In Reply to: Anyone married to Balinese/Indo Man? posted by flossie on Monday, 20. April 2009 at 09:16 Bali Time:
We were married in Australia. It is not legally necessary to convert if you are married outside Australia, but you MUST register your marriage and get a translation of your marriage certificate done at the Indonesian consulate/embassy where you live.
Legal issues aside, I strongly advise you to get fully acquainted with what it means to live in Indonesia and not be of your husband's religion. Life in places like Bali centres around one's religion, it is why most Balinese look at you like you have just grown two heads if you say you don't have a religion. They find the concept hard to grasp. It is hard enough to be accepted into the community, let alone be of a different religion.
As the foreign wife of an Indonesian man you have no right of abode in Indonesia and no avenue to employment other than what is available to any other foreigner.
You can apply for a temporary stay visa. I know some who have got one outside Indonesia before arrival - but most girls I know first live there on a social visa, which they then convert to a temporary stay visa after 4 months. This is usually done via an agent as immigrassi are not very helpful in this area. If you are on a temporary stay visa you have to have your husband's permission to leave the country. This sounds draconian, but is not that hard to organise. Just tricky in emergencies.
Foreign wives can also apply for Indonesian citizenship within the 1st 12 months of marriage. This then gives you the right to live there, work, and own property. However you have to surrender your Australian citizenship - which means you are no longer Australian. Returning to Australia for a visit would require you to apply for a tourist visa in Australia. No more medicare, dole, et.al. Not an option taken by many, but if you intend to live long term in Indonesia and have children, it is something to consider.