Many families in Purbalingga hold inherited land proven only by a girik, petok D, or Letter C — old customary land records passed down from parents and long treated as proof of ownership. Through 2026, Indonesian headlines warned that “girik and Letter C are no longer valid as of 2 February 2026” and that “five kinds of land papers have been abolished”. Now that the deadline has passed, many girik holders across the Banyumas Raya region are afraid: is my land lost or seized by the state?
The short answer is no. Those headlines oversimplified one rule until it pointed the wrong way. This article explains what the rule actually says, the difference between losing weight as evidence and losing the right to the land, and what you should do now.
“Girik Abolished in 2026” — Separating the Headlines from the Rule
What actually happened is the end of a registration window, not the confiscation of land. The Ministry of Land Affairs (ATR/BPN) has publicly denied that people’s land will be seized and confirmed that unregistered girik land can still be processed. The wording is subtle and easy to misquote, so read the rule itself.
What Pasal 96 of PP No. 18 Tahun 2021 Actually Says
All these headlines trace to Article 96(1) of Government Regulation (PP) No. 18 of 2021 on land matters under the Job Creation Law: written proof of tanah bekas milik adat — former customary-ownership land held by individuals — must be registered within no more than 5 (five) years of the regulation taking effect, which was 2 February 2021, so the deadline fell on 2 February 2026.
The key is the next paragraph. Article 96(2) of PP No. 18 of 2021 states that once the period ends, the written proof is “declared no longer valid and cannot be used as proof of a land right, and serves only as a guide (petunjuk) in land registration”.
Notice what is downgraded: the value of the girik as evidence, not your right to the land. A girik no longer stands alone as proof of ownership but stays valid as a petunjuk, a lawful starting point for registration. Your bekas milik adat right is not erased by the missed deadline; only the evidentiary weight of the paper is.
The Distinction Most Articles Blur
This is where many articles go wrong. PP 18/2021 governs three different things often mixed up:
- Article 95 — tanah bekas hak barat, former Western (colonial) land rights such as eigendom, erfpacht, and opstal. This is the only one whose proof is declared invalid and whose land becomes land controlled directly by the state.
- Article 96 — tanah bekas milik adat (girik, petok D, Letter C). As above, the proof becomes a guide; the right is not lost.
- Article 97 — Surat Keterangan Tanah (SKT), compensation letters, or village letters from the village head or camat (sub-district head), which may also “only be used as a guide” in registration.
So do not equate a girik (customary) with an eigendom (Western) title; headlines lumping them together are the source of the panic. Our base land law is still Law No. 5 of 1960 (the UUPA, Basic Agrarian Law), which recognises customary land rights so they can be registered as ownership.
Your Girik or Letter C Is Still Useful — Turn It Into an SHM
The right move now is not to throw the girik away but to use it as alas hak (the legal basis) to register the land and obtain an SHM (Sertifikat Hak Milik, a freehold ownership certificate). Registration goes through PTSL (Pendaftaran Tanah Sistematis Lengkap, the government’s systematic land-registration program) if your area is scheduled this year, or through pendaftaran sporadik (individual, on-request registration) at the Kantor Pertanahan (Land Office) if not. PTSL rests on Permen ATR/BPN No. 6 of 2018.
Because the girik is now a guide, strengthen it with supporting proof:
- Land history: from whom the land was acquired, when, and the chain of transfers.
- The village Buku Letter C or records in the name of the owner or predecessors.
- Tax payment proof such as the annual SPPT PBB (land/building tax).
- A physical-possession statement and boundary witnesses from neighbours.
- Heirship documents if inherited land is not yet transferred.
To see how girik, eigendom, and SHM differ in legal strength, read our guide to girik, eigendom, and SHM in Purbalingga (in Indonesian). If the land is to be sold or bought, see also our guide to buying land safely. Note that the older registration rule PP No. 24 of 1997 is now of contested status after being declared revoked by a ministerial regulation, so confirm the current procedure with your local Land Office.
Practical Steps in Purbalingga
- Check your document. Gather the original girik/petok D/Letter C and match it against the Buku Letter C at the village or kelurahan office.
- Make sure the land is not in sengketa (dispute). Check for anyone else claiming ownership, overlapping boundaries, or a pending lawsuit.
- Collect supporting proof from the list above, especially land history and boundary witnesses.
- Register at the Purbalingga Land Office. Join PTSL if your village is scheduled this year; if not, file pendaftaran sporadik yourself.
- Consult if the history is complicated. Undivided inherited land, unclear boundaries, or a girik in a deceased person’s name should be sorted out first.
Conclusion
Missing the 2 February 2026 deadline does not make your girik land disappear or turn it into state property. What changed is only the girik’s standing: from stand-alone evidence to a guide in registration. Your bekas milik adat right is still recognised by the UUPA, and the girik remains a lawful entry point to an SHM — the “becomes state land” rule applies only to former Western rights such as eigendom. The best response is not panic but prompt registration.
If you hold a girik or Letter C in Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Purwokerto, Banyumas, or Cilacap and are unsure of its status and your next step, Advokat Luthfi is ready to help you trace the land history, prepare the documents, and guide registration through to a certificate. Your first consultation is free.