Free Mass Wedding in West Jakarta: Dozens of Sirri Marriages Now Official

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The West Jakarta District Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari) held a mass wedding legalisation reception or Isbat Nikah event for residents who were previously bound only by sirri marriages, on Friday (24/4/2026).

Based on observations by Kompas.com at the location, the mass wedding event was held in the rear courtyard area of the Kejari Jakarta Barat building.

Tents, a bridal stage, guest chairs, and a catering area for food were provided just like a typical wedding.

The brides and grooms, accompanied by family and witnesses, performed the official marriage contract with a religious officiant on the second floor of the Kejari Jakbar building.

Afterwards, the brides and grooms and their families descended to hold the reception and dine together.

The Head of the West Jakarta District Prosecutor’s Office, Nurul Wahida Rifal, explained that this programme is a step to provide legal certainty for residents’ marriages so that their rights can be fulfilled.

“Administrative and legal issues in marriages remain one of the problems faced by some communities, especially in the West Jakarta area,” said Nurul in her speech at the Kejari Jakarta Barat office, Friday (24/4/2026).

According to Nurul, the absence of official marriage registration has legal impacts that can harm the public, from spousal status in the eyes of the law to the fulfilment of children’s rights.

“The failure to officially register marriages can impact various legal aspects, such as children’s civil rights and access to population administration services that cannot be accessed because the marriage validity has not been recorded,” she stated.

In this programme, the Kejari Jakarta Barat acts as a facilitator bridging residents with related agencies, from the Religious Court, Population and Civil Registry Office (Disdukcapil), to the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA).

However, they had not pursued marriage legalisation due to concerns over the required costs and administrative complexity.

One of them is Rizky Cahyadin (24), one of the participants, who admitted to being worried about being charged a large fee if handling it himself at the KUA.

“The reasons are, first, I still have a Javanese ID card, and second, economic issues. So I wanted to process it but was afraid it would cost a lot of money. I thought as a layperson, you have to pay at the KUA, but here everything is free, really free,” Rizky told Kompas.com on Friday.