Property Legal & Documents Guide
The right documents are the foundation of a safe deal.
In property, many big problems trace back to documents that weren't checked carefully. Duplicate certificates, mismatched boundaries, or the wrong form of title can lead to disputes that drain time and money. This topic explains property legalities in plain language.
You'll understand the difference between SHM, HGB, and AJB, how to verify a certificate's authenticity with the land office (BPN) or official services, the title-transfer process and the notary's (PPAT) role, and the taxes a transaction triggers — the seller's PPh and the buyer's BPHTB. We also cover the red flags that should make you pause before paying.
An important note: these articles are general education, not legal advice. For specific cases, always involve a licensed notary or PPAT.
All articles in this topic
39 articles
Legal & Documents AJB Costs and PPAT Fees: The Breakdown and Who Pays
A PPAT's fee for a sale deed (AJB) is capped at 1 percent of the transaction value. The breakdown of AJB costs, certificate checks and title transfer, and who usually pays.
Legal & Documents KDB, KLB and GSB Explained: How Much Can You Build on Your Land
KDB, KLB, KDH and GSB decide how wide and how tall a building may be on your plot. How to read the numbers and a worked example on a 200 m² lot in Indonesia.
Legal & Documents NJOP, Market Price and Bank Appraisal: The Difference and When Each Is Used
NJOP is used for tax, market price for the sale, and appraisal for the mortgage limit. Learn the three numbers, which tax uses which, and why they rarely match.
Legal & Documents Mixed Marriage and Property: The Rights of an Indonesian Married to a Foreigner
An Indonesian citizen married to a foreigner can still hold SHM freehold title, if property is kept separate the right way. Rules on own assets, marriage agreements, inheritance and the one-year limit.
Legal & Documents Extending an HGB That Is About to Expire: Requirements, Costs and Timing
An HGB (building use right) has a time limit: 30 years, extendable by 20, then renewable for 30. The difference between extension and renewal, requirements, when to apply, and costs.
Legal & Documents Blocked or Seized Land Certificates: How to Check and What It Means for Buyers
A block (blokir) or seizure (sita) is a note at the land office that stops a sale. Learn the difference, how to check before you pay, and what to do if one shows up.
Legal & Documents Surat Keterangan Waris: Who Makes It and When You Need It
A surat keterangan waris (heirship statement) names the legal heirs. The forms it takes, who makes it, what it contains, and when a bank or the land office asks for it.
Legal & Documents Surat Sporadik: What It Does, What It Says, and How It Is Made
A surat sporadik is a statement of physical possession for land that has no certificate yet. What it says, who witnesses it, its role in first registration, and its limits.
Legal & Documents Checking for Unpaid Land and Building Tax (PBB) Before You Buy
Unpaid PBB stays with the property and can hold up the deed of sale. How to read the SPPT, check for arrears, and agree who pays them.
Legal & Documents HGB on HPL Land: What to Know Before Buying a Shophouse or Market Kiosk
HGB titles on management rights land (HPL) are common for shophouses and market kiosks. What the HPL holder's consent, extensions and resale mean for you.
Legal & Documents Running a Business From Your Home in Indonesia: Zoning, NIB, Neighbours and Tax
Planning a small shop, catering or office at home? What to check first: zoning, an NIB through OSS, estate rules, the neighbours, and the effect on PBB.
Legal & Documents Prenups and Postnups in Indonesia: What They Mean for Your Home and Mortgage
A marriage agreement can keep a couple's property separate, even after the wedding. Here's how it affects buying a home, getting a mortgage and selling.
Legal & Documents Putting Property in a Minor's Name in Indonesia: Allowed, With Strings Attached
A house or land can be in a child's name, but selling it later needs a court's permission. How it works, the risks, and more flexible alternatives.
Legal & Documents Buying a House Built on Someone Else's Land in Indonesia
A house on leased or borrowed land can look like a bargain. What documents to expect, the risks you take on, and when to walk away or price it in.
Legal & Documents Boundary Disputes With a Neighbour: From Re-Measuring to Mediation
A neighbour's fence on your land, or boundary markers gone missing? The steps in order: check your papers, ask BPN to re-mark the boundary, mediate, then court.
Legal & Documents The Certificate of Fitness for Use (SLF): Why It Matters for New Homes and Shophouses
An SLF certifies a building is fit for its intended use, issued after the PBG and construction. What buyers of new homes and shophouses should ask about it.
Legal & Documents Powers of Attorney in Indonesian Property Deals: When They Work and When to Worry
A seller can be represented by power of attorney, but not every one is accepted by the PPAT. Notarial powers, the absolute power ban, and how to check.
Legal & Documents How to Check Zoning Before You Buy Land
A certificate doesn't mean you can build. How to check RTRW, RDTR, KKPR and KRK in Indonesia, read KDB, KLB and GSB figures, and spot the zones to avoid.
Legal & Documents Upgrading an HGB Title to SHM for Your Home
Is your house still on HGB? Who can upgrade it to SHM (Indonesian citizens, homes on up to 600 m²), the documents, the fees, and what if the bank holds it.
Legal & Documents Gifting a House or Land to Your Children: Process, Taxes and Limits
How parents in Indonesia gift a house or land to a child: the PPAT deed, documents, the tax exemption, BPHTB, the one-third limit and avoiding family disputes.
Legal & Documents Informal Land Sales in Indonesia: Are They Valid, and How to Fix One
A land sale on a receipt can be a valid contract, but without a PPAT deed it can't be registered. The risks, and how to fix one, including with the heirs.
Legal & Documents Oil Palm Plantation Legal Status: SHM, HGU, STD-B and Forest Zones
How to read an oil palm plantation's paperwork before you buy: SHM or SKT, the STD-B for plots under 25 hectares, company HGU, plasma and forest zone risk.
Legal & Documents How to Split a Land Certificate into Separate Plots
How to split a land certificate at an Indonesian land office: when you need it, the steps, documents, extra permits for plots, fees, and buying part of a plot.
Legal & Documents Marital Property: Buying and Selling a Home as a Married Couple
In Indonesia, a home bought during a marriage is marital property, whoever is named on the certificate. Spousal consent, separate property and prenups.
Legal & Documents Clearing the Mortgage Lien (Roya) After Your Home Loan Is Paid Off
Once your home loan is paid off, the lien on your certificate must be cleared through roya. What the bank returns, the steps, electronic roya and special cases.
Legal & Documents Electronic Land Certificates: How They Work and How to Switch
Paper land certificates in Indonesia are still valid. How electronic certificates work, when yours switches, how to check one and how to convert it.
Legal & Documents SKT and Segel: Understanding Kalimantan Land Letters Before You Buy
SKT, segel and sporadik letters show who holds land, not who owns it. The risks, how to check them, and how to buy safely and register the land afterwards.
Legal & Documents Can Foreigners Buy Property in Indonesia? Hak Pakai and Its Limits
Foreigners can't hold SHM in Indonesia, but can own a house on Hak Pakai or an apartment unit. The conditions, inheritance, mixed marriages and nominee risks.
Legal & Documents AJB vs PPJB: The Difference and When Each Is Used
A clear guide to the difference between AJB and PPJB in Indonesian property deals, when each one applies, and the risks of a transaction that never moves past PPJB.
Legal & Documents Understanding Taxes in Property Transactions
A practical guide to the taxes involved in buying and selling property in Indonesia, covering the seller's income tax, the buyer's acquisition duty, and why both must be paid before any deed can be signed.
Legal & Documents The Role of Notaries and PPAT in Property Deals
A clear guide to understanding how notaries and PPAT officers work together in Indonesian property transactions, from drafting the deed of sale to completing the title transfer at BPN.
Legal & Documents Understanding PBG, the Replacement for IMB, and How to Obtain One
A clear guide to PBG, the building approval that replaced Indonesia's old IMB permit: how it differs, why it matters when buying, selling, or applying for a mortgage, and how to apply through SIMBG.
Legal & Documents Understanding the Certificate Transfer Process
A practical guide to transferring a land certificate title after a property purchase in Indonesia, covering the role of a PPAT, required documents, and tax obligations.
Legal & Documents How to Verify a Land Certificate
A practical guide to verifying land certificate authenticity before a property transaction, covering certificate types, online tools, and red flags to watch for.
Legal & Documents Understanding SHM HGB and AJB Documents
A practical guide to three key property documents in Indonesia, SHM, HGB, and AJB, including how to verify certificates and transfer ownership after a sale.
Legal & Documents How to Convert Girik Land into a Freehold Certificate (SHM)
A practical guide to girik land in Indonesia: what it actually is, why converting it to SHM matters, the BPN first-time registration route, required documents, and the risks of buying land that is still girik.
Legal & Documents How to Transfer an Inherited Property Title (Balik Nama Warisan)
A step-by-step guide to transferring an inherited property title in Indonesia: the death certificate, heir statements, inheritance BPHTB, and reaching agreement among heirs before disputes start.
Legal & Documents How to Replace a Lost or Damaged Land Certificate
A practical guide to replacing a lost or damaged Indonesian land certificate: the police report, sworn statement, public announcement, and the documents BPN requires.
Legal & Documents How to Avoid Land Disputes When Buying
A practical guide to understanding land rights, verifying certificates, and completing the right legal steps before buying property in Indonesia.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between SHM, HGB, and AJB?
SHM (freehold title) is the strongest ownership right, with no time limit. HGB (right to build) grants the right to erect a building for a set term and can be extended. AJB (deed of sale) isn't an ownership certificate but the deed that underpins the title-transfer process.
How do I verify a certificate is genuine?
You can check with the local land office (BPN) or official services like the Sentuh Tanahku app, then match the owner details, number, and boundaries. For extra safety, involve a PPAT during the sale.
What taxes arise when buying or selling a house?
The seller usually pays a final PPh on the transfer of rights, while the buyer pays BPHTB — each a percentage of the transaction value or the NJOP, whichever is higher. There are also notary/PPAT and title-transfer fees.