You may have heard that Indonesian land certificates have gone electronic. The natural next question is whether the paper certificate in your cupboard still counts, and whether you need to replace it soon.

The short answer: paper certificates remain valid. Kementerian ATR/BPN (the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency) has been issuing electronic certificates in stages since around 2024. The change is gradual, and it does not cancel the old ones.

This guide is for owners who still hold a paper certificate, buyers who are shown an electronic one, and sellers who want to know what changes when they sell.

What an electronic certificate is

An electronic land certificate (sertifikat elektronik) is issued and stored in the ministry’s electronic system. It carries the same information as a paper one: the type of right, the holder’s name, the area, the location and the parcel data.

The difference is in how the record is kept and proven. An electronic certificate is signed with an electronic signature and carries a QR code. The owner can still hold a printout, but its authenticity is checked against the data in the system, not against the paper.

So the thing you guard is no longer a single sheet of paper that can’t be replaced. The record sits in the BPN system, and the document you hold can be verified through its QR code at any time.

Paper certificates are still valid

This is the first thing to understand. A paper certificate issued before electronic services arrived is still valid proof of the right. You lose nothing by not having converted it.

A paper certificate is only withdrawn when it is converted to electronic form. The official term for this is alih media, literally a change of medium. You can apply for it whenever you like, or wait until a transaction such as a sale or an inheritance transfer comes along.

If someone pressures you to convert quickly because paper certificates will supposedly expire, don’t take their word for it. Ask the Kantor Pertanahan (the district land office) where your land is registered.

When your certificate switches

There are three common situations:

  • New registrations, for example land certified for the first time, including through PTSL (Pendaftaran Tanah Sistematis Lengkap, the government’s systematic land registration program). In offices that have started electronic services, the new certificate can be electronic from the start.
  • Another transaction or registration, such as a transfer after a sale, a gift, an inheritance or a parcel split. The paper certificate can be converted as part of that process.
  • The owner’s request, even with no transaction at all. You go to the land office and apply for alih media.

The rollout differs from office to office, both in when it started and in which services are already electronic. Ask your local office what it offers before you turn up with your papers.

How to check an electronic certificate

The basic steps are simple:

  1. Install Sentuh Tanahku, the official ATR/BPN app.
  2. Scan the QR code on the certificate using the app.
  3. Compare what appears with the document in front of you: the holder’s name, the title number, the area and the location.

Use the official app, not a random QR scanner. A forged document can carry a QR code that leads to a convincing look-alike website.

The app is a good first check. For a transaction, the PPAT (Pejabat Pembuat Akta Tanah, the official who draws up land deeds) still checks the certificate’s status at the land office before the deed is made. That check includes any block, seizure or Hak Tanggungan (mortgage lien) still on record. A fuller checklist is in our guide on how to verify a land certificate.

What changes and what stays the same when you sell

Many people assume an electronic certificate means land can be sold through an app. It can’t.

What stays the same:

  • A PPAT deed is still required. Under PP No. 24 Tahun 1997, a transfer by sale can only be registered at the land office on the basis of a deed made by a PPAT.
  • Taxes are still paid before the deed is signed: the seller’s final income tax (PPh final) and the buyer’s acquisition duty (BPHTB, Bea Perolehan Hak atas Tanah dan Bangunan).
  • The certificate check is still done by the PPAT before the AJB (Akta Jual Beli, the deed of sale) is drawn up.

What changes:

  • The form of the proof. After the transfer, the record in the buyer’s name is held electronically.
  • How you verify. A buyer can scan the QR code too, instead of relying on photocopies from the seller.
  • The seller’s paper certificate can be withdrawn and converted during the registration, if the local office has started doing so.

The full transfer process after the AJB is covered in our guide to the certificate name transfer.

Common worries

What if the system gets hacked?

No system is free of risk, so it’s a fair question. What matters is that the owner on record doesn’t change just because someone holds a document or opens an app. A transfer still has to go through a PPAT deed and registration at the land office.

What you can do is keep your own copies of your transaction papers, such as the AJB, tax receipts and the certificate printout. Check your land in Sentuh Tanahku now and then as well.

What if I lose the printout?

Your right isn’t lost with it, because the original record is in the BPN system. Ask your land office how it issues a replacement printout. If what you lost is a paper certificate, the procedure is different, and it’s explained in our guide on replacing a lost certificate.

Does this open a new door for land fraud?

Scams adapt. Be wary of anyone who claims to be an official and offers to switch your certificate to electronic, then asks for the original certificate, photos of your ID card, or verification codes from your phone.

A few simple rules:

  • Handle it yourself at the land office or through a PPAT you chose.
  • Never leave the original certificate with an intermediary you can’t vouch for.
  • Pay official fees according to the bill from the counter, not a figure someone quotes verbally.
  • Don’t post photos of your certificate on social media or sales groups without covering the title number and the QR code.

How to convert at the land office

If you want to convert a paper certificate without waiting for a transaction, the general order is:

  1. Ask the Kantor Pertanahan where your land is registered whether it already offers alih media, and what it requires.
  2. Prepare the original paper certificate, the ID card (KTP) and family card (Kartu Keluarga) of the right holder, the latest PBB bill (SPPT) and payment receipt for the annual land and building tax, and a power of attorney if someone applies on your behalf.
  3. Apply at the counter. Staff will match the certificate against the system, including the parcel map. If your parcel hasn’t been mapped properly, it may need measuring or validating first.
  4. Pay any official fee according to the bill from the counter.
  5. Hand over the paper certificate to be withdrawn, and receive the electronic certificate.
  6. Check the result in Sentuh Tanahku and make sure the name, area and location are correct.

If the right holder has died, the usual first step is to register the transfer by inheritance, and the conversion can happen in that process. If the name on the certificate is spelled differently from the ID card, ask the staff which supporting documents they need.

If you’re weighing up buying or selling land and have a question about its certificate, you can reach Vorneo on WhatsApp.