Planning to marry in Indonesia? Here’s everything you need to know about getting a prenuptial agreement.
If you’re getting married in Indonesia — especially as part of a mixed-nationality couple — you’ve probably heard that a prenuptial agreement is important. But what exactly is it, and how do you actually get one?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know, step by step.
What is a Prenuptial Agreement in Indonesia?
A prenuptial agreement — known in Indonesian as perjanjian pranikah — is a written legal contract made by a couple before their marriage. It sets out how assets, property, and debts will be handled during the marriage and in the event of divorce or death.
Under Indonesian law, marriage automatically creates a joint property regime — meaning everything acquired during the marriage is shared equally between spouses. A prenuptial agreement lets couples opt out of this default and define their own arrangement.
Who Needs a Prenuptial Agreement?
A prenuptial agreement is useful for any couple, but it is especially important in the following situations:
Mixed-nationality couples.
Indonesian law prohibits foreigners from owning freehold land (Hak Milik). Without a prenuptial agreement, the joint property regime that automatically applies in marriage can legally strip the Indonesian spouse of their right to own freehold property in their own name. A prenup creates a legal separation of assets and protects both spouses.
Couples with existing assets or businesses.
If either partner owns property, runs a business, or carries debts from before the marriage, a prenuptial agreement clearly defines what stays separate and what becomes shared.
Couples concerned about family inheritance.
Without a prenup, inherited property or family gifts could be treated as joint marital assets. A prenuptial agreement keeps them under the original recipient’s name.
How Does It Work?
In Indonesia, a prenuptial agreement is made by the couple together with a licensed Notary Public (Notaris). The couple is free to determine the content of the agreement, as long as it does not violate Indonesian law, religion, morality, or public order.
The notary’s role is to guide both parties through the content, ensure the agreement complies with Indonesian law, and produce the official Notarial Deed (Akta Notaris). The completed Notarial Deed is then brought to the marriage ceremony — more on this in the steps below.
Step-by-Step: How to Get a Prenuptial Agreement in Indonesia
Step 1: Decide What to Include
Before meeting the notary, talk through what you want the agreement to cover. Common provisions include:
Keeping pre-marital assets separate from joint assets
Clarifying property ownership (especially important for mixed couples)
Division of property in case of divorce
Management of pre-existing debts
Protection of family inheritance or gifts
There is no fixed template — the agreement is flexible and tailored to your needs.
Step 2: Meet with a Notary
Book an appointment with a licensed Indonesian Notary Public (Notaris). Both parties must be present.
The notary will:
Discuss the contents of the agreement with both of you
Ensure everything complies with Indonesian law
Draft and finalize the agreement as a Notarial Deed (Akta Notaris)
Step 3: Sign the Agreement
Once both parties are satisfied with the terms, you sign the Notarial Deed before the notary. The notary verifies both identities and witnesses the signing. You will each receive a copy of the completed Notarial Deed.
Step 4: Bring the Agreement to Your Marriage Ceremony
This is where it differs from what many people expect — the prenuptial agreement is not separately registered at the Civil Registry Office. Instead, the couple brings the completed Notarial Deed directly to their marriage ceremony, where it is presented to the officiating religious authority.
How this works depends on your religion:
For Muslim couples:
The prenuptial agreement is brought to the akad nikah ceremony at the KUA (Kantor Urusan Agama / Office of Religious Affairs). Coordinate with the KUA officer beforehand, as the prenup will be reviewed and acknowledged as part of the marriage registration process.
For non-Muslim couples:
The prenuptial agreement is brought to the religious ceremony. Coordinate with your officiant (priest, pastor, or religious leader) in advance so they are aware. After the religious ceremony, the marriage is then registered at the Civil Registry Office (Dinas Kependudukan dan Catatan Sipil), where the prenup is also acknowledged.
Tip: Always coordinate with your religious officiant or KUA officer before the wedding day to confirm exactly how and when they would like to receive the prenuptial agreement. Requirements can vary slightly by region and religion.
What Can (and Cannot) Be Included
The Civil Code gives couples significant flexibility, but there are clear limits:
You can include: separation of pre-marital and marital assets, property ownership arrangements, debt allocation, business profit management, and protection of family inheritance.
You cannot include: anything contrary to public morality or public order, clauses that conflict with the rights of either spouse as defined by law, inheritance settlement arrangements, or anything that violates Indonesian national or religious law.
Already Married? There’s Still an Option
Under the original marriage law, a prenuptial agreement had to be completed before the wedding. However, a Constitutional Court ruling has since made it legal for couples who are already married to enter into a postnuptial agreement (perjanjian pascanikah) for asset separation at any point during the marriage.
Like a prenup, a postnuptial agreement is drafted as a Notarial Deed. So if you’re already married and didn’t get a prenup, all is not lost — speak to a notary about your options.
Why It Matters for Mixed-Nationality Couples
Indonesian law only allows Indonesian citizens to hold freehold land title (Hak Milik). When an Indonesian citizen marries a foreigner without a prenuptial agreement, the joint property regime automatically applies — meaning any property held under the Indonesian spouse’s name is legally considered jointly owned with the foreign spouse. This creates a direct legal conflict, as a foreigner cannot hold Hak Milik.
If this situation is not resolved, the Indonesian spouse would be required to release or transfer the property within 12 months. If they fail to do so, the property rights can be automatically removed and the land reverts to the state.
A prenuptial agreement — establishing a clear separation of assets — prevents all of this from happening.
Skip the Hassle – Let Bali Apostille Service Handle Everything for You
Navigating the prenuptial agreement process in a foreign country can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already busy planning a wedding. That’s exactly why we’re here.
At Bali Apostille Service, we work directly with a trusted notary in Bali to make the whole process smooth, straightforward, and stress-free.
Why Choose Bali Apostille Service?
Bali Apostille Service is trusted by hundreds of clients across Indonesia to make document legalization simple and hassle-free.
I had a great experience with Bali Apostille Service. The process was very smooth, and they were extremely helpful and responsive from the beginning. Communication was clear and fast, even though I was handling everything from abroad.They guided me through each step and made everything easy to understand. The documents were processed quickly and professionally, which gave me great peace of mind.I highly recommend their service to anyone who needs apostille assistance in Bali. Thank you so much for your excellent support!
MasyaAllah, very professional and responsive service. The process was also much faster than the estimated time, and everything was handled very well. Thank you very much to Bali Apostle Service for your assistance.
Very fast, professional and reliable! Ordered an apostille for my child birth certificate on Monday and I received the certificate 5 days later on Friday. (Ordered from Bali)
Excellent service, a bit more expensive than other but the saying is true. You get what you pay for. They saw issues with my papers that other providers did not see. These would have block my process and probably cost me more to fix. So very happy I chooses them. Highly recommend.
Very satisfied with the service. My documents were completed quickly thanks to the express service. Everything was handled professionally and on time. Highly recommended. Bali Apostille Service recomended🙏🥳🥳
I ordered Power of Attorney with apostile. All was done very organized and in agreed terms.The guys also arranged the delivery via post to my destination country and controlled all the way until it was delivered.Great service and very reasonable prices.
Very well-guided.The best agency I've ever used.I'm not comparing, but the previous agencies I used only provided information based on their needs.But the Bali Apostille agency was very patient in explaining, helping, and demonstrated excellent performance!Recommended for those still unsure about which agency to use.Come here! I've seen proof, even though I'm in Kalimantan, they still provide excellent, fast, and professional service. If there were 10 stars, I'd give them 10.Keep up the good work!!
I recently needed to have an important document apostilled and translated into English in Indonesia and sent to Europe. Bali Apostille Service provided outstanding service from the moment I contacted them until my documents were sent to Europe. They have definitely exceeded my expectations, and I am thankful for the professional and excellent customer service provided. I highly recommend this company.
Outstanding service! Zia worked with incredible speed, clarity, and reliability. She consistently kept me organized and ahead of schedule, and even exceeded expectations by delivering earlier than promised.
Fantastic help with documentation required for residency application. Would recommend to anyone needing assistance in this area and their communication is also excellent
Very professional service. The team's communication was always very responsive and clear. As well as being competitive on price with fast turnaround. Highly recommended ⭐
Fantastic service! The team was super responsive and guided me through a long and tricky process. Everything went smoothly once they had my diploma. Highly recommend! 🌟
Excellent service. We had an emergency with a document we needed to sign and certify to send abroad. Their answer our message in less than one minute and after 2 hours the whole process was finished. I totally recommend them. Thank you so much guys 🥰🙏
This is the best service I have ever encountered. Perfect service, very responsive caring employees. They helped with the question, were able to solve it, informed each time. Thank you very much, I will recommend you
Outstanding service!From the first contact to the final delivery, Bali Apostille was exceptional!The entire process was smooth, the communication - easy and prompt, and I was kept updated every step of the way, never left wondering about the status of my documents.Most impressively, they arranged for a courier to collect and deliver my documents with what felt like the speed of light!Everything was handled professionally and efficiently, resulting in my apostilles being delivered exactly when promised.I am extremely happy and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a fast, reliable, and trustworthy apostille provider.Thank you so much, Bali Apostille Service!👌🙏
We needed to have our Indonesian Marriage Cert Translated and Apostilled for legal reasons and decided on Bali Apostille Service.Cannot recommend them highly enough From the first contact they performed brilliantly with constant follow up re the progress and arranging despatch to Australia.Lala kept us in the loop almost daily.Excellent service.John Woollard (Aust)
I needed apostille service for a deed to be recorded in my home country (The United States). I contacted Bali Apostille Service, and they gave me detailed information. I went to their office with the documentation they needed. I paid them and they provided their service exactly how they promised. Quickly. Efficiently...and honestly. They even delivered the finished paperwork to me (almost two hours away) free of charge!I highly recommend them!
Highly recommend Bali Apostille Service from my very first point of contact the services were extremely professional. Wonderful communication, prompt service & complete transparency. I can't thank them enough & would have no hesitation in using their services again or recommending to others. Thank you so much Bali Apostille Service 🙏
Excellent service. Arranged an SKCK and Apostille. Great communication, very easy process and arrived well within the estimated schedule. Would highly recommend.
I made a power of attorney with an apostille through the company. Excellent service. Fast, informed about every step, without delays, polite. And most importantly, high-quality services. I recommend
Their service is truly exceptional!I can’t thank them enough for processing my documents so quickly. Their responses to my inquiries were always professional, detailed, and timely. I honestly haven’t experienced this level of excellent service before, they are simply amazing.I urgently needed my police clearance, and although they initially gave me a 9-day timeframe (which I completely understood), to my surprise and perhaps recognizing the urgency, they released it the very next day after I submitted all the required documents.I didn’t mind paying the fee at all, it was absolutely worth it for the value and efficiency they provided.I’m just genuinely overwhelmed and impressed by how outstanding their service is. Highly recommended!
~Bali Apostille Service is a very good place for scanning and printing official document, i recommend them for their professionalism , their patience , and kindness , try them you will see are good they are .....
Thank you Bali Apostille I am very satisfied with the service for birth certificates because every process is always informed and the delivery is safety
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I am completely satisfied with the Bali Apostille Service! From the first contact to the final handover of the documents, everything went absolutely smoothly. Communication with me was always reliable, all my questions were answered promptly and friendly, and the entire process was carried out quickly and professionally. I felt well looked after at all times – thank you very much for the excellent support! Highly recommended!
I had a very informative consultation with Bali Apostille and then made an order. Speed and quality of the services was very high. They found the way to prepare documents faster before public holidays and safe a loooooot of my time.Very thankful to Bali Apostille and will come back again, highly recommend everyone this company.
This is my first time trying to take care of an apostille, and it turns out to be very helpful from the start until the document is finished, if anyone is still in doubt, it's your loss. This is highly recommended, thank you Bali Apostille, next time I will definitely take care of it here again
The services were going smoothly and the consultation was absolutely perfect. Kept contact via WhatsApp and responded what I need. The cost for sworn translation and apostilled incredible expensive of each page but for me it is fine because the document were I need fulfilled and responded. The services were fantastic, staff is friendly and nice to talk/via massage on WhatsApp. They knew and understand what I was looking for.Fully recommend for new customers of Bali Apostille Services.
I would highly recommend Bali Apostille Service to anyone. They were great to deal with unlike some places that just want you to fill out an online form. BAS kept me updated throughout the entire process and they were just so easy and nice to deal with.
Outstanding service!!! I reside in NZ so getting our marriage certificate apostilled in Bali was not a small feat. Bali Apostille Services was professional from start to finish, answering my questions, providing guidance and most importantly the constant updates. I highly recommend their servicess.
We did the Appostille of our wedding certificate with Appostille Bali and we are more than happy with their service. From the beginning everything was transparent and clear and they gave us updates of the process in every step. I really recommend to everyone who needs a Appostille service!
It's very satisfying to take care of documents at the Bali apostille service, I don't have to come to the office just online. But this is a very reliable service, and always informs us of our documents... Safe and reliable... Don't hesitate to contactthis office👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤❤
I am writing a review for Bali Apostille Service, where I had the apostille done for my child’s birth certificate, as I gave birth in Bali.I am extremely satisfied with their service. They were very efficient and quick. The entire process was handled professionally and with high quality. They responded to my messages promptly, explained everything clearly, and kept me informed about each step of the process. I truly appreciate their excellent customer service and highly recommend them!Thank you
Bali Apostille Service were incredible to deal with. They provided an extremely professional service that could not be faulted. Their communication was frequent, clear and helpful. They were able to provide additional support to verify rejected documents and managed to get them reverified and apostilled quickly. They offer an amazing service and I highly recommend them. Thanks so much once again.
Double thumbs up: very quick to respond and very experienced. I ordered an apostille on Friday and it was ready on Saturday, the next day. Compact yet understandable explanation.
They helped me out of a tight spot with an Apostille certificate.Extremely professionalExcellent communicationVery helpful staff.I would highly recommend them.Well done!
Couldn't expect more. I needed an Apostille for the Birth Certificate of my daughter and they've been able to help me immediately. I didn't even know where to start and they provided a super fast service. Would recommend them to anyone, and will use their services if I'll need them again in the future. Thanks again!
Bali Apostille Service was excellent. The service was fast, constantly sent updates of the process, answered all our questions and the response time was quick.
It was a great experience with Bali Apostille Service! Not only are they very professional and also have excellent communication skills. Everything went smoothly and on time. The most important thing is that the price is reasonable. If you are a smart consumer, then don’t hesitate. I highly recommend the Bali ApostilleService to you!
I recently used Bali Apostille Service, and I couldn't be more pleased with their exceptional service. They handled everything seamlessly from start to finish. They picked up the documents from me for signing, got them notarized, and had them apostilled with efficiency and professionalism.What truly stood out was their excellent communication. They kept me updated at every step and promptly answered all my queries. The entire process was smooth and hassle-free.They even mailed the documents to another country for me, there was an only the extra charge for DHL fees, this added convenience and reliability is what makes them better than all the similar service providers.I had actually contacted many other such service providers, either they responded late or the pricing was unfair or the process was not seamless (I needed to do some extra physical effort to make it all happen).But not with these guys, I basically laid on my couch, and they did everything.The pricing is fair, and the quality of service is outstanding. I trusted them with my very important documents, and I'm so glad I did. Highly recommended!
Very professional, fast and efficient service. Answered all my questions very quickly, and processed the notarization and apostille seal for a power of attorney to be used in a European country. Would use again, and recommend to anyone looking for such service in Bali.
