Legal support

The Legal Protection Unit of UNHCR Indonesia can provide support to refugees and asylum seekers in different situations listed below. Hotlines are available 24/7 for emergency cases. The lines are open both to people with and without UNHCR documents and are free of charge.  

If you think you are about to be forced to return to your home country or have been arrested, you can call the UNHCR hotline for help on: 📞 0811 8610042 or 📞 0811 9840 643.  

Unfortunately, due to limited resources and the nature of our role in Indonesia, UNHCR cannot provide legal advice.

➡ SUAKA is an organisation in Indonesia that can provide legal advice to people seeking asylum. They also produce self-help kits which are available on their website free of charge. You can find them at suaka.or.id.

➡ JRS gives limited advice to asylum seekers who live in the Bogor/Cisarua area. You can find more details on their site: jrs.or.id/en/.  

Are you in danger of being deported?

It is illegal for you to be forced to return to your home country if you reached Indonesia trying to seek asylum.

If you think you are about to be forced to return to your home country by authorities, please call the UNHCR hotline immediately on: 📞 0811 8610042 or 📞 0811 9840 643. 

Are you at risk of being or have been arrested?

It is illegal to arrest and hold people just because they are trying to get asylum. In Indonesia people can be held in Immigration centres and prison.

If you are arrested and sent to either of these, you can call the UNHCR hotline for help  on: 📞 0811 8610042 or 📞 0811 9840 643.  

Do you need to register a birth?

Birth registration is the official recording of the birth of a child through a state’s administrative process. It is a permanent and official record of a child’s existence; it establishes a child’s legal identity and links the child with the country of his/her nationality. 

In Indonesia, refugees do not have automatic access to birth registration and birth certificates. UNHCR is sometimes able to support refugees by providing documentation or other needs on a case-by-case basis. However, UNHCR is limited in what it can do and cannot guarantee that the government of Indonesia will issue a birth certificate. 

If you are having problems registering the birth of your child and getting a birth certificate, please email UNHCR at [email protected] or submit a request through our form: unh.cr/62c2a30b5

Birth registration is important as it enables children to access rights such as education and health care. Without birth registration and documentation, children may have problems proving their nationality which puts them at risk of becoming stateless. Birth registration proves the age of the child and protects the child from being vulnerable to protection risks such as trafficking, child labour, child marriage, illegal adoption and sexual exploitation. 

Birth registration also proves the parental linkage between the child and the parents and protects the unity of the family. It can also help family unification of the child with the parents in the future in case of family separation.  

Do you need help from a lawyer?

If you are having problems with the law and police, UNHCR can help you get in touch with a lawyer. Unfortunately UNHCR is not able to cover the costs of this and can only help you find legal assistance.  

For more information and requesting support, email UNHCR ✉️ at [email protected] or contact us through our form: https://enketo.unhcr.org/fmYrpTgM 

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