JAKARTA - Indonesian lawmakers are presenting the draft Private International Law bill (RUU HPI) as a response to cross-border legal disputes involving Indonesians abroad. 

The proposal is not limited to migrant-worker cases. Officials say it is also meant to address disputes involving business contracts, inheritance, and intercountry marriages.

Speaking in Bandung on Monday, 20 April, DPR lawmaker Maruli Siahaan said migrant workers are one of the clearest examples of why the bill is needed. According to DPR’s official coverage, he said “many migrants”, especially women seeking jobs overseas, still leave Indonesia without completing the required administrative procedures, which can leave them exposed once they are abroad. 

“From a citizenship perspective, they may have committed a violation or are demanding their rights, but are confused about how to resolve this issue. They are unsure which country or citizen will accept them and even assist them under international civil law,” Siahaan explained.

DPR member Andreas Hugo Pareira also said in Bandung that “national interests must be the main foundation” in drafting the bill. He said the committee had met academics, judges, business actors, social-service officials, and community representatives to gather input, and acknowledged that private international law is “quite complex, quite complicated.”

In an official release updated April 21, Agvirta Armilia Sativa, Director of the Central Authority for International Law at the Directorate General of General Legal Administration, said growing cross-border mobility is making legal disputes more common in areas such as international contracts, inheritance, and intercountry marriage. 

“The colonial legacy of HPI regulations requires legal certainty and legal protection for Indonesian citizens and legal entities through effective regulation,” Sativa said during the meeting. 

She said the bill is intended to give Indonesian courts, legal practitioners, and the public clearer guidance on choice of law, court jurisdiction, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign court judgments in Indonesia. 

“The Draft Law (RUU HPI) will serve as a guide for many law enforcement agencies. Therefore, we sincerely hope for support from stakeholders with shared interests in expediting the drafting of this bill,” she added.