Guidance

Indonesia: Knowledge Base profile

Published 29 August 2025

Version 3.0

About: Indonesia

This document contains useful information about Indonesia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 14 August 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Indonesia: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Indonesia.

The concept of having a forename, middle name and family name is not followed in Indonesia.

All components of a name are considered part of a single given name.

Surnames are not legally recognised and there is no practice of inheriting family names. For example, Wulandari Hartono and Suparman’s may name their child Hasan Jiwa.

Since 2022, the law changed regarding names, meaning all new names must:

• be easy to read and have no negative connotations
• have a maximum of 60 characters
• have at least two words

Indonesia citizens whose names do not comply with the new rules were not made to change their names.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Indonesia.

Names can be changed in Indonesia, or at an Indonesia embassy if the person is resident outside of Indonesia.

After marriage, a woman can either change her name on her passport to her husband’s name or have it as an additional name.

Name alignment

If the name on the customer’s passport application has been added as an addendum to their Indonesia passport, HM Passport Office will not ask the customer to align their Indonesia passport.

Indonesia: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Indonesia.

Dual nationality is not recognised in Indonesia for anyone aged 18 or over.

If a person has dual nationality when they reach 18 years old, they must choose a nationality to renounce.

Indonesia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Indonesia.

Legitimacy

Indonesia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births

A child is considered:

• legitimate if:
  • the parents are married at the time of birth
  • the parents marry after the date of the birth and the father is named on the birth certificate
• illegitimate if:
  • the parents never marry
  • the parents marry after the date of birth and father is not named on birth certificate

Parental responsibility

Both parents will have parental responsibility if they are married.

Where the parents are not married, the mother will have full parental responsibility.

For non-Muslim parents, neither parent loses parental responsibility if they divorce.

The parents have parental responsibility until the child is 18 years old or gets married.

Indonesia: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Indonesia.

Adoption is legal in Indonesia.

Indonesia: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Indonesia.

Surrogacy is illegal in Indonesia.

Indonesia: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Indonesia.

Transgender citizens are not recognised in Indonesia.

Indonesia: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Indonesia.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are not recognised in Indonesia.

Marriage between a couple who have different religions is not legally recognised in Indonesia. Both spouses must be the same religion.

To be legally married in Indonesia:

• an Islamic marriage will be held at either the Kantor Urusan Agama (“KUA”) or the Office of Religious Affairs (there is no requirement for a civil marriage or to register a Muslim marriage)
• non-Islamic citizens must have a religious ceremony (of their faith) and a civil ceremony

Indonesia: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Indonesia.

Birth certificates

All births in Indonesia must be registered within 60 days of the birth. Late registrations are accepted by court order.

If the father’s name is not included on the original birth certificate, it can be added by returning the certificate to the issuing authorities with:

• a copy of the marriage certificate; or,
• a court order (where the marriage certificate is not available) issued as evidence of paternity

Duplicate birth certificates (Kutipan Akta Kelahiran) can be obtained from the Registry Office (Pencatatan Sipil). Duplicate certificates are only issued to the child named or their parents.

Marriage certificates

 Marriage certificates in Indonesia are different depending on the couple’s religion:

• Muslim couples will be issued a marriage book known as “Buku Nikah”
• non-Muslim couples will have a religious marriage certificate and a civil marriage certificate

The Civil Registry Office will issue the civil marriage certificate 10 days after the marriage is registered.

Death certificates

Deaths in Indonesia must be registered within 30 days.

Death certificates (Akte Kematian) are issued by the civil registry office in the jurisdiction where the death occurred.

Identity documents

The Kartu Tanda Penduduk, is the Indonesia resident identity card. Separate versions exist for Indonesia and non-Indonesia residents. The card is issued when a person is 17 years of age or marries.