Bali to speed up civil identity documents for abandoned children

Bali — Bali’s provincial government and law enforcement agencies are moving to accelerate the issuance of civil identity documents for abandoned and undocumented children, aiming to bring hundreds of thousands of minors into the official population registry.

According to a wrap-up of the Bali Post daily edition on 19 September 2026, the provincial administration plans to speed up the fulfilment of population documents for abandoned children across the island. The initiative was highlighted as one of the day’s key stories, noting that authorities want children who have lacked legal identity to gain access to basic services and administrative rights.

The push follows a ceremony in Denpasar on 18 September 2026, where abandoned children from various parts of Bali received official population documents in an event facilitated by the Bali High Prosecutor’s Office (Kejaksaan Tinggi Bali). Local media reported that the handover, held at Gedung Nari Graha, marked the start of a broader drive to resolve documentation gaps among vulnerable children. Prosecutors have been working with civil registry offices and social services to process applications and legal determinations needed to formalise the children’s status.

In coverage of the ceremony, Bali media quoted Governor Wayan Koster as saying that preliminary data indicate around 300,000 children in Bali are not yet properly documented in the civil registry. He outlined plans for intensified data collection using a village- and customary village-based approach so that undocumented children can be identified and included in government records. The governor also signalled that the provincial government would convene coordination meetings with regents and mayors, prosecutors and the judiciary to align legal processes and administrative steps.

Reports from other local outlets describe the programme as a national pilot project for fulfilling civil rights of abandoned children. The scheme, initiated through the role of state attorneys as civil advocates, positions Bali as a test case for accelerated issuance of civil documents, with the intention that successful procedures could be replicated by other provinces.

The Bali High Prosecutor’s Office has previously reported a memorandum of understanding with the provincial government and relevant courts to support faster issuance of birth certificates, guardianship decisions and related documents.

As part of the initial rollout, prosecutors have inventoried abandoned children across Bali and facilitated the issuance of documents for dozens of cases, while preparing legal guardianship applications for larger numbers in certain districts. Local reports say the programme combines legal measures, such as guardianship petitions, with administrative steps at civil registry offices to ensure that children long without identity papers can be recognised by the state and access education, health care and social protection.

Based on available reporting, the acceleration drive relates to civil documentation and child protection, not to immigration status or enforcement. The focus is on birth certificates, family registry entries and other domestic population records for Indonesian children classified as abandoned or lacking formal identity documents.

Sources

• Bali Post – 5 Berita Koran Bali Post Terbit Hari Ini, Sabtu 19 September 2026
• Duta Bali News – Wali Kota Jaya Negara Hadiri Penyerahan Dokumen Kependudukan Anak Terlantar di Bali
• Tribun Bali – Gubernur Koster Kejar Pendataan 300 Ribu Anak Telantar di Bali Berbasis Desa Adat
• Balikonten – Bali Jadi Pilot Project Nasional Pemenuhan Dokumen Anak Terlantar
• Bali High Prosecutor’s Office – Wujudkan Kepastian Hukum Administrasi Kependudukan bagi Anak Terlantar, Kejati dan Pemprov Bali Teken MoU Pemenuhan Hak Sipil An
• Merdeka – 20.000 Anak Putus Sekolah di Bali, 3.000 Terlantar
• Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection – Menteri PPPA: Tanpa Akta Kelahiran, Anak Tidak Dapat Akses Layanan Pendidikan, Kesehatan, dan Perlindunga