Wednesday 9 May 2012

Wedding paperwork

3 weeks ago I went to the British Consulate office in Jakarta to swear an affidavit in order to get my Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) so that I can be legally married in Indonesia. For the past 21 days, my notice of intended marriage (NIM) has been posted up on the wall of the Consulate office for all to see, well all those that visit the office to see.
22 days later, that notice is no longer valid and I am now the proud owner of a CNI which means I can marry happily and legally.

The fee of course changed today from 975,000 idr to 1,010,000 idr overnight due to the exchange rate and so that had to be paid before I could receive the certificate.

Now here is the process in its simplest terms, and if this is not what happens for you well it this is what happened for me. The British Embassy Jakarta webpage has the details and information as well but it might not be as clear.

1. Go to the Consulate office and inform them that you intend to marry (NIM)
2. You and your partner will be required to fill out a form about your details
3. Pay the fee (65 pounds) in rupiah and in cash, they wont accept anything else
4. Swear on a bible or quran that you are not already married and free to do so (British citizen only)
5. Sign another piece of paper (Notice of Intended Marriage, NIM) and then leave
6. Return to the Consulate office 21 days later to receive your CNI (Certificate of No Impediment)
7. Pay another 65 pounds, rather the one million in rupiah and then you will be handed the CNI

On the first visit you need your passport and then on the second visit the receipt from the first one as it will speed things along for you.

Very simple and easy.

Don't forget that the Consulate office is open for a staggering 3.5 hours a day (8.30am-12 noon), Monday to Friday and if you ring on a British bank holiday they will be closed. If you ring at 11.55am they will be closed and the choice of options on the phone is a little messy, however the service inside the office was fantastic.

If you are happening to wonder, this is what a CNI looks like.


4 comments:

Jolly Princess said...

Congrats my friend. I am so happy for you. :)

Samantha said...

Hmmm... I'm not legally married in Indonesia!! :O

Simon said...

Congrats Luke. I remember the service being very good in there as well, although I'm not sure where they got their exchange rates from...

Anonymous said...

Do we have to make an appointment to start the procedure, and can a 3rd party collect the CNI for us to be posted on to us, as we live in Northern Sulawesi and we don't want to spend 3 weeks in Jakarta,