This course explains the law of Indonesia, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
Course · Law by country · Indonesia
Indonesian Law
The law of Indonesia for the people who deal with it: a civil-law system built on Pancasila with real legal pluralism, the 1945 Constitution, regional autonomy and Aceh, adat and Islamic law, the courts and the Constitutional Court, rights and administrative law, contract, land and family law, business, employment and tax, and the new criminal codes of 2026.
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Indonesia is a civil-law country and a unitary republic of more than seventeen thousand islands, and one of the most legally diverse countries in the world. Its law grew from adat, was shaped by Dutch colonial codes and since independence has been rebuilt around the 1945 Constitution and the philosophy of Pancasila. Islamic law has a defined place, especially in family and inheritance matters and, most strongly, in Aceh. It is not an Islamic state, and the course explains that carefully. This course gives a complete first map for the people who deal with Indonesian law, from the point of view of the foreigner. It starts with the history, Pancasila, the sources and the hierarchy of regulations; then the Constitution, the presidency and the assemblies; then regional autonomy, Aceh, adat and Islamic law; then the courts and the legal professions; then rights, citizenship and administrative law; then contract, land, family and inheritance; then business, employment and tax; and finally the new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code that took effect in January 2026, natural resources and international law. It uses invented people and businesses, and three working tools.
The Curriculum
Foundations of Indonesian law: indigenous traditions and Dutch colonial rule, independence, Pancasila, the sources and hierarchy of law, the civil law tradition and legal pluralism→
History, Pancasila, sources, hierarchy, the civil law tradition and pluralism. Practice: Which Source, Which Norm Prevails and Spot the Mistake.
The 1945 Constitution and national institutions: the presidency, the People’s Consultative Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Regional Representative Council, lawmaking, the separation of powers and elections→
The presidency, the three assemblies, lawmaking, the separation of powers and elections. Practice: Who Does What, Apply the Rule and Spot the Mistake.
Regional autonomy and legal pluralism: the unitary state and the regions, special autonomy for Aceh, Papua and Yogyakarta, adat and indigenous peoples, Islamic law and the legal system of Aceh→
Regional autonomy, special regions, adat, Islamic law and Aceh. Practice: Which Level Decides, Which Court and Spot the Mistake.
Courts and the legal professions: judicial independence, the Supreme Court and the general courts, the Constitutional Court, specialised courts, advocates, prosecutors, notaries and the path to practise→
The judiciary, the Supreme Court and the general courts, the Constitutional Court, specialised courts and the legal professions. Practice: Which Court, Who May Act and Spot the Mistake.
Rights, citizenship and administrative law: the constitutional rights, religion, expression and assembly, citizenship and immigration, administrative decisions, judicial review and anti-corruption→
Constitutional rights, religion and expression, citizenship and immigration, administrative law, judicial review and anti-corruption. Practice: Person or Citizen, Which Route and Spot the Mistake.
Civil law, contracts, land, family and inheritance: the Civil Code, contract and tort, land rights and foreign ownership, marriage and divorce, and succession under Islamic, civil and customary law→
Contracts and remedies, tort, land rights, family law and inheritance under Islamic, civil and customary law. Practice: Which Law Governs, What Is the Advice and Spot the Mistake.
Business, tax and employment: company forms, foreign investment and licensing, commercial transactions, employment contracts, termination and labour disputes, and taxation→
Company forms, foreign investment and licensing, commercial rules, employment and termination, and taxation. Practice: Which Authority, What Is the Advice and Spot the Mistake.
Criminal justice, natural resources and international law: the new Criminal Code, the new Criminal Procedure Code, trials and sentencing, environmental and natural resources law, arbitration, foreign judgments and treaties→
The new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, trials and sentences, natural resources and the environment, and international law. Practice: Which Route, What Is the Advice and Spot the Mistake.
Capstone: Capstone: Marcus Webb and the Bali surf school→
A surf school in Bali, a visa, a company form, a villa through a nominee, a dismissal, an English-only contract, and a marriage and a will. Choose the route, the form, the forum and the remedy.
What It Covers
“You will be able to say, for any problem you may have in Indonesia, which rule applies (including whether state, Islamic or customary law and which region’s rules), which court or authority decides it, which time limit runs and which professional you need.”
- Written for the foreigner and honest about Indonesia’s plural order: it explains Pancasila, adat, Islamic law and the special position of Aceh instead of treating Indonesia as a plain civil-law country, and follows the questions a visitor, resident, employee, family or business actually has.
- Teaches the structure behind the rules, so that a student who knows how the Constitution, the hierarchy of regulations, the regions and the courts fit together can read any new rule and compare Indonesian law with other civil-law and mixed systems.
- Three tools with invented facts: a Residence Status Finder, an Entity Chooser and a Court and Forum Finder, each showing how the answer changes when a fact does.
- Honest about limits: the new criminal codes took effect in January 2026 and their implementing rules were still developing, so the course teaches the structure and flags where to check the current text. It does not state changing figures and is general education, not advice.
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Common questions
- Is Indonesia an Islamic state?
- No. It is a unitary republic based on Pancasila, which includes belief in one God and freedom of religion. Islamic law applies to Muslims in defined areas such as family and inheritance, and Aceh has a special arrangement. The course explains where each applies.
- Is the law the same in every region?
- National law applies everywhere, but regions make regulations on their own affairs, Aceh, Papua and Yogyakarta have special autonomy, and adat shapes land and family life in many communities. Module 3 explains where it matters.
- Is it for people who want to practise Indonesian law?
- No. It is a first course for the people who deal with Indonesian law. Only an Indonesian advocate can advise on Indonesian law and act in the courts, and the course says when you need one.
- Are the tools real data?
- No. The tools apply well-known rules in simplified form to invented facts. They show the structure of the answer and cannot decide a case.
- Does it give the current rule on every point?
- It teaches the provisions that have lasted. Visa categories, investment lists, labour rules, tax rates and the new criminal codes are changing, so check the current text for any real matter.
- How do I get the Certificate of Completion?
- Sign in, pass each module quiz and keep a course average of at least 75. The certificate is then issued and emailed to you automatically.
This course was written on 5 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Indonesia as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.
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