How to Legalise Document in Indonesia

Step-by-step guide on legalising document in Indonesia

Like every bureaucracy in Indonesia, legalising your documents is a headache. Granted, the government is trying to make this process easier with an online application. This is in NO WAY an official guide but I hope my shared experience in getting SKCK (Surat Keterangan Catatan Kepolisian / Non-Criminal Record) legalised for the Chinese Work Visa in 2019, will ease your pain in going through the same bureaucracy.

In order to get my documents legalised by the Chinese embassy in Jakarta, I had to first get the document authenticated by Kemenhukam (Ministry of Law and Human Rights) and Kemenlu (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Step 1: Know what documents you need to legalise.

This may sound silly but it is imperative that you determine the documents to be legalised — whether it is the original or the copy. Note that if it is a copy, it must be notarized.

I royally fucked up this first step since I had my SKCK notarized and legalised, as per Kemenhukam’s instruction before discovering that the Embassy required the original SKCK, not a notarized copy. So double, triple check this with the Embassy or the institution handling your final legalised document.

For university degree certificates though, I believe you would want to keep the original intact and have the notarized copy undergo the legalisation process.

Step 2: Kemenhukam (Ministry of Law and Human Rights)

Address: Gedung Cik’s, Jl. Cikini Raya №84–86, Menteng, Jakarta.
Fee: IDR 50.000
Official Website: https://ahu.go.id/

1. Firstly, register online to upload your documents, you can do this anywhere.
2. You will receive an email within 24 hours letting you know if the document is ready to be taken to Kemenhukam at CIKS to be stamped. This process may take several attempts but the feedback is generally quite fast (<24 hours).

At this stage, you will find out whether the person who signed your SKCK is registered in the system because you have to select the official’s name. Make sure your original document was signed or your copy notarized by someone registered on Kemenhukam’s website.

Otherwise, in my case, my first SKCK was signed by a lower-level official at Polres (City Police) who was unregistered. So I had to get a new SKCK issued by a higher-level official registered at Polda (Provincial Police) or Polri (National Police).

3. After you upload the document to Kemenhukam website and receive an approval in your email (up to 24hours), head to Kemenhukam at CIKS since other Kemenhukam offices do not process document legalisation (I learnt this the hard way).

4. Once you arrive at Ciks, pay at the cashier counter, take a number and head to the counter when your number is called, and your document will receive Kemenhukam legalised sticker.

In my experience, the staffs did not even check the document assuming that once it was approved online, it was the real deal. You thought the staffs here would have told me before giving me the sticker on what is apparently a worthless piece of paper (notarized copy signed by an unregistered official) but nooo, you have to check everything for yourself. In saying that, the security guards were incredibly helpful — they were the one who noticed the mistakes and directed me to the right institutions.

2. Kemenlu (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Address: Jl. Taman Pejambon no.6, Jakarta, Indonesia
Fee: IDR 25.000
Official Website: https://kemlu.go.id/portal/id/read/186/halaman_list_lainnya/legalisasi-dokumen

1. Once you have the Kemenhukam stickered document, you can download the Kemenlu app, register and upload the document (you can do this at home). Here’s a Kemenlu step-by-step guide directing you on how to navigate the app*.
2. You will almost immediately receive a notification whether the documents are approved.
3. Make a payment (Mandiri account) and upload the proof.
   Now you can breathe and rest for the rest of the day since this will take a day to be approved.
4. You will be notified within 24 hours to bring in your document
5. Head to Kemenlu to receive a Kemenlu legalised sticker.

*Do note that the app is only available on the Google Play store. Hell knows why but this may very well be due to the fact that Android holds 93.22% of the market share of mobile operating systems in Indonesia.

Congratulations!

You’ve passed the most bureaucratic part of the journey. Hopefully, you don’t have to go back and forth as I did.

3. Chinese Visa Centre (or your relevant embassies)

Address: Unit 07–12, 8th Floor East Building. Jl, DR Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung Blok E.3.2, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Fee: IDR 400–500.000
Official Website: https://www.visaforchina.org/JKT_EN/

For me, the SKCK was required for a Chinese work visa application. This is by far the easiest but also the most costly step. If you are doing the same, simply head to the visa centre (no appointment needed), take a number, go to the counter when your number is called, hand in your document, receive a pickup form. Wait 4 days and pick up the stamped document — you can even get someone else to pick up, given that this trusted confidant brings your pickup form.

FYI the visa centre handles all the Chinese visa application and document legalisation, not the embassy.

If your documents are more comprehensive, check this detailed guide from the Visa Centre.