform the religious marriage before the civil one. We have two types of marriage ceremony in Indonesia i.e. Moslem marriage, and Non-Moslem marriage. Both types of ceremony must go through religious marriage. As for Moslem marriage, they don't require civil registration as it is legally recognized.
Getting marry in Indonesia is simple, legal, and hassle-free. We encourage people to marry because we think running a marriage is the same thing as if you're worshiping God. That may be the reason why the require religious marriage comes first before the civil one. Apart from that, there are ten (10) piece of marriage checklist that you must meet with before lodging the notice of intention to get marry. At Wijaya & Co, we always pay attention to details of our client’s case.
Minimum Age to Marry
In September 2019, the Indonesia's parliament passed a bill on revising the 1974 Marriage Law regarding the minimum age to get marry. You must be at least 19 (nineteen) years of age to be able to get marry legally. The minimum age limit applicable both to bride and groom.
Waiting Period
You must wait at least 10 (ten) days waiting period in order to perform the marriage. This is to meet the publicity requirement. During this period, the marriage registry will publish the notice of the marriage intention to the public to see the if they have any objection to their marriage. Any objection why the two should not be married must be made within this waiting period. Therefore, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Marriage Registry
Since Indonesia has two types of marriage ceremony, we have also two marriage registries. Office of Religous Affairs (so called "Kantor Urusan Agama" / KUA) for Moslem couples, and Civil Registry for Non-Moslem couples, such as Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. Your marriage registry must have jurisdiction according to your legal domicile. Your actual residence may not be the same with your legal domicile. Therefore, always check your paperworks before lodging any marriage intention.
Legally Free to Marry
You must legally free to marry to your partner. You must supply a certificate of singlehood, if you're single. Your divorce must be absolute, if you're a divorcee. Your divorce certificate must be surrendered in order to get marry and a marriage license will be presented as your new status. If you're a foreigner, you need to supply a certificate of non-impediment letter. It certifies that you are legally free to marry. It must print your name and the name of your fiance(e).
Bride and Groom
A legal marriage must have a bride and groom to perform the marriage. You must be present during the ceremony. The bride is a female, and the groom must be a male. Indonesia does not recognize same-sex marriage. It is illegal in Indonesia. Straight only!
Witnesses
You must provide at least two (2) witnesses to testify during the marriage. They're must be adult and aged above 19 years of age to be a witnesses. As for Moslem marriage ceremony, the witnesses must be men. They can be either from your family members, common friends, coworker, etc.
Marriage Guardian
You need a marriage guardian to get marry. You need to have his blessing. If you were to marry in Moslem ceremony, the marriage guardian must meet certain requirements. The guardian is the bride's biological father. If he passed-away, her grand father must replace his place. If both of them are gone, you need her biological brother from the paternity line to replace both of them and perform the ritual of marriage.
Prenuptial Agreement
It is highly recommended to sign a prenuptial agreement before the marriage. It is very useful to secure your financial interests in order to protect your family future from unwanted business risks, preclusion to own property in Indonesia for mixed-marriage couples, etc. Please contact me for further information regarding the prenuptial agreement. Our prenup is the best product in the market. It protects you and your family future.
Dowry
The dowry is a present you give to the bride for accepting the marriage to you. The presents usually in the form of jewellery, such bracelet, necklace, etc. This symbolize the bond of the marriage between the two persons.
Feast
You need to celebrate the marriage with at least a small feast. It is advisable to provide at least snacks and drinks to people who come to your wedding.
Those are the ten pieces of marriage checklist that must exist in your marriage in Indonesia. As I told you, we take marriage very serious. One item missing from your marriage proceedings may cause you marriage challengeable.
---
I am Asep Wijaya. Thank you fo reading my posts!
Prenuptial agreement in Indonesia is an agreement you sign with your partner before performing the marriage. The date when you execute it must shows clearly that it is being entered on or before the legal marriage date. I have reason to believe that your legal marriage date may be different than the solemnization date. It because the marriage in Indonesia is considered legal when you perform the religious marriage prior the civil ceremony, unless of course, if you were married in Moslem rites. The latter requires no civil marriage registration. So, the prenuptial agreement must be entered into before the date of the civil marriage, the legal one.
Prenup: The Beginning
Let’s have a look what the law said about it in Article 119 of Civil Code stipulates that from the moment of execution of the marriage, it shall arise by law joint marital property between the spouses to the extent that no other stipulations have been made in the pre-nuptial agreement. There you go, the prenuptial agreement must be executed before the marriage. Beside, if you did not sign any prenup, you will have joint property ownership. This condition is preventing your Indonesian spouse to keep owning a property after she/he married to you.
The validity of a prenup begins when you and your partner sign it and register it with the marriage registry. The laws said it is valid when the officer at the marriage registry is to legaize the prenup. So, they are actively legalising the document. While in fact, they are only conducting registration of the prenup together with the registry of your marriage. This is extremely important because this action giving you a legal recognition to make the prenup valid between you and your spouse. Without this, your marital agreement is nothing but worthless piece of paper. It has no legal effect and won't do any good for your mixed-marriage life in owning a property in Indonesia. The registration of the prenup applicable to all the marriages performed and registered under the laws of the Republic of Indonesia, in accordance with the Circular Letter of Civil Registry Directorate General number 472.2/2017 for Non-Moslem, and Circular Letter of Ministry of Religion Number B.2674/DJ.III/KW.00/9/2017 for Moslem couples.
I am an old-fashioned guy, so I would recommend to register the prenup with a district court. This is to make your prenup valid legally against third party. Your property ownership involves other third party such as the government, banks, creditors, etc. The publicity requirement is met when you're registering the prenup with a court. Please refer to Article 152 of Civil Code that states: "No stipulation in the prenuptial agreement which deviate entirely or partially from the provision regarding legal community property shall apply to third parties, earlier than from the date of copying such stipulations in a public register, which shall be done with the court clerk at the court of justice, within those legal jurisdiction the marriage was executed."
One item missing in your prenup might cause it challengeable. This can be a potential loophole you don't want to miss. At Wijaya & Co, we always pay attention to details of our client’s case. You better have an umbrella when it does not rain, instead of you don't have one and it gets rain. Indeed, it won't stop the rain, but at least it will make you stand in the rain.
Which Prenup is for You?
In the event you are a foreigner planning to marry to an Indonesian, the prenup have certain issues that must be addressed to. First, we have many types of the prenup, You need to get the right one. Failure to do so will affect the ability of property ownership in your mixed marriage. You need to get a prenup with total separation of property. This is applicable to both the assets and debts of the couple. Don't use the one that suggesting joint property ownership. This one is the last thing you need. They have an old Dutch term for this: "Gronds verponding verbood." Forgive my rusty Dutch. The idea of having this type of prenup is because the laws forbid foreigners to own lands in Indonesia. Article 26 (3) of Basic Agrarian Law imposed that in the event by marriage, inheritance, or by any other means she/he loses the citizenship of Indonesia, he/she must transfer the title of the land to other third party or the state will take possession. Please contact me should you wish to draw-up a more suitable prenuptial agreement that just right for you!
In terms of mixed-marriage, I would say the above situation only applicable if you marry to a foreigner and your status in owning the property is legally affected by your foreign spouse. Since the property falls into the definition of joint property, both of you co-own the assets and therefore require consent from each other. This is not good. In any way, the consent may not be retrieved because the foreigner is not in the legal position to own the property in the first place. The ideal situation is no consent is required from either party to execute any property transaction. Either party is independently to act on his/her behalf. The idea is to keep the land with the Indonesian only.
The Assets Transfer
Second, legal constraints as set-out by Article 21 of Basic Agrarian Law certified that an Indonesian is precluded to own a freehold title after she married to you as a foreigner, without any prenup. In the event, the Indonesian spouse passes-away, you may keep the property for 12 (twelve) months. Unless, if you transfer the title to other Indonesian. Transfer means you can sell it, give it away or inherit to your child, provided she/he is an Indonesian, of course. Standard tax rate is applicable for this transaction.
You can also to downgrade the title from Hak Milik (freehold title) to Hak Pakai (Leasehold). It valids for twenty years or so. You can renew it after. This can be the smart solution if you want to keep the property for quite a while. Until you know what to figure out next.
Next of Kin
The third one, you should consider the inheritance to you next of kin. Inheritance issues in Indonesia are referred to a person’s religious affiliation. If you were in Moslem family, the people in layer one, the next of kin in the event one passes-away, are very crowded. If you want the assets distributed to just the surviving spouse and the children, and prevent the other extended families to even touch them, you should consider a last will. Seriously.
You can specify your spouse as an administrator of your assets after you're gone. You can also nominate the other person, like your sister acting as one of the other administrator, should your surviving spouse is not available or is not able to execute your last will. This is what we called estate planning. This has to be done correctly and with the right way. Please contact me should you wish to discuss any further about this. You can drop me an email or give me a call to have a free assessment of how can you move forward with the solution available for you.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Getting divorce in Indonesia is not easy, especially if you were married abroad, but is still doable. You can rely on the court in Indonesia to dissolve your foreign marriage. This is not the case that they usually see on daily basis. This is about making Indonesia as your primary jurisdiction. Some regular legal issues in terms of divorcing in Indonesia may not be applicable to your case. For example, the marriage must be registered or reported to the marriage registry in Indonesia, you must possess a marriage certificate issued from the marriage registry in Indonesia, or none of you are Indonesian national. Those things are not required to exist in your case. This is a foreign divorce case. It's part of the international civil law in Indonesia.
Reporting of Foreign Marriage
When you're married outside of Indonesia, both of you are foreigners, and either of you work in Indonesia, you don't have to register or report marriage in order to divorce or dissolve your marriage here. You don't have to get a marriage certificate from the civil registry or you don't have to retrieve a marriage book from the Office of Religious Affairs (so called "Kantor Urusan Agama"/KUA). When you're married, you're married. Since both of you are foreigners, no further reporting of your foreign marriage is required with the above marriage registries. Foreign marriage reporting is only applicable to you in the event one of you are an Indonesian national.
This thing has something to do with the term of "Lex Loci Celebrations." Literally, this term means the law of the land where the marriage was celebrated. A marriage or a union of a man and a woman when lawfully and validly celebrated under the relevant law of the land where the two individuals have legal nationality or citizenship, is also lawful and valid in the country where they live (reside or are domiciled).
Principle of Minimum Contact
There are several legal principles that may able to used to support your foreign divorce. They are principle of connection point, Lex Fori, and Lex Causae. Those are the basic legal principle that in order to examine how the court will handle your case. The connection point principle consist of two parts i.e. Primary and secondary connection point. Some called it Minimum Contact. Your case must have minimum contact with the laws where the court has its jurisdiction. Primary connection point is the facts that establish the connection between your divorce case with the place where you will find it has jurisdiction over your case. At Wijaya & Co, we always pay attention to details of our client’s case.
The component supporting primary connection point are as follows:
- The nationality. Both spouses nationality is part of the primary connection point that establish the case between you and your spouse.
- Domicile. You must live in the territory of Indonesia and both you and your spouse are residents. This is where you establish the bonafide residence in order to have a minimum contact with the court jurisdiction in the area where you live.
- The venue. The venue is the exact place where you intend to dissolve the marriage and shall try your case according to the prevailing laws in Indonesia.
As for the secondary connection point in your case is the applicable law under your nationality. If you belongs to the state of California, United States, the court in Indonesia shall use family law in the state of California, especially to establish legal grounds for divorce, spousal and child support. The judge will compare those laws with the same thing that applicable under the Indonesian laws. They need to come to examination where none of the stipulation in California laws do not contradict anything under the Indonesian laws. This is to meet the requirements of keep the public order. Indonesia definitely confirm that they have jurisdiction over the case like this under a very ancient stipulation of Article 16 Algemene Bepalingen (AB). It's an ancient law that still exist in Indonesia. It came from Dutch ruling ages ago, but still exist up until now. In fact, it created the framework of our legal system.
Jurisdiction according to Residence
Under Article 207 of Civil Code, a petition for divorce is to be filed with the court of justice, within whose jurisdiction the husband, at the time of the filing of the petition has his main residence, or in the absence thereof, has taken up actual residence. In the event the husband does not have any known principal residence or actual residence within Indonesia, the petition is to be filed with the court of justice at the location where the wife, at that time, actually resides. So, the actual residence of both spouses may be used in order to establish connection with the court jurisdiction in Indonesia. This is the principle Lex Fori that the laws in Indonesia shall be referred to in terms of determination of the court responsible to try the case.In order to retrieve your legal jurisdiction to dissolve your foreign marriage in Indonesia, you need to have a valid residency here. Either you work in a company located in Indonesia, or you set-up your own company in Indonesian soil operating within the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, you may retrieve a court jurisdiction through that residency. I would say you need any least twelve (12) months minimum in order to retrieve a jurisdiction for this situation.
The above is the minimum contact in order to get a divorce in Indonesia. Please contact me should you want me to explain in plain language about how we can do to assist you with your foreign marriage dissolution or even how you might be able to establish a case under the Indonesian law. Please contact me should you wish to discuss any further about this. You may give me a call or drop me an email so we can take it further.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Prenuptial agreement in Indonesia is highly recommended for mixed-couples in Indonesia. This is the only way to get around the legal issues exist in your matrimony as imposed by the prevailing laws in Indonesia. What exactly is that? Simple, they don't want foreigners to really own a piece of property in Indonesia. At least, under Hak Milik. It is similar to freehold title that you can keep it for good, no expiry date, and you can inherit it to your children in the event you pass-away.
Literally, they want property ownership for Indonesian citizen only. So, when you're marry to a local partner, and you want your spouse to maintain her/his rights to property ownership in Indonesia, prenup is advisable. Get a good one! Something that could protect you, and not to make you jumpy when you executed it to secure a property purchase. At Wijaya & Co., we always pay the details of our clients' case.
The idea behind a valid prenuptial agreement for mixed-marriage couples is to avoid joint property ownership. Your prenup must promote separation of assets in order to meet the situation required by the Indonesia's Basic Property Law. If you have no prenup, it means there is a joint property ownership in your mixed-marriage. If such thing exists it means that there's foreign ownership in the property. The Indonesian spouse is effected as both the husband and wife co-own the assets. Please contact me to identify the dos and don'ts regarding a valid prenuptial agreement in Indonesia.
When you co-own the assets with your foreign partner, you need to retrieve consent from him/her, which is not possible to get. You need it but he won't be able to give it to you because he is not in the legal position to own a property in Indonesia in the first place. The legal constraints come from the Article 21 of 1960 Basic Agrarian Law stipulates that an Indonesian married to a foreigner is precluded to own a property in Indonesia.
A prenup in Indonesia is governed under contract laws. In order to enter into a valid one, you need to make sure you meet all the requirements for contract eligibility as set-out by Civil Code 1320, as follows:
- You must have consent. Both you and your prospective spouse must agree to enter into a prenuptial agreement, and the consent must be voluntary.
- Both of you must have capacity to enter into an obligation arise under the prenuptial agreement you're about to sign. Each of you are authorized to conclude agreements, unless you have been declared incompetent by law. The individuals incompetent to conclude agreements are, among others minors, and individual under guardianship. In order to have a competency to sign a contract in Indonesia, you must at least aged 21 years old. You need consent from your parents when you're younger.
- Your prenuptial agreement must have as specific subject matter. Furthermore, the law stipulates that only tradable properties may form the subject matter of the agreements. Your prenup is about property ownership such as land, house, apartment, etc. They are immovable property and it is tradable.
- Your prenuptial agreement must have a permitted cause. Any agreement without a cause, or concluded pursuant to a fraudulent or prohibited cause, is not be enforceable.
The contents of your prenup must not include reduction or limitation to several rights of the husband, wife, and the children born into their marriage. Your prenup must not have a clause that limits the authority of a husband. The agreement does not interfere with the rights, which originate from the man, in such capacity, and with the paternal rights, neither will it interfere with the rights which the law has granted to the longest living spouse. They are also entitled to stipulate, that, notwithstanding the legal community property, the immovable assets, the recordings of State debts, other negotiable instruments and indebtedness, attributable to the wife, or those, which, during the course of the marriage, will be added to the community property as her share, will not be transferred or encumbered by her husband without her consent.
Your prenup must not consist a clause that limits the authority as parents. The agreement must not prejudice the rights afforded to the man, as head of the legal union; without prejudice to the rights of the wife to control the management of her movable and immovable assets, and to enjoy her personal income freely.
The rights of a surviving spouse may not be limited. It must not reduce the rights of surviving spouse and the children born into their marriage to inherit the deceased spouse. The prospective spouses, may not in the prenuptial agreement, renounce their legal obligation regarding the inheritance of their descendants. In addition, they cannot regulate the inheritance of their descendants in the prenup. You need to write a separate last will to distribute assets in the even you're pass-away.
You may not to draw-up a clause in your prenup that either party has larger portion in a debt or loan. They may not enter into an agreement to the effect that one is liable for a larger portion of the joint marital property debts than the other. That just not fair!
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Last will in Indonesia is a legal instrument to distribute your assets after you pass-away. This is your preferred way to get the people you care most to inherit your assets notwithstanding any prevailing rules and regulation regarding inheritance in Indonesia. You can distribute any rights and obligations in the field of property law to your next of kin.
There are three (3) different inheritance laws in Indonesia, and you must specify one law in your last will. We have Customary Law, Islamic Law, and Civil Inheritance Law. The three laws are very different to one another. You may opt one law, regardless your religion affiliation, and once you made the choice, you must stick to it and your family members must respect your option.
As the person who sign a last will, you will be called a Testator. In order to have a valid last will, you need to comply with several terms and conditions. Some of them are simple, some of them are quite tricky. But let's take it one step at a time. Shall we go over the rest of them?
Minimum Age
In order to be eligible to write a last will, you must at least 18 (eighteen) years old, and you're married. This is the legal requirement that you must comply with. There's no exception for this, otherwise your last will is challengable. Inheritance matter is for real.
In accordance with the Article of 897 of Civil Code imposed that minors, who have not reached the full age of eighteen years, are not allowed to make wills. The competence of the Testator shall be judged based on the condition that he was in at the time that the last will was made. At Wijaya & Co., we always pay attention to our clients' case details. Please contact me should you require any further assessment regarding your valid last will in Indonesia.
The Subject Involved
The people involved in this case are the deceased with assets to distribute. He/she is called the Heiress. The other that involved in this are called the Heir. This is the people that eligible to inherit after meeting the legal requirements. The heir must be born at the time of the inheritance was opened, and he must alive.
The Capacity to Inherit
You must have legal capacity to inherit from the deceased. A person must meet the following requirements in order to eligible to receive an inheritance:
- They must have blood relationship with the deceased. They can be his child, siblings, father or mother;
- They must have a marital relationship with the deceased. They can be either a wife or a husband of the deceased.
How Can You Inherit?
There are several ways you can inherit something from the deceased. You can inherit by law by becoming yourself, or by replacing someone's place. As a child of your parents, by law you have all the rights to inherit all your parents' assets. You can also acting as a replacement of your parent to receive inheritance from your grandparent. This replacement capacity may only happen in the event your parent has passed-away.
You may not be the person related to the deceased via blood nor a marriage. The other way you can inherit is through a last will. The deceased must include you in his last will as one of his next of kin to receive an inheritance from him after he's gone. There are strict terms and conditions that must be met in order to eligible to inherit via this route. The maximum you can inherit under this scheme is 1/3 after deducted with all the liabilities and expenses.
Executing Your Last Will
Following the death of the testator, the last will shall be submitted to the probate office. Probate is the proceeding of establishing the validity of a last will. In Indonesia, the government office like this called "Balai Harta Peninggalan" (BHP). The last will must be submitted to the probate office within the jurisdiction of the available inheritance is located. This board open the last will and draft minutes of the submission and the opening of the last will, and is include details therein of the condition that it is in. Thereafter be returned to the your legal representation for further execution of the inheritance.
The Article 955 of Civil Code imposed that upon the death of the testator, legal title to the properties shall devolve upon the beneficiaries named in the last will as well as the individuals to whom the law grants part of the inheritance.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
More...
Police clearance certificate in Indonesia also known as Surat Keterangan Catatan Kepolisian (so called “SKCK”). This is the police certificate that certifying your crime record. Previously, known as Good Conduct Certificate (Surat Keterangan Kelakuan Baik/SKKB) certifies that you are not involve in a crime until certain period of time. Both terms are referring to the same thing.
The police clearance certificate valid for six (6) months since date of issuing. You may submit a renewal application when you think you need a longer timeframe.
If you stay in Indonesia for more than six (6) months, according to our experience, the following countries would require a police clearance from Indonesia:
- Italy;
- Canada;
- Australia;
- New Zealand;
- United States (Spouses applying for a green card within the United States have to lodge police records instead of police clearance certificate).
Terms and Conditions
Police clearance in Indonesia can only be issued if you stay in Indonesia under a KITAS (Kartu Ijin Tinggal Terbatas/Limited Stay Permit). This is your residency permit as issued by the local immigration office in Indonesia. The KITAS can only obtained through sponsorship of employment or spousal.
Supporting Documents
If you are a foreigner, the required supporting documents for the application of police clearance are as follows:
- Copy of your passport;
- Copy of your KITAS;
- Copy of police report such as SKLD (Surat Keterangan Lapor Diri/Self Reporting Police Certificate), or STM (Surat Tanda Melapor/Reporting Certificate). Both documents serves the same purposes. These documents usually obtained when the first time you were here in Indonesia. This is the record that establish your presence within the police database.
- Fingerprints form;
- Power of Attorney.
Some people might not have all complete supporting documents that cover the period of your stay in Indonesia, or you just don't have the required documents but the police clearance is imposed on you by the immigration authorities. This is not a personal attack on you. This is what happen if you're working with bureaucracy everywhere. Please contact me and we'll discuss how you can move forward with your application.
If you are an Indonesian, the police require the following supporting documents:
- Attestation from the local Kelurahan/Kecamatan;
- Copy of your KTP and family card;
- Copy of your birth certificate;
- Photograph 4 x 6 cm.
Prerequisite Requirements
The police headquarters require you to supply the police clearance from your local Polres (local police precinct) in the city where you live, before they can issue you one that valid internationally. The reason behind this is because the Polre may know better about your background than the headquarters.
Fingerprints Formula
The police clearance certificate from Indonesia is very complete and has the details of your biographic information, including your fingerprints formula. Each person has very specific fingerprints and non-identical from others. Just like DNA. It consist of number and letters that represent pattern of your fingerprints.
This is the reason they may require you to present at the police precinct. They need to take your fingerprints with ink, and examine it in order to retrieve a formula. Please let me know should you are not be able to come to the precinct for fingerprints collection. In some cases we handled, other precinct fingerprints formula are also acceptable for further examination.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
When you're purchasing a land and/or a house in Indonesia, you're dealing with a seller or the representative of the seller. You must deal with the owner of the property in order to protect your future investment. The owner must have legal rights to own the property that you are looking to buy. When he has the legal rights in the property, he must has the title of ownership that can be transferrable to you as the buyer.
He must be able to present his certificate of title to prove his ownership. The certificate is issued by the government of the Republic of Indonesia. The authorized government agency that responsible for issuing a certificate of title called Badan Pertanahan Nasional (National Land Registry), so called the BPN. They have offices in every city in Indonesia.
The certificate of title for the house you are going to buy is issued by the land registry office where the property located. The property such as land, houses, apartments are classified under the category of Immovable Property. The legal owner of the immovable property is the person whose name printed on the title certificate.
Ownership of the Property
The ownership of immovable property is different with the movable ones, such as cars, etc. The legal owner of this type of property is the one whose name(s) printed on the certificate of title. If the ownership has passed-away, his next of kin is the property’s legal owner. They usually consist of the surviving spouse, and his/her children. So, if the owner of the property has gone, make sure you’re dealing with the right person.
As for the movable assets such as cars, the person that controls the property can be considered as the owner, although you might want to check the ownership of the certificate as well. Please contact me should you wish to discuss any further about this.
The certificate of title in real estate property is a strong evidence that serves as proof of ownership, as well as proof of registration from the local land registry. Article 19 of Basic Agrarian Law certified that the government of Indonesia is conducting land registration in order to provide legal privilege to the owner whose name printed on the certificate of title. You will automatically be included within the land registry database and therefore are subject to the prevailing laws and regulation in Indonesia.
Background Check
It is very important to conduct a background check before you’re making any further transaction with the seller of the real estate property. This will give you sufficient information about the current status of the property, as well as its title. The information is enough to get you to decide whether you want to proceed with the sale and purchase transaction.
You will see if there’s any mortgage put on the property. If yes, you need to make sure the owner to remove the mortgage first, before making any further transaction with you as the buyer. You will also find out if the property is under any potential dispute or no. The background check is extremely important and I would suggest not to proceed with the transaction before the background check has been finalized. At Wijaya & Co, we always pay attention to details of our client’s case.
Transfer of Title
You need to perform a proceeding of title transfer when you purchase a real estate property. Your name must be registered as the latest owner of the property after you executed the sale and purchase agreement, and remit the payment to the seller. They will include the details of the agreement you executed with the seller of the property, as well as the date when you entered the agreement.
They will print your name as the current owner of the property on the certificate of title. This proceeding involving the local land registry where the real estate property is located. You will be recognized as the legal owner after the proceeding completed. Please contact me should you wish to discuss any further about this.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Marriage in Indonesia is the basic foundation for almost everything in your life. We take it very serious as failure to do do will make you end up with several consequences. It affects the whole aspects of your family such as children, inheritance, property ownership, including the relationship between you and your partner.
In order to prove the importance of the registration of a marriage, Indonesia has more than one laws during the time of early independence up until now. The recent one was issued in 2018 by the Ministry of Religion Affairs under regulation number 19 of 2018 regarding Registration of Marriage. This regulation issued for Moslem couples marriage with the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama/KUA) as the government institution responsible for conducting and keeping records of the marriage. This new regulation introduced new product as proof of the registration i.e. marriage card. Apart from the existing marriage booklets, the marriage card has details about your marriage too. The card is the short version of your marriage evidence.
The procedures for marriage registration must be initiated by lodging a Notice of Marriage Intention. The notice must be filed within ten (10) working days before you can perform the marriage. If you wish to get marry less than ten (10) days, a special dispensation is required from the district head in the area of your residence. People usually plan the marriage ahead. So, getting marry in a short notice usually would require special attention. At Wijaya & Co., we always pay attention to the details of our clients’s works.
The notice of marriage intention lodged to the marriage registry must be supported with the following documents:
- Copy of your birth certificate;
- Copy of your family card;
- Copy of your KTP;
- Originals of N forms;
- Divorce certificate, if applicable;
- Death certificate, if applicable;
- Copy of your passport, KITAS, and the Non Impediment Letter printed on the letter head of your embassy in Jakarta, applicable if you are a foreign citizen.
Upon receipt of your notice of intention to marry, they will conduct documents verification by interviewing you, your partner and your parents. The interview is to identify any potential legal constraint that may be exist in your relationship. They will deny your application in the event you have incomplete supporting documents or they identify any potential legal constraint. They will reject application and they will let you know the reason why. Please contact me for getting your application accepted smoothly.
In the event they accept your marriage notice, they will post it for public for ten (10) days until you’re up for the wedding. The notice shall also be published in other media as deemed necessary. This is in order to reach public as much as possible. It is according to the principle of positive publication with the registry of marriage in Indonesia. Furthermore, the registration of the marriage shall be conducted after you performed the marriage.
Your marriage may be performed after meeting the following requirements:
- Bride and groom;
- Marriage guardian;
- Two witnesses;
- Consent that consist of Ijab Qabul performed by the guardian and the groom. This is very interesting as the father of the bride as the guardian consent the marriage with the groom. It symbolises that after the marriage, the bride is no longer her father’s responsibility but the husband’s.
The marriage books as proof of marriage registration will be presented at the end of the marriage ceremony to both husband and wife. So they will give you two original marriage booklets with two different colora: brown and green.
---
My name is Asep Wijaya. Thank you for reading my posts!
Most Read
-
Marriage Registration
Sunday, 19 April 201536660 -
Food Registration in Indonesia
Wednesday, 21 April 201033355 -
Prenuptial Agreement
Sunday, 19 April 201530566 -
Postnuptial Agreement
Sunday, 19 April 201524541 -
Guide to KITAP (Kartu Ijin Tinggal Tetap)
Monday, 11 August 200823798 -
Multiple Entry Business Visa
Thursday, 03 September 200922344 -
Mixed-Marriage
Sunday, 19 April 201521655 -
Premarital Agreement for Moslem Couples: Taklik Talak
Wednesday, 02 September 200919962 -
Step Child Adoption
Sunday, 19 April 201519589 -
Indonesian Visa Applications
Thursday, 03 September 200919569
Featured Blogs
-
Custody
http://www.childcustody.id/ (3559 Hits) -
Divorce
http://www.divorcelawyer.id (3136 Hits) -
Marriage
https://jakartamarriage.com/ (2839 Hits) -
Postnuptial
https://postnupsbywijaya.com/ (2989 Hits) -
Prenuptial
http://www.prenuptialagreement.id (3309 Hits) -
Probate
https://childlegalization.id (3026 Hits)