Civil Registry Opens Free Services After Earthquake Destroys Residents' Documents
Director General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Teguh Setyabudi, travelled directly to Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, on the orders of Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian. The four-day visit, which concluded on Thursday (27/8/2026), aimed to restore paralysed civil administration services and replace residents’ documents lost or damaged by the magnitude 7.7 earthquake.
After transiting through Komodo International Airport in Labuan Bajo, Teguh and his delegation continued their flight to Soa Airport in Bajawa, Ngada Regency. Upon arrival in the afternoon, he immediately held a coordination meeting with Ngada Regent Raymundus Bena and Director of Population Administration Information Management (PIAK) Muhammad Nuh Al Azhar, who had arrived earlier at the disaster site.
He said the main focus of the joint team from the Ministry of Home Affairs was to ensure that the civil rights of earthquake-affected residents were not neglected during the emergency.
“The Home Affairs Minister ordered us to go directly to the field. This earthquake not only damaged homes but also destroyed important documents such as electronic ID cards, family cards and birth certificates belonging to residents. We brought complete equipment for rapid recording and printing so that residents can immediately process their documents again free of charge,” he said in a written statement on Tuesday (25/8/2026).
Ngada Regent Raymundus Bena welcomed the central government’s rapid response in handling the post-disaster impact in his region. According to him, the existence of valid population documents is crucial for the smooth distribution of various social assistance and post-disaster recovery for his residents.
“We are very grateful for the rapid response from the Directorate General of Dukcapil. When our residents lose their homes, population documents are often buried or lost as well. Yet electronic ID cards and family cards are the main requirements for residents to receive logistical assistance, health services and even house rehabilitation from the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director of PIAK Muhammad Nuh Al Azhar outlined several matters of concern for the Dukcapil team in handling the post-earthquake situation in East Nusa Tenggara.
First, ensuring that the by-name by-address (BNBA) data already securely handed over to the head of the local Dukcapil office can serve as the primary data source for recording residents affected by the earthquake.
Second, ensuring that the head of the local Dukcapil office and staff can continue to provide population administration services to the public, such as printing electronic ID cards and family cards, in addition to conducting initial electronic ID card recording and issuing birth and death certificates.
“We also provided further information about access to the SIAK Dashboard, which can present real-time factual data on dynamic population conditions in affected areas. In addition, we explained the use of the IKD+ application held by Dukcapil officers, for example to activate residents’ digital identity, search for a person’s identity based on their national identification number, read the microchip inside electronic ID cards, and even help parents search for and determine unique names for their babies,” he explained.
Post-earthquake handling on Flores Island also drew attention from other ministries. On the same day, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti was also in Flores to inspect affected schools, including SDK Rowa in Nagekeo. The central government continues to coordinate cross-sector assistance, ranging from the preparation of emergency tents, restoration of educational facilities, trauma healing support for children, to the restoration of residents’ population documents.