International adoption country guide
Indonesia: adoption records and family tracing
Practical guidance for adoptees based in the UK who were adopted in Indonesia, were born there and adopted in the UK, or have a birth parent from there.
Research last refreshed: September 2026
Ask the Adoptee Rights Assistant
Start by identifying the records and rules that apply
Province, religion, local custom and whether formal adoption procedures were used can materially change the trail.
FamilySearch's Indonesia resources are usable from the UK and include civil registration material from multiple custodians. Modern/local civil records generally require interaction with Indonesian authorities or local offices.
Check the current procedure before applyingThis guide explains the likely process, but forms, contact details, eligibility and access rules can change. Check the linked source before sending identity documents or paying a fee.
Choose the situation that describes you
Adopted in Indonesia
What applies: First establish the date and place of the legal adoption in Indonesia, and identify the original birth/civil, adoption, court, agency or welfare records separately.
How to look for records: Start with the court/adoption agency/social-affairs and civil registration trail; there is no verified general adult full-file/origin-identity entitlement.
How to look for family: There is still no verified nationwide adult adoptee origins/tracing service equivalent to the stronger official systems elsewhere in this research set. Begin with court, social-affairs/agency, civil registration, hospital, orphanage/institution and local administrative records. Once a reliable biological name and locality are established, FamilySearch's Indonesia civil registration collection can support wider family reconstruction.
Important: Do not assume that access to one Indonesia record repository gives access to the whole adoption file. Historic law and record survival may differ from the current adult process.
Born in Indonesia and brought to the UK to be adopted
What applies: First establish whether the legal adoption was completed in Indonesia or in the UK. If that is unknown, keep both procedures open rather than assuming where the adoption order was made.
How to look for records: Use the Indonesia birth/civil and before adoption record procedures described for this country, while separately tracing the UK adoption/receiving-agency, local authority, court and immigration trail.
How to look for family: There is still no verified nationwide adult adoptee origins/tracing service equivalent to the stronger official systems elsewhere in this research set. Begin with court, social-affairs/agency, civil registration, hospital, orphanage/institution and local administrative records. Once a reliable biological name and locality are established, FamilySearch's Indonesia civil registration collection can support wider family reconstruction.
Important: The original birth-country record and the later UK adoption/recognition record are different sources. Nationality of the adopters does not determine where the original birth record is held.
One parent was from Indonesia
What applies: Do not process this as an intercountry-adoption record case unless the user's own adoption occurred there. Start with the verified identity of the parent and the strongest known place/date in Indonesia.
How to look for records: Use civil registration, archives and genealogy resources for Indonesia once the parent's identity and locality are established. Adoption-specific authorities are relevant only if the parent's own adoption/history makes them so.
How to look for family: There is still no verified nationwide adult adoptee origins/tracing service equivalent to the stronger official systems elsewhere in this research set. Begin with court, social-affairs/agency, civil registration, hospital, orphanage/institution and local administrative records. Once a reliable biological name and locality are established, FamilySearch's Indonesia civil registration collection can support wider family reconstruction.
Important: A parent being from this country does not by itself create an entitlement to adoption records. Living-person privacy and civil registration access rules may restrict what can be obtained.
Records and family finding
Start with records
Start with the court/adoption agency/social-affairs and civil registration trail; there is no verified general adult full-file/origin-identity entitlement.
Looking for family
There is still no verified nationwide adult adoptee origins/tracing service equivalent to the stronger official systems elsewhere in this research set. Begin with court, social-affairs/agency, civil registration, hospital, orphanage/institution and local administrative records. Once a reliable biological name and locality are established, FamilySearch's Indonesia civil registration collection can support wider family reconstruction.
DNA
Use DNA as a separate source of evidence, not as proof by itself. Prefer multiple matches/shared match analysis plus documentary evidence. Country-specific DNA programmes are listed where verified.
Peer support
No verified Indonesia-wide adult adoptee tracing or adoptee-led national service was found in this pass. Any private intermediary or social-media search group should be checked for current information and clearly labelled.
Practical next steps
If you have no namesExtract province, regency/city, village, institution, court, religious affiliation and every original name from the adoption file before searching.
If you have a name or placeUse FamilySearch's Indonesian civil registration collection and the relevant local civil/religious records to test and extend the family line.
If the search has stalledBecause record coverage is uneven, widen into local religious, village and community records and consider DNA; do not infer parentage from a single unverified local lead.
Verified sources and resources
Official services and independent or adoptee-led resources are shown separately. Check current eligibility, security, costs and capacity before supplying personal information.
Other verified resources
Family tree, records and genealogy research
Things to check: Coverage varies; not adoption tracing
Birth, marriage and death records including parents, residence, occupation and witnesses
Things to check: Coverage is historic and incomplete; modern/local records remain with Indonesian custodians
This country guide provides general information, not legal advice or a tracing service. Records and family finding across borders can involve privacy, consent and personal safety considerations. Verify the current official procedure before acting.
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