JAKARTA, Thekabarnews.com—The Indonesian Home Ministry (Kemendagri) has stressed that people do not always need to show their electronic identity card (e-KTP) when checking into hotels. Additionally, it is not always necessary to perform administrative tasks at hospitals.

The Home Ministry’s Population and Civil Registration Directorate General (Dukcapil) Teguh Setyabudi said the public could use other valid identity cards for many daily administrative purposes.

“I don’t always show my e-KTP in many situations, such as hotel check-ins or hospital administration. In fact, I often give another identity card; they accept it,” Teguh said on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

He said many institutions only require simple personal verification, such as a photo and name. This verification can often be checked through other forms of identification.

Teguh said that the e-KTP already contains a digital chip, so it can be read electronically. As a result, there is less need for physical photocopies.

But even so, many public service offices and institutions still require photocopies of e-KTP for administrative needs.

“The practice is not in line with Article 16 of Law No. 27/2022 on Personal Data Protection (PDP) and Article 79 and Article 84 of Law No. 24/2013 concerning population administration,” Teguh stated.

“Why do so many institutions still want photocopies? Many administrative systems are still based on manual processes and physical archives,” he said.

“There are some institutional regulations that still formally require photocopied identity cards. Therefore, these rules have to be reviewed and updated,” he added.

Many agencies have not yet integrated with the electronic verification and population data utilization systems of Dukcapil.

“This is our homework together. All stakeholders, including ministries, institutions, and the public, have to join hands,” he stated.

Teguh welcomed the government’s establishment of the Committee for Accelerating Digital Transformation. He added that the commission is currently discussing solutions to this issue.

He called on user institutions, especially those that need high security verification, to start to switch to electronic population data verification systems. These systems include card readers, web services, web portals, facial recognition systems, and Digital Population Identity (IKD).

For lesser institutions or services that need only low-level verification, “a simple check of the person’s name and photograph should suffice without asking for photocopies,” he said.

“Asking for photocopies is unnecessary because, again, it fails to comply with Law No. 27/2022 on Personal Data Protection,” he explained.

He also warned that keeping photocopies of identity cards has risks of misuse of personal data. This is especially a concern when institutions do not have adequate security systems.

That’s why Dukcapil continues to promote better data integration and interoperability between institutions. As a result, access to population data is not dependent on physical copies of documents.

The move is part of Indonesia’s wider digital transformation agenda, officials said. It aims to improve efficiency, bolster data protection, and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy in public services.

Stay connected via Google News