By WU VUIDE
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 250 Indonesian married couples are having their unions formalised over a four-day isbat nikah programme.
Many of the couples come from plantations across Sabah, including Nabawan, Keningau and Papar.
The programme, which has been ongoing since 2011, marks its 14th year of implementation, said Consul General Rafail Walangitan, who launched the event at the Indonesian Consulate in Sembulan here.
He said the initiative seeks to offer legal certainty to Indonesian couples whose marriages were previously conducted but not officially registered under Indonesian law.
“Each year, we endeavour to facilitate between 200 and 400 couples who follow the established procedures to participate in the programme,” he said.
The programme is a collaboration between various Indonesian government agencies, including the Religious Court of Central Jakarta, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Civil Registry Department (Office of Registry), the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Directorate for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The process involves formalising marriages that have not been recorded under Indonesia’s Marriage Law.
“It provides legal documentation for couples who may have married informally, often with religious clerics or village leaders, but without completing civil registration requirements,” Rafail said.
“Only the Religious Court of Central Jakarta is authorised to conduct isbat nikah abroad,” he added.
“Some of these couples have been married for more than ten years and have several children, while others are newly married. Through this process, their marital status will be legally acknowledged,” he said.
Looking ahead, the Consulate General plans to hold another session in Lahad Datu in June 2025.
Chief Judge of the Central Jakarta Religious Court, Dr Amril Mawardi, who led the court team to Kota Kinabalu, said the isbat nikah procedure is a formal legal process to establish and validate previous marriages.
He said it is carried out strictly under the mandate of the Religious Court Law and the Marriage Law of Indonesia.
“This process is essential for marriages conducted outside the formal legal framework, allowing couples to obtain official marriage certificates and providing rights and protection to their families, especially their children,” Amril said.
