Stamp Duty

Find out about stamp duty (Meterai) on official and personal documents in Indonesia...

Many official documents in Indonesia must be affixed with a blue stamp called a meterai in order to be considered legal. A person must sign the stamp; if part of the stamp does not include a person's signature, it is not legal. Meterai are available at the post office (Kantor Pos) and as of June 2011 cost Rp6,000 each.

Anyone - Indonesian citizens and foreigners alike - can use meterai to validate documents. They can also be used for personal documents, such as promissory notes for personal loans.

Documents requiring stamp duty include:

  • Bank transactions: certificate of deposit purchases, promissory notes, loan and credit agreements
  • Financial contracts, for example private loans
  • Insurance contracts
  • Land transactions
  • Letters of agreement
  • Licences
  • Notarial deeds
  • Power of attorney
  • Proxies
  • Receipts, including tax payments
  • Statement letters