Much land in Kalimantan has been held by one family for decades without ever being registered. When that land is about to be sold, pledged or divided, one document keeps coming up: the surat sporadik.
Many people assume a sporadik is a land paper in its own right, like an SKT or a segel. It isn’t proof of title. It is a statement, and its job only shows once the land starts to be registered.
This article explains what a sporadik says, who makes it, where it is used and where it stops. For the general picture of SKT and segel letters, read the guide to SKT and segel first. Here the focus is the sporadik itself.
What a surat sporadik is
The formal name is Surat Pernyataan Penguasaan Fisik Bidang Tanah, a statement of physical possession of a land parcel. The word “sporadik” comes from sporadic registration, meaning registration filed by an individual for a single parcel. Its opposite is systematic registration, which the government carries out for many parcels at once through programs such as PTSL (Pendaftaran Tanah Sistematis Lengkap, the complete systematic land registration program).
The statement comes from the person who holds the land and says that:
- they physically hold the parcel, with the area and boundaries stated;
- they hold it in good faith, openly and continuously;
- the land is not state land, not a government asset and not inside a forest area;
- no one has objected or raised a dispute.
For former customary land, the implementing rules for land registration (Permen ATR/BPN 16/2021) refer to physical possession for 20 years or more without a break. The 20 years also comes from Article 24 of Government Regulation (PP) 24/1997 on land registration, which lets that length of possession stand in for ownership proof that no longer exists.
How it differs from an SKT and a segel
The three are often mixed up. They differ in who makes the document and what it states:
- A sporadik is made by the person holding the land, then witnessed by others and acknowledged by the lurah or village head.
- An SKT is a statement letter from the lurah, village head or camat.
- A segel is the everyday name for an older sale or statement letter.
In practice the three are often gathered into one history file for the parcel. The sporadik is the newest statement, while the SKT and segel show where the land came from.
Who is involved
Three parties take part in making a sporadik.
The applicant, or the person holding the land. They make the statement and answer for what it says. If it turns out to be untrue, they carry the consequences.
Witnesses. The implementing rules ask for at least two witnesses from the local community. A witness must not be related to the maker within the second degree. Usually these are neighbours who have lived there a long time, or people who know the history of the parcel.
The lurah or village head. They acknowledge and sign the letter, and in many places also check that the land isn’t recorded as disputed. In some areas the camat acknowledges it too.
A seller who offers a sporadik but won’t name the witnesses deserves questions. Witnesses are the people you can later visit to test the seller’s story.
How it is made
The exact procedure can differ from one village office to the next, so treat the order below as a general picture.
- Gather the history of the land. Old letters, the SKT, segel, Pajak Bumi dan Bangunan (PBB, land and building tax) receipts, and the name of the previous owner if the land was bought.
- Fix the boundaries and area. Place a marker at each corner. Invite the neighbour on each side to see and agree to the position. Measuring is covered in the guide to measuring land area.
- Ask the village office or the Kantor Pertanahan for the form. The rules provide a standard format for the statement, so don’t write it from scratch.
- Fill it in and sign it in front of the witnesses. Witnesses sign after they know the land and its history of possession.
- Get the lurah or village head to sign. Usually after checking the village register.
- Attach it to the land registration application at the Kantor Pertanahan, with the other documents requested.
On fees, don’t trust figures quoted in the field without a basis. Ask the village office and the Kantor Pertanahan what the official amount is, and ask for a receipt.
Its role in first registration
A sporadik is most useful when the land has no certificate at all. The flow is roughly this:
- The applicant files for registration with the history file and the sporadik.
- The Kantor Pertanahan measures the parcel and calls the neighbours who share a boundary.
- The physical and legal data are examined, then announced so that others can object. For sporadic registration, PP 24/1997 sets an announcement period of 60 days.
- If there is no objection, the right is entered in the land book and the certificate is issued.
The same route applies to girik and similar documents. Under PP 18/2021, written proof for former customary land such as girik stopped being valid proof of title five years after that regulation took effect, which was 2 February 2026. Such a document is now only a clue, and registration goes through the recognition-of-rights (pengakuan hak) mechanism, supported by a statement of physical possession. So people who used to hold only a girik are increasingly asked to make a sporadik. The full steps are in the guide to turning girik into SHM.
If your village is a PTSL location, the village committee usually helps with the sporadik. Ask the village office when your area is scheduled.
The limits of a sporadik
A sporadik can’t be more than it is. Several things it does not do:
- It doesn’t create title. Title arises on registration. Before that, you only hold the land.
- It doesn’t beat someone else’s certificate. If the parcel turns out to be certified in another person’s name already, your statement counts for nothing.
- It doesn’t make forest-area land certifiable. The statement that the land is not in a forest area has to be true. The Kantor Pertanahan will check it.
- It isn’t verified when it’s made. It is written by one side. Checking happens during registration, and even then depends on whether anyone objects.
- It can’t be pledged to a bank. Banks generally ask for a certificate.
A false statement has legal consequences. The maker bears the risk if the contents are wrong, and a right that was issued can be cancelled if a defect is proven later.
If you are the buyer
A buyer who is offered a sporadik as proof needs to do more than read it. Do these things:
- Visit the two witnesses and ask them about the land’s history yourself.
- Walk the boundaries with the neighbours, then compare them with the BHUMI map of the Ministry of ATR/BPN. That part is covered in how to check land on the BHUMI map.
- Make sure the lurah or village head who signed was actually in office then, and that the letter is in the village register.
- Ask the Kantor Pertanahan whether the parcel was ever registered or is being processed.
- Check for overlap with a forest area, as explained in the article on checking land zoning.
If everything matches, sign the sale deed (AJB) before a PPAT, then register the land. A buyer who waits can get caught out: a neighbour files an objection, or the seller dies and the heirs refuse the payment. More warning signs are in the guide to avoiding land disputes.
If you are the seller
A seller of land held on a sporadik has two roads. Sell as it is, at a price below certified land, or certify it first and sell for more. The second takes time and money, but it reaches far more buyers, including buyers who use a KPR (home loan).
Also tidy up the boundaries and your relations with the neighbours before listing. A boundary dispute is the most common reason a sale of unregistered land falls through. See boundary disputes with neighbours for ways to settle one.
If you hold land on a sporadik in South Kalimantan and want to sell it, Vorneo can help market it through titip jual (listing with us). Say what the paperwork status is from the start, so buyers come with the right expectations.
