Marriage Identity Forgery in Indonesia: Legal Consequences and Systemic Loopholes Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63077/x4qfqf57Keywords:
Identity forgery, Marriage in Indonesia, Legal consequences,Abstract
This study explores the phenomenon of identity forgery in marriage registration in Indonesia, an issue that undermines the legitimacy of marital unions and creates complex legal, social, and administrative consequences. Using a normative juridical approach, this research examines statutory regulations, court decisions, and official reports to identify the primary forms of identity forgery, ranging from falsifying personal identification documents to manipulating marital and religious status. The analysis reveals that the absence of an integrated, real-time population database, heavy reliance on physical documents, insufficient verification mechanisms, limited staff training, and low legal literacy are key systemic weaknesses that enable identity forgery to persist. Under Indonesian law, marriages based on forged identities are subject to annulment, which may lead to disputes over property, inheritance, and child custody. Although the law protects the rights of children born from annulled marriages, the administrative and legal complexities remain significant. The study concludes by recommending the urgent development of an integrated digital identity verification system, continuous training for registration officers, strengthened internal and external oversight, and enhanced public legal education. These measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of marriage law in Indonesia and prevent further abuse of the system.
References
Abubakar, F., Saadah, M., & Na’mah, U. (2023). The Transformation of the Dilemma of Role Exchange in the Household: Analyzed Gender in Family Resilience Discourse in National Law and Islamic Law. Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Syir’ah, 21(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.30984/jis.v21i1.1864
Afkarsis, M., Permana, R. S., Aisawa, T., & Armansyah, A. (2024). Restoration of Rights Against Marriage Annulment Due. Proceedings of the International Conference on Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights (ICLaPH 2023), 859, 75.
Aisyah, P. N. (2021). Determination of the guardian of marriage at the Religious Affairs Office of North Padangsidimpuan Sub-District. IAIN Padangsidimpuan.
Anekwe, A. E. (2024). Legal Framework for the Dissolution of Marriage in Nigeria: Prospects, Challenges and the Way Forward. Challenges and the Way Forward (September 29, 2024).
Astuti, P. J., Abadi, S., & Indriastuti, D. E. (2024). Penerapan Sanksi Pidana Terhadap Pelaku Pemalsuan Dokumen Yang Dilakukan Melalui Media Sosial. Jurnal Ilmu Hukum Wijaya Putra, 2(1), 38–54.
Atmadianti, S., & Rizal, M. (2024). Marriage Annulment Application Due to Lies and Fraud: A Case Study of Decree Number 3572/Pdt.G/2023/PA.Ckr. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum, 27(2), 374–390. https://doi.org/10.56087/aijih.v27i2.510
Bachri, F. D. (2024). Pemenuhan Hak Anak Hasil Pernikahan Campuran Yang Dilakukan Secara Sirri Antara Warga Negara Indonesia Dengan Warga Negara Malaysia. Fakultas Syariah dan Hukum UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.
Baechler, S. (2020). Document Fraud: Will Your Identity Be Secure in the Twenty-first Century? European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 26(3), 379–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-020-09441-8
Baidlowi, F. A. (2021). Pembatalan Perkawinan (Analisis terhadap Putusan Hakim Pengadilan Agama Manado Tahun 2019-2021). IAIN MANADO.
Billah, Y. R. (2024). Prevention of Falsification of Polygamous Marriage Identity in Lampung Province and Its Contribution to the Reform of Islamic Family Law in Indonesia. SMART: Journal of Sharia, Traditon, and Modernity, 4(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.24042/smart.v4i1.20548
Butt, L., Ball, J., & Beazley, H. (2016). False papers and family fictions: household responses to ‘gift children’ born to Indonesian women during transnational migration. Citizenship Studies, 20(6–7), 795–810. https://doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2016.1204984
Cotterrell, R. (2017). Law, Culture and Society. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351217989
Darmawansyah. (2020). WNA Asal Pakistan di Duga Telah Palsukan Identitas WNA Lainnya. EksposeNews. https://eksposenews.com/2020/10/02/wna-asal-pakistan-di-duga-telah-palsukan-identitas-wna-lainnya/
Djenaan, F. M., Kasim, N. M., & Sarson, M. T. Z. (2025). Analisis Efektivitas Dispensasi Perkawinan Terhadap Angka Stunting Di Kecamatan Tilango Kabupaten Gorontalo. Judge: Jurnal Hukum, 6(1), 316–326. https://doi.org/10.54209/judge.v6i01.1180
Duani, N. P. (2021). Pelaksanaan Pernikahan Dengan Wali Hakim di Kantor Urusan Agama (Kua) Kecamatan Curup Tengah Kabupaten Rejang Lebong. IAIN Curup.
Dysmala, E., Djuwita, T. M., & Utama, S. M. (2024). Legal Certainty of Decision Number 719/Pdt. G/2021/PA. Pbun Concerning the Nullification of Marriage According to Islamic Syari�at. European Journal of Law and Political Science, 3(4), 39–50. https://doi.org/0.24018/ejpolitics.2024.3.4.149
Fauziah, N., Simatupang, S., & Widyastuti, M. (2023). Marriage Registration Administration System in the West Cikarang Religious Affairs Office. Proceeding of International Conference on Innovations in Social Sciences Education and Engineering, 3, 45.
Febrianti, L., & Hidayat, R. (2024). Unregistered Marriage Practices and Their Consequences: A Case Study in Pesisir Selatan Regency. Al Mashaadir : Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.52029/jis.v5i1.170
Grijns, M., & Horii, H. (2018). Child Marriage in a Village in West Java (Indonesia): Compromises between Legal Obligations and Religious Concerns. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 5(2), 453–456.
Hakim, A. (2021). Analysis of Effectiveness of Public Services in Rawalumbu District Bekasi City. The Social Perspective Journal, 1(1), 79–102.
Hanapi, A., & Yuhermansyah, E. (2020). Urgency of Marriage Registration for Women and Child Protection in Gayo Lues District. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 4(2), 528–544. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v4i2.7942
Hidayah, Z. (2020). A Guide to Tribes in Indonesia. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1835-5
Hindradjat, J., Hidayah, N., Wiyono, B. B., & Muslihati, M. (2022). Adolescents’s Perception of Healthy Sexual Behavior: Containing Indonesian’s Philosophy of Life. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 10(E), 1738–1745. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2022.10812
Hirsch, A. J. (2018). Inheritance on the Fringes of Marriage. University of Illinois Law Review, 235. https://illinoislawreview.org/print/vol-2018-no-1/inheritance-on-the-fringes-of-marriage/
Irianto, S. (2018). 11 Inheritance Rights and Gender Justice in Contemporary Indonesia. In Real Legal Certainty and its Relevance (pp. 193–212). Leiden University Press. https://doi.org/10.24415/9789400603301-013
Kholik, M. (2023). Konversi Agama untuk Legalitas Perkawinan (Studi Kasus Desa Buntu Kecamatan Kejajar Kabupaten Wonosobo). Institut Agama Islam Nahdlatul Ulama (IAINU Kebumen).
Lestari, M., & Adiyatma, S. E. (2020). Marriage Cancelled, What about the Rights for Children? The Indonesian Journal of International Clinical Legal Education, 2(2), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijicle.v2i2.38172
Nasir, M. A. (2020). Religion, Law, and Identity: Contending Authorities on Interfaith Marriage in Lombok, Indonesia. Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations, 31(2), 131–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2020.1773618
Ni’mah, F. F., & Suhessyani, A. E. (2022). Legal Research Against Marriage Cancellation Due to Identity Falsification: A Case Study of Sidoarjo Religious Court Decision No. 1213/Pdt. G/2020/PA. Sda. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(3), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.56943/jssh.v1i3.152
Nurlaelawati, E., & van Huis, S. C. (2019). The status of children born out of wedlock and adopted children in Indonesia: Interactions between islamic, adat, and human rights norms. Journal of Law and Religion, 34(3), 356–382. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2019.41
Pertiwi, M. K. (2021). Religious freedom and the Indonesian constitution: a case study of the Blasphemy Law, Marriage Law, and Civil Administrative Law. Macquarie University.
Pramudito, D. K. (2025). Facial Recognition Technology in Indonesia: Opportunities and Ethical Challenges. The Journal of Academic Science, 2(2), 490–504. https://doi.org/10.59613/vfs73h61
Qamar, N., & Rezah, F. S. (2020). Metode Penelitian Hukum: Doktrinal dan Non-Doktrinal. CV. Social Politic Genius (SIGn).
Rajafi, A., Sugitanata, A., & Lusiana, V. (2024). The ‘Double-Faced’ Legal Expression: Dynamics and Legal Loopholes in Interfaith Marriages in Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Law, 5(1), 19–43. https://doi.org/10.24260/jil.v5i1.2153
Rifqi, M. J. (2019). Penegakan Hukum Terhadap Pemalsuan Identitas Dalam Pembatalan Perkawinan. De Jure: Jurnal Hukum Dan Syari’ah, 11(2), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v11i2.7297
Scutt, J. (2014). Human Rights, Arranged Marriages and Family Law: Should Culture Override or Inform Fraud and Duress. The Denning Law Journal, 26, 62–97. https://doi.org/10.5750/dlj.v26i0.935
Sung, C. S., & Park, J. Y. (2021). Understanding of blockchain-based identity management system adoption in the public sector. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 34(5), 1481–1505. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-12-2020-0532
Suryaningsih, F. S., & Hayati, A. (2023). Peran dan Kedudukan KUA dalam Pengajuan Pembatalan Perkawinan Akibat Pemalsuan Identitas (Putusan 2856/Pdt.G/2022/PA. Mdn). AL-MANHAJ: Jurnal Hukum Dan Pranata Sosial Islam, 5(1), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.37680/almanhaj.v5i1.2490
Taha, D. M. (2024). Marriage economics, bargaining and strategic agency: Egyptian-Syrian intermarriage practices in the context of displacement. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 101, 101995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.101995
Tan, S. (2024). Confucian family ideal and same-sex marriage: A feminist Confucian perspective. Hypatia, 39(1), 159–176. https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2023.100
Wardani, R. K. (2023). Akibat Hukum Terjadinya Pembatalan Perkawinan Karena Pemalsuan Identitas (Studi Kasus di Pengadilan Agama Sukoharjo). Universitas Islam Sultan Agung Semarang.
Watkins, D. (2017). Research methods in law. Routledge.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Anisa Jihan Tumiwa, Muhammad Taufik, Imaro Sidqi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the journal on personal websites or institutional repositories both prior to and after publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable, its publication in this journal.
