It’s no question that Bali’s tropical essence, beautiful sceneries, and untouched culture made it one of the world’s best places for a destination wedding. Also, your guests will have the time of their lives with the vacation that comes in after or before the ceremony.

However, before you start thinking about your wedding packages and which venue to take, do you know how to get married in Bali legally? Unfortunately, there will be a lot of paperwork involved.

Through this article, we will go through the basic guideline of getting married in Bali and hopefully will make the process simpler.

Declare your religion

To get married legally in Bali, you will need to perform both religious and civil ceremonies. In recent years, both of these ceremonies are usually consolidated.

Couples must declare that they have the same religion when getting married. Meaning that you do not have to be the same religion and none of you will need to convert your religion to get married. It is more of a formality ceremony and it’s something you should be aware of.

The religions recognized in Indonesia are Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholic, Muslim and other Christian based faiths. Both the legal and religious ceremony must be held on the same location and day.

Many couples have asked the question, is it possible to get married without a religious ceremony? The answer is a big NO.

Indonesia takes religion seriously and it is not possible to have a legal wedding without any religious ceremony.

Having a Balinese wedding for a substitute is also out of bounds. To hold a Hindu ceremony, you must first prove that you are Hindu. This also applies to Buddhism. You may have seen pictures and videos of foreigners who seem to have a wedding ceremony complete with traditional costumes and a priest. These are not actual Hindu weddings, but only blessing ceremonies.

Check the location

Bali’s locations are full of wondrous spots to host a wedding. Religious ceremonies for Hinduism, Buddhism, Christian-Protestant and Muslim can be done at a villa, hotel, restaurant, or venue. Getting married in a Balinese temple, however, is off-limits. Also, for those who declare themselves Catholic are restricted by law to marry in a church.

Bear in mind that locations deemed to be ‘commercial church venues’ are not included, so be sure to get married by a minister of your declared religion or civil registrar. It’s a good idea to do some research on the locations you are allowed to get married in.

The documents you will need

These are the documents you must submit for the Notice of Intention to marry for both partners to the Civil Registry Office in Bali:

• Passport for foreign citizens.
• Certified birth certificate.
• Certified divorce decree or death certificates for the termination of previous marriages.
• Four 4×6 cm photos of both partners side by side with the bride on the right hand. This can be taken in Bali.
• All foreigners planning to get legally married in Bali should have a certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage’ issued by their Consular Representative for Indonesia.

Besides the above documents, both partners also need the following documents:

• Valid passports for a minimum of 6 months from the entry date to Indonesia.
• Valid visas for entering Indonesia – it’s possible for foreigners who are planning to get legally married in Bali to enter Indonesia as tourists by using the tourist visa which is valid for stay in Indonesia for 30 days.
• Birth certificate (if a copy, it must first be legalized by your countries’ embassy in Indonesia or by a solicitor).
• Legalized written statements of the status of each individual (single/divorced/widow).
• Letter from the couple’s church. This is only necessary if you and your partner are Christians who are members of a church and wish to get married in a Bali church. It’s not necessary if you plan to get married in a hotel, villa, beachside venues and chapel.

A wedding company will generally ask the following requirements to arrange a legal wedding for you. Be sure to submit them for approximately one month before your wedding.

• Copy of single certificate (If you’ve never been married), divorce certificate (If you’ve been married before, or death certificate (for widows).
• Copy of both passports
• Copy of both birth certificates
• Copy of passports from 2 witnesses, if you don’t have witnesses, your wedding company can provide them.
• Copy of baptism certificate.
• Eight 4×6 photos of partners side by side.
• Filled out the form from the Indonesian Civil Office (whoever arranges your wedding will provide this).
• CNI letter: (Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage) stating that there will be no objections to getting married legally in Indonesia.

You will need to make an appointment at either the consulate in Bali or the embassy in Jakarta to obtain the CNI. You should visit either one of those a few days before your big day.

Non-legal wedding in Bali

It’s possible to have a wedding ceremony for a symbolic purpose, meaning a wedding without being legally married in Bali.

This can save you from the headache of doing the paperwork and legal requirements in Bali, instead, you can do this like you normally would back home, then come to Bali only for a non-legal blessing ceremony. This can also save you money, as you do not need to pay for papers and authorities. This kind of wedding in Bali is usually performed by a celebrant, who may or may not be a real priest.

Couples tend to pick a wedding that resembles a Christian wedding ceremony. While others interested in a Balinese style wedding may go for it.

Here are all of the basic things you should know about getting married legally in Bali. It is highly recommended that you get the assistance of a wedding planner or coordinator to assist you through the whole wedding process to make sure you’ll be getting the happily ever after you want.

Please note that this information may not be 100% accurate. We recommend you to contact your embassy and local civil office to make sure your wedding in Bali will be according to the country’s rules and regulations. You can use this article as a basic guideline, or check-out our article for mixed-marriages reference.