<![CDATA[The minimum marriage age restriction under Law No. 16 of 2019 often encourages couples who do not meet the age requirement to enter into unregistered marriages (nikah siri), creating legal vulnerabilities for children born from such marriages, particularly concerning their civil status and legal identity rights. This article aims to examine the civil status of children born from unregistered marriages resulting from violations of the minimum marriage age, analyze the normative legal protection of their right to identity in light of Constitutional Court Decision No. 46/PUU-VIII/2010, and compare it with the mechanisms for recognition and inheritance rights of children born outside marriage under the Indonesian Civil Code. This study employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. The findings indicate that, by default, children born from unregistered marriages have civil relations only with their mother and the maternal family. However, Indonesian positive law provides avenues for legal remedies through marriage validation (isbat nikah), recognition or scientific proof of the relationship with the biological father following Constitutional Court Decision No. 46/PUU-VIII/2010, and administrative mechanisms such as the Statement of Absolute Responsibility (Surat Pernyataan Tanggung Jawab Mutlak/SPTJM). The Civil Code provisions on the recognition and inheritance rights of children born outside marriage are also no longer inconsistent with the new interpretation of Article 43(1) of the Marriage Law following the decision. However, this protection remains conditional and requires stronger legal norms and regulatory harmonization.]]>
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