An apostille is a certificate that authenticates an official's signature, stamp and/or seal on an Indonesian public document, so that the document can be used in countries party to the Apostille Convention without step-by-step legalisation at ministries and embassies. In Indonesia, apostilles are issued by the Ministry of Law through the Direktorat Jenderal Administrasi Hukum Umum (AHU, Directorate General of General Legal Administration) on an electronic application. The legal basis is Perpres 2/2021 (Presidential Regulation) and Permenkum 50/2025 on Apostille Services (Regulation of the Minister of Law), issued on 11 December 2025.
What an apostille is and what it does not guarantee
Indonesia ratified the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the 1961 Apostille Convention) through Perpres 2/2021, and the Convention has applied to Indonesia since 4 June 2022.
Points to understand from the start:
- An apostille certifies that the official's signature, stamp and seal are genuine, not that the contents of the document are true (Article 1 Permenkum 50/2025). The applicant is responsible for the truth of the application and the use of the document (Article 13).
- An apostille is only for documents to be used in countries party to the Convention (Article 2(2)). For other countries, the route is legalisation.
- The receiving country or institution may have further requirements, for example a translation or a maximum age for the document.
Documents that can and cannot be apostilled
Article 2(3) of Permenkum 50/2025 divides the documents that can be apostilled into four groups:
| Group | Examples | Signature that is apostilled |
|---|---|---|
| Court documents | Judgments, court orders | A court official, for example the registrar (panitera) |
| Administrative documents | Birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas | The official of the issuing authority |
| Notarial documents | Copies of notarial deeds, for example a deed of establishment of a PT or a deed of power of attorney | The notary |
| Official certificates on private documents | A power of attorney or a statement legalised by a notary | The notary, on the legalisation certificate |
The last group matters for personal documents. A document you make yourself, such as a power of attorney or a statement, cannot simply be apostilled. Its signature is first legalised by a notary, and it is the notary's signature that is then apostilled. The process is discussed in legalisation, waarmerking and copie collationnée.
The following cannot be apostilled (Article 2(4)): documents signed by diplomatic or consular officials, administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs activities, and documents issued by the public prosecutor's office (kejaksaan) as a prosecuting authority.
If the destination country asks for a translation, check whether the translation must also be apostilled and how.
Specimen signatures of officials
Apostille verification matches the official's name, position, signature, stamp and seal on the document against a specimen held in the AHU database (Article 5). If the official's specimen is not yet on file, the application is returned with a specimen form that the authorised official must complete and sign. The form must be sent back within 7 calendar days; otherwise, the application is deleted and must be filed again (Article 4).
For documents signed electronically, Permenkum 50/2025 provides for an e-Apostille attached electronically. This service must be in place no later than two years after the regulation was promulgated (Article 14).
Steps to apply for an apostille
- Confirm that the destination country is party to the Convention, and check the receiving institution's requirements.
- Prepare the original document. For a private letter, have it legalised by a notary first; for a notarial deed, prepare a copy of the deed.
- File the electronic application on the Ditjen AHU website, entering the applicant's identity, the destination country, the type and number of the document, the name of the signing official and the issuing authority, and uploading the identification and the document (Article 3).
- Verification takes no more than 3 working days after the application is complete (Article 5(3)).
- Pay the PNBP (non-tax state revenue fee) within 7 calendar days of the payment notice being issued (Article 7). The rate follows the PNBP regulation in force at the Ministry of Law.
- Collect the apostille certificate at the counter of the head office or a regional office of the Ministry of Law by showing the original document, within 60 days of payment at the latest. After that, the application and the payment lapse (Articles 8 and 9).
Countries that are not party to the Convention
For countries that are not yet party, the document is legalised by the Ministry of Law under Permenkum 8/2025, then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then by the embassy or consulate of the destination country.
The reverse also applies: a public document from a Convention country needs only an apostille in its country of origin to be used in Indonesia, without legalisation by an Indonesian mission. This often comes up when establishing a PT PMA.
Documents to prepare
- the original document to be apostilled
- the applicant's KTP-el (electronic identity card) or passport
- a power of attorney and the attorney's identification, if someone acts for you
- for a private letter: the letter as legalised by a notary
- details of the destination country, the name and position of the signing official, and the issuing authority
- the specimen form completed by the authorised official, if requested
Legal basis
- Presidential Regulation No. 2 of 2021 (Peraturan Presiden Nomor 2 Tahun 2021) on the Ratification of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents
- Regulation of the Minister of Law No. 50 of 2025 (Peraturan Menteri Hukum Nomor 50 Tahun 2025) on Apostille Services, which revoked Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights No. 6 of 2022
- Regulation of the Minister of Law No. 8 of 2025 (Peraturan Menteri Hukum Nomor 8 Tahun 2025) on Legalisation Services for Public Documents at the Ministry of Law
- Government Regulation No. 30 of 2026 (Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 30 Tahun 2026) on the Types and Rates of Non-Tax State Revenue at the Ministry of Law
- Law No. 30 of 2004 on the Office of Notary as amended by Law No. 2 of 2014 (Undang-Undang Nomor 30 Tahun 2004, Undang-Undang Nomor 2 Tahun 2014), Article 15(2)
Frequently asked questions
Does an apostille guarantee that the contents of the document are true?
No. An apostille only certifies the signature, stamp and seal of the official who issued or certified the document. The contents remain the responsibility of the issuer and the applicant.
How long is an apostille valid?
The Convention sets no period of validity for an apostille. However, the receiving institution abroad may require a document issued within a certain period, so its requirements should be checked before applying.
Do I have to attend in person?
The application is filed electronically. The certificate is collected at the counter by showing the original document, and an attorney holding a power of attorney may collect it (Article 8(5)).
Can a power of attorney for use abroad be apostilled directly?
Not directly. A privately signed power of attorney must first be legalised by a notary, or made as a notarial deed, and the notary's signature is then apostilled.
Each destination country and receiving institution has its own requirements. If you would like to discuss documents to be used abroad, you are welcome to make an appointment with our office.