Article 31(1) of Indonesian Law Number 24 of 2009 on National Flag, Language, Coat of Arms and National Anthem (Law 24/2009) provides that the Indonesian language is “mandatory” for use in memoranda of understanding or agreements involving state institutions, government agencies of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesian private entities, or individual Indonesian citizens.
However, there are no provisions regulating sanctions or legal consequences for non-compliance with this requirement. Two organisations filed a judicial review petition to the Indonesian Constitutional Court (Constitutional Court) requesting that agreements which do not comply with Article 31(1) of Law 24/2009 be declared null and void. The Constitutional Court rejected the petition on 2 March 2026.
In this update, WongPartnership and Makes & Partners Law Firm highlight the salient points from the Constitutional Court’s decision and suggest some practical steps parties should take when contracting with an Indonesian entity or person.
If you would like information on this or any other area of law, you may wish to contact the Partner at WongPartnership or Makes whom you normally work with or the following:
Dr Yozua MAKES
Founder and Managing Partner
d +62 21 547 7181
e ymakes@makeslaw.com
Click here to view Dr Yozua’s CV.
Mark CHOY
Partner
d +65 6416 8014
e mark.choy@wongpartnership.com
Click here to view Mark’s CV.
Iwan SETIAWAN
Senior Partner
e setiawan@makeslaw.com
Click here to view Iwan’s CV.
James CHOO
Partner
d +65 6416 2418
e james.choo@wongpartnership.com
Click here to view James' CV.
FRANSISCA
Partner
e fransisca@makeslaw.com
Click here to view Fransisca’s CV.
Lesley TAN
Partner
d +65 6416 8111
e lesley.tan@wongpartnership.com
Click here to view Lesley’s CV.
Niki SATYAPENI
Partner
e niki@makeslaw.com
Click here to view Niki’s CV.
Muhammad KARNOVA
Partner
e karnova@makeslaw.com
Click here to view Muhammad’s CV.