Hello my indonesian wife and myself were just married in Bandar Lampung on may 15th and i will be returning to the US on the 24th. we met all the listed requirements and are now being asked for a bribe of 10-15 million rupiah from the local kua staff before they will give us our marriage book. Is there any department or organization we can report them to to avoid having to pay the bribe as we have little money left after the wedding and will need to start the US visa application process for my wife immediately. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Sincerely Phillip DeMoulin
KUA bribery
Svbummin
17 May 2016 04:45:57
3
Hansson
17 May 2016 04:58:30
0
If it is a straightforward bribe then try calling the KPK.
tel522
17 May 2016 05:09:10
188
normally the kua ask for administration around 1 million , clearly they are joking with you , as hanson said try calling the kpk , best of luck!
http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2015 … Syaratnya.
this is the link from kompass , basically what it says , at the office your marriage book is gratis (book nikah)
outside working hours the max is 600k
Ubudian
17 May 2016 05:09:42
3187
Lampung, Sumatra…not at all like other areas of Indonesia (thinking of Java and Bali) where foreign marriages to locals are almost commonplace.
IMHO your best option is to let your new wife (assuming she's from that area), and her family (specifically, her father) deal with this issue as best they can.
Let them have a chance to rectify this BEFORE you even think of contacting the KPK. Remember, long after you and your bride are living in the US, her family is still living in Lampung. 
Even for us guys who marry Indonesians in Java or Bali, whenever faced with this sort of matter, we resort to our wives, and their family to aid us (in negotiation or whatever is needed), to reconcile the matter.
Now, as far as the “marriage book” goes, you would be wise to consult with the US Embassy in Jakarta, or the Consulate office in Surabaya as to what specific document they require to prove your marriage. It's been many years since I went through this, but as I recall, “the marriage book” wasn't one of those required documents, but then again, my Indonesian wife wasn't a Muslim.
Good luck, and congratulations!
Fred
17 May 2016 05:55:27
27505
How odd.
We just slipped them 50k each, and we all went away happy.
I'd be tempted to have a very polite chat to them, starting with turning your voice recorder on, but not letting them see it.
You have to be 100% sure you're legally married, including having all the correct paperwork, or you're totally buggered in an argument.
Hansson
17 May 2016 10:32:26
0
I got converted (no charge) and at the same time paid Rp3 million to the Penghulu to come to our wedding to perform the marriage. We did that in BSD quite some time ago. The Rp3 million included the two marriage books which were given to us on the day of the wedding. The Penghulu fees are a little negotiable but you shouldn't really need to pay more than Rp5 million for the marriage and the books.
Fred
17 May 2016 11:58:37
27505
I see it this way, if it's too much for a villager to pay, you're probably being ripped off.
Hansson
17 May 2016 15:11:50
0
@Svbummin OP
I am Indonesian born citizen, so to clarify I would let you know my experiences as well.
Marriage certificate by right and legally is free now and always has been.
However there are always gray areas "contributions" involving several people/witnesses in the process or registering a marriage.
However I see your case seems to be - , as you are in need to make it for the purpose of making a visa for your wife and leave Indonesia. And you need it as well in a hurry about 7 days.
I dont know how long it takes in your place or region. But my experience is between 3 to 7 days.
I paid a travel agent to help me do it. And it cost around 1 million rupiah in Jakarta.
So my advise for you is that, to use the services of a travel agent/ 'biro jasa' and do it. Avoid the hassles of doing it yourself if you dont know the ropes.
Reporting to authority will get you nowhere, since you need it in a timely manner and you are not staying in Indonesia.
If you are not in a hurry. And you dont need it to use for making a visa. You can still register your marriage in an overseas Indonesian consulate KBRI. It is almost free, and just need to legalise some copied documents by the consulate. In fact, I register my marriage overseas, before registering it in Indonesia. And has been using the document fine without any problems for many years, before I return to Indonesia to register it at the local provincial level.
Find more information on Indonesian consulate in your part of the world through google.
Hope these information helps.
In the end I pay almost nothing, and pay the services of the travel agent to speed up matters, delivered to my door without the need to appear anywhere.
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