STDB and Oil Palm Land Legality: Important Requirements…

STDB and Oil Palm Land Legality: Important Requirements for Farmers' Welfare

Imam Suyudi

Contributor

28 Jan 2026 · 00:00 28 January 2026 00:00 WIB 12 minutes reading time: 12 minutes 45 read

Oil palm STDB is important for farmers! Understand land legality, from SKT to SHM, to be safe and prosperous. Farmers' rights & obligations are reviewed.

Penerbitan STDB diharapkan meningkatkan kepastian hukum atas lahan dan kesejahteraan pekebun kelapa sawit. (Source: AI Gemini, Redaksi Literasi Hukum Indonesia)

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Table of Contents

SHM, SKT, SKGR, Girik, and Leter C
STDB and Legality of Land
STDB as a Complement to Proof of Ownership
Constraints
Collaboration and Joint Responsibility

Section 2/3: SHM, SKT, SKGR, Girik, and Leter C

SHM, SKT, SKGR, Girik, and Leter C

The state guarantees land ownership rights for the Indonesian people through the Certificate of Ownership (SHM) which has legal force according to the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA) No. 5 of 1960 and Government Regulation No. 24 of 1997. The authority to issue it is at the National Land Agency (BPN) at the central level to the district (Regional Office/Kanwil BPN).

SHM is proof of ownership of land rights and is also strong evidence regarding physical data and juridical data contained therein. However, the validity of SHM as legal proof of ownership only applies in the Other Allocation Area (APL). In forest areas controlled by the state, the form of permit is not SHM and is issued by the Ministry of Forestry, not BPN.

At the ground level, many farmers' gardens are only based on Land Certificates (SKT), Compensation Certificates (SKGR) and their attachments (sceets kaart or a map of the land situation), including Girik, Patok, and Letter C which are generally found on the island of Java.

Girik and Letter C are old village administrative documents that record the history of land tenure and tax payments, serving as proof of physical control of the land, not legal ownership. These documents are the basis for managing land certificates, but starting February 2026 they will no longer be legal proof of ownership and will only be supporting evidence.

SKT is a certificate issued by the village head/sub-district regarding physical control of land. At the sub-district level, it is commonly called SKT Camat. Both have the same function, namely providing information regarding the history and status of control of a plot of land. SKT Camat is usually issued for land located outside the owner's village. However, in practice, planters often manage SKTs up to the sub-district level on the grounds that it is more reinforcing.

The Compensation Certificate (SKGR) is a letter of sale and purchase of land known to the village head/sub-district for land that has not been certified. Similar to the SKT, the management of the SKGR in practice extends to the sub-district.

By document definition, Letter C and girik are not the same as SKT (Land Certificate) even though they are both initial proof of customary land ownership. However, based on PP 18/2021, it is no longer an absolute requirement for registration and does not apply as a single piece of ownership evidence.