Land Seized by Others? Rightful Owners Can Pursue These Channels
JAKARTA — Land certificates are often considered the strongest document for proving ownership. However, in practice, many landowners face problems when their land is seized by others without authorisation. This situation frequently creates a dilemma, especially for people unfamiliar with the legal channels available for resolution.
Land seizure disputes generally stem from discrepancies between physical and legal data, unclear land boundaries, or inheritance disputes. Minister of Agraria and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid has been actively urging the public to take proactive steps. “They can only move if a door is opened from within. If we seal that gap tightly, they will disperse on their own,” stated Nusron on Monday, 2 March 2026.
Initial measures include installing permanent boundary markers, strengthening the administrative status of the land, and pursuing digitisation and anti-land mafia education.
The first step landowners should take is to ensure the legal status of the land by verifying ownership documents and confirming that the map of the land parcel matches the records at the National Land Agency. According to land regulations, a certificate is strong evidence as specified in Article 32 paragraph (1) of Government Regulation (PP) No. 24 of 1997 on Land Registration. This provision confirms that physical data and legal data in the certificate must be accepted as correct unless proven otherwise in court.
Non-litigation approaches typically serve as the initial remedy. Owners can mediate with the party occupying the land through local authorities. Besides being faster, this approach aligns with the dispute resolution principle of deliberation, which is frequently encouraged in land disputes practice.
If no agreement is reached, the owner can issue a legal warning (somasi). A somasi serves as formal notification requiring the occupying party to immediately vacate the land based on proof of legitimate ownership.