Can people of different religions get married in Bali?

Many people think that Bali is a country close to Indonesia. They often ask about requirements to get married in Bali, especially for those who have different religions with their partners,hoping that they can legalized their marriage without having to follow the Marriage Law in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, Bali is part of Indonesia. Therefore, they impose the same law as have been stated in the Marriage Law.

In accordance with Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriages in Indonesia (Article 2 (1): "a marriage is legitimate if it has been performed according to the laws of the respective religious beliefs of the parties concerned."

All couples who want to marry in Indonesia must declare a religion. There are only five religions recognized by the Indonesian Government. They are Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddha and Islam.

Agnosticism and Atheism are not recognized in Indonesia. Therefore, if your partner does not belong to any religions, you can encourage him/her to follow your beliefs. If your partner has different religion to yours, you need to decide what kind of religious ceremony that you both want.

For non-Islam, marriage is usually performed in a church or temple followed by registration with the district Civil Registry Officer. This means that every non-Islam couples must hold two ceremonies, i.e. religious ceremony and civil ceremony.

A civil ceremony can only be performed after a religious ceremony. Without a religious ceremony, the Civil Registry Officer will not issue marriage certificate. Without this certificate, your marriage is considered not legal.

The Religious Marriage under Islam is performed by the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama) in a ceremony at a mosque or any other place chosen by the couple and is legal immediately after the ceremony.