In Balinese culture, the wedding is about more than just the two people getting married; it is also about cementing their connections with their extended families and the community that their elders have built over generations. Bali allows most couples to marry legally, registration is simple and inexpensive, and it is one of the best places to tell your love story and personalize your wedding. For the sake of the many engaged couples out there who may be feeling lost in the sea of wedding halls, wedding planners, and other necessities, we’ve put together this page.
Foreign couples who don’t live in Indonesia very often opt for a non-legally binding, symbolic ceremony in Bali, with the more formal proceedings happening in their home country. Such an arrangement will make things much easier. It is of course possible to get a marriage officially recognized and legally binding, and it’s pretty straightforward and mostly practiced by couples who live in Indonesia.
So before the wedding planning in Bali can begin, couples must decide which option to choose.
According to our wedding experts, when a couple is from another country, they can sometimes grow impatient with the slow responses from vendors and the laid-back attitudes when it comes to their wedding celebration. So, it’s important that you’re OK with going with the flow right up to the big day. They will also guide you through the ceremony options and the legal requirements that would apply to you and your spouse.
When a traveler goes to a faraway place, he or she gets a feeling in the pit of their stomach. Particularly if the location is as mysterious and captivating like Bali. It is said that the farther away you travel, the closer you will come to meeting yourself. Traveling with the person you’ve decided to spend the rest of your life with is a different story. You’ll get to know each other on a completely different level and Bali provides the perfect setting. There are so many new experiences to have and stories to tell, many of which the two of you can share for ever.
A wedding in Bali will be memorable not only for the couple getting married but also for their friends and family who may choose to extend their trip in order to enjoy the island as well. The days leading up to and following a wedding on the Island of the Gods are often packed with excursions and unforgettable experiences. It’s entertaining to organize an event and give guests a choice of activities.
These days, many vacationers make sure they’re covered in case of airline delays, lost bags, expensive taxi rides, or unanticipated side trips. While many engaged couples get wedding insurance to cover things like damaged wedding dresses and tuxes, cancelled vendors, and more. See whether wedding insurance is mentioned in the wedding venue’s policy. It’s a smart financial move that will also provide comfort on a personal level.
You may offer your guests A Bali travel eBook to help them get ready for their trip. Gift bags filled with Bali keepsakes or travel essentials are a great way to show tourists the traditional warmth and friendliness of the Balinese people and will help to make their stay more enjoyable.
An exotic wedding in this region is sure to be a one-of-a-kind experience for Westerners due to the striking differences between the culture and what they’re used to. There are a ton of exotic spots where you could say your “I do’s,” such as cliffs or the beach. On top of all that, the wedding pictures will be stunning. However, the weather is hot and humid, making it uncomfortable to walk around in bridal gowns and tuxedos.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend that couples spend a few days at the wedding destination before the wedding day. This way, you’ll get a sense for your chosen location and everything that Bali has to offer.
Your wedding date is a major factor, of course. That’s because, unless the ceremony takes place in a chapel or closed wedding venue in one of the resorts, the reception is always held outside.
Dry Season: The months of April through October are considered to be the most pleasant for a wedding in Bali, in contrast to the monsoon season. June to August are peak wedding season. Suitable accommodations and reception halls can be harder to come by and are prices are higher.
To get the best prices and still have a good chance for a wonderful and rainless outdoor ceremony the May and September are perfect.
Almost any couple may easily and lawfully get married on the island of Bali. Once you have done so, getting it officially registered in Bali is simple and inexpensive. And since Bali allows both religious and civil ceremonies, it is widely recognized as a legitimate destination for weddings around the world.
To be considered legal in Indonesia, a marriage must go through a civil and religious ceremony. According to Indonesian law, both partners must be of the same faith, so the marriage must adhere to the laws of the proceedings specific to the religion.
Foreign couples looking to get married are NOT required to follow the religious ceremony that Indonesians have to go through, especially if the couple is interfaith or practices a religion that is not recognized in Indonesia (such as Judaism, Jehovah’s Witness, etc).
This is why, as was pointed out previously, many couples choose for a symbolic, non-binding wedding in Bali and complete the legal formalities in their home country. Rather than dealing with the paperwork, bureaucracy, and legal stuff of a more conventional wedding ceremony, they’re hosting a celebration in Bali with their closest friends and family.
Generally, Indonesian law permits people of any nationality to legally marry as long as they practice one of the country’s five official faiths (Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Islam, and Protestantism). Verify beforehand that your country’s marriage laws would acknowledge your marriage prior to looking into having a wedding in Bali.
Indonesian Marriage Law No. 1 of 1974 (Article 2 (1): a marriage is legal if it was done according to the rules of the religions of the two people getting married. All Indonesian couples who marry must declare their religion. Unfortunately, atheism and agnosticism are not recognized.
This means that whoever marries you, should also be of the same faith (i.e., a Celebrant for Hindu and Buddhist followers, a Priest for Catholics, and a Minister for Protestants).
If a Muslim, the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) performs the Religious Marriage under Islam in a Nikah Ceremony at a mosque, or the couple’s home. After the Nikah Ceremony, the marriage is recognized by law instantly.
The marriage law of other religions outside of Islam requires you a waiting period of 10 days before conducting a wedding ceremony with your partner. During that time, a Notice of Intent to Marry will be made public by the Civil Registry office to determine whether there are objections to it.
A marriage is legally recognized only between a male and a female. Homosexuality is permissible in Indonesia as long as it is done discreetly between consensual adults. However, Indonesian citizens who are legally in a same-sex marriage in other countries are unable to be acknowledged. Since the country’s laws do not recognize gay marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnership rights, they cannot register their marriage in Indonesia.
To marry lawfully in Indonesia, both must be at least 19 years old, according to the country’s recent revision to Indonesia’s Marriage Act (1974), which raised the previous age at which females can marry with parental permission. Without parental consent, both women and men can marry at the age of 21.
The religious or traditional parts of a Hindu wedding consists of numerous rituals and traditions, such as ceremonies, semi-ritual exhibits, worship, prayer, lustrations, processions, music and dancing, feasting, drinking, and intimacy.
Hindu Documentation:
The Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) conducts the religious marriages of Muslim couples and could take place anywhere that the couple chose themselves (doesn’t have to be at a mosque). A marriage book will be given (Buku Nikah) as proof of a legitimate marriage to a Muslim spouse.
But there are countries that don’t recognize the traditional, religious marriage as a legal valid marriage. If that’s the case, newlywed couples of the Islamic faith should visit a Civil Registry Office in Indonesia to receive their marriage certificate before departing the country.
Islamic documentation:
A Catholic wedding in Bali would not be complete without a blessing ceremony performed at a local Catholic church. This is the only faith on the list that has such a requirement. Villas, beaches, and secular wedding chapels are all off-limits for Catholic weddings.
Catholic and Christian Documentation:
A Buddhist wedding is a happy occasion that showcases the couple’s shared culture and their dedication to kindness, harmony, peace, and unity. This is more of a celebration than a ceremony, as the happy couple include both traditional elements and some of their own creative touches. When it comes to developing the happiest, longest-lasting marriages, the Buddha’s teachings are all that matter.
Buddhist Documentation:
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of arranging a wedding, particularly if you’re intending to tie the knot abroad, and forget that weddings are, in fact, bureaucratic events that involve some paperwork.
The paperwork may change depending on the couple’s religious beliefs, their state of residence, the location of the wedding, and the laws of their local community. While we try to update and cross-check the following guidelines (legal requirements, etc.) regularly, please contact your embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date information.
All papers must be translated into Indonesian by a sworn translator.
Feel a bit overwhelmed? You can put your attention where it really belongs: on each other, by hiring a professional event planner.
That way you can relax with coconut water and a book by the pool until it’s time to say “I do”.
Because of the two forms of marriage ceremonies in Indonesia, you will receive ad register both religious and official marriage certificate in Indonesian and English. Non-Muslim couples should go to the Civil Registry, while Muslim couples should go to the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA) where they would issue a legally acceptable marriage certificate (buku nikah) for Muslim marriages, You will not require further registration with any other authority and will become legally registered under Indonesian law.
Don’t lose track of your marriage license; you’ll need it to apply for a KITAS or KITAP. If you and your Indonesian spouse got married anywhere other than Indonesia, you’ll need to get the whole marriage certificate translated into Indonesian and legalized by a government official in Indonesia. Since some countries don’t register or maintain certifications if you are married outside of your native country, it’s a good idea to have a backup copy of your marriage license and/or certificate on hand, just in case.
During consularization, an official stamp, signature, and seal are stamped to the back of the document to verify its authenticity.
For a fee, the consular office will help you get your marriage certificate translated for authentication by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (KEMLU).
If the marriage is legally recognized in Indonesia, it will most likely be accepted legally in your home country. To begin this process, simply deliver the completed documents to your country’s embassy in Jakarta for verification.
Wedding registration is within the purview of state and municipal governments, not embassies. Therefore, in order to get a valid marriage certificate in your native country, you must provide these official papers to the relevant organization.
Wedding Legalities : Please accept our heartfelt congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and for getting this far in the wedding process. You may go on with the process after you have gathered the required documents listed above.
Step 1: Gathering Documents
If you want to be married under both religious law and civil law, you’ll need a authorization letter from the Banjar. Don’t forget to bring photocopies of both your ID’s and a letter from your community’s leader (where the Indonesian fiancé resides).
Foreigner:
For weddings in Indonesia between foreigners and Indonesian nationals, the Indonesian government demands confirmation that the foreigner is not legally married. The Letter of No Impediment must be issued by the expatriates’ home country’s consular office or embassy in Indonesia. Alternately, you may get a document/letter from Civil Registry authorities in your own country.
Indonesian:
The Indonesian fiancé must gather similar documents from the government district office, or Kelurahan.
Completed N1-N4 applications should be returned to kelurahan.
Step 2: The Wedding Ceremony
For an extra cost, you may have a representative from the Civil Registry office attend your ceremony and ensure that your marriage is legally binding without the need for either party to stand in line or go to the registry office. This is of course in addition to your own two witnesses and another witness of your faith. After the ceremony, you will be issued a Religious Marriage Certificate in Indonesian and an Official Marriage Certificate in Indonesian and English.
Step 3: Register your marriage
Make sure you have everything you need to legally register your marriage based on the rules of your faith.
If you plan on leaving the country in the near future, you should quickly get a certified translation of your marriage certificate from the Civil Registry.
You can then get a legitimate marriage license by presenting any of these official documents to the appropriate authorities in your home country.
You can see how getting a wedding planner in Bali may be helpful. Even before you step foot on the island, they can do all the groundwork and have everything prepared for you. Just fill out some papers, say your vows and a quick “I do,” and you’re off on your honeymoon. It’s that easy.
