The Evolving Role of Notaries in Digital Asset Inheritance Under Indonesian Civil Law

Michael Josef Widijatmoko; Lisza Nurchayatie; Radif Khotamir Khotamir Rusli; Ahmet Şensöz

doi:10.21107/tlr.v8i2.33490

The Evolving Role of Notaries in Digital Asset Inheritance Under Indonesian Civil Law

Michael Josef Widijatmoko, Lisza Nurchayatie, Radif Khotamir Khotamir Rusli, Ahmet Şensöz

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), has created significant legal challenges for the Indonesian civil law system, particularly regarding ownership verification, contractual validity, inheritance, and notarial authentication. Existing legal frameworks, including the Indonesian Civil Code (KUHPerdata) and the Notary Law (UUJN), remain insufficient to address the decentralized and pseudonymous characteristics of blockchain-based transactions, resulting in legal uncertainty for digital asset holders and their heirs. This study aims to analyze the legal conflicts surrounding digital asset inheritance and transfer within Indonesian civil law and to formulate a comparative legal framework that strengthens the role of notaries in digital asset transactions. This research employs normative legal research using doctrinal, conceptual, statutory, and comparative approaches through the analysis of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials. The comparative analysis refers particularly to the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) in the United States and legal developments within the European Union concerning digital wealth and fiduciary access. The findings reveal a fundamental incompatibility between blockchain systems and conventional civil law principles, especially regarding legal capacity, ownership recognition, fiduciary access, and evidentiary authentication. The study further demonstrates that the absence of procedural mechanisms for digital inheritance has weakened legal certainty and legal protection within Indonesian law. In response to these challenges, this study proposes a reconstructed notarial model that positions notaries as off-chain validators and digital fiduciary facilitators capable of bridging conventional legal systems with blockchain-based transactions. This study concludes that adaptive legal reform is urgently required to strengthen digital asset regulation, inheritance mechanisms, and notarial authentication procedures in Indonesia.

Keywords

Civil Law; Digital Assets; Inheritance Law; Legal Certainty; Notary Role

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.21107/tlr.v8i2.33490