How to Determine Which Certificate is Valid When Land Certificates are Duplicated

Jakarta — Cases of duplicate land certificates remain frequent in Indonesian land administration practice. This condition creates confusion because two or more certificates may be issued for the same parcel of land.

According to Shamy Ardian, Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), several factors can trigger the emergence of duplicate certificates. One such factor relates to the status of old certificates categorised as KW 4, 5, and 6. This condition means that old certificates have not been entered into the digital data system, making them vulnerable to overlaps.

“Many conflicts and public complaints are caused by the absence of cadastral digitisation in the past,” stated Shamy on Friday (27 February 2026).

So how can one determine which certificate is legally valid?

The primary step is to check the certificate at the local Land Office. Officers will verify several key factors:

The certificate whose data matches the land register held by the BPN carries stronger legal standing. The land’s history must be clear and continuous, from the first owner through to the current rights holder. Evidence of transfer, such as bills of sale, gifts, or inheritance documents, is an important factor in determining validity.

Certificates issued without proper procedures — for example, without publication of physical and juridical data — can be declared administratively flawed and annulled.

The authority to handle and annul certificates is governed by the Ministerial Regulation (Permen) of ATR/BPN Number 21 of 2020 concerning the Procedures for Establishing Land Management Rights and Rights over Land.