UKBI, the official Indonesian test: seven bands from 251 to 800, two years' validity, and a closed November
UKBI, Uji Kemahiran Berbahasa Indonesia, is the Indonesian proficiency test of Badan Bahasa, the government's language agency. Since 29 January 2021 it has run as UKBI Adaptif, an online adaptive test, which Badan Bahasa calls the only official test of Indonesian proficiency.
If you want to book now: you can't. The UKBI site is closed from 1 to 30 November 2026, reopens on 1 December, and test slots are available from 8 December 2026.
Everything below was read on 8 November 2026 in Badan Bahasa's own documents: its UKBI service-standard decrees (March 2025), its participant guide (2023), a ministry press release (26 March 2025) and Badan Bahasa's news page. The UKBI site's own pages were offline during the closure. Indonesian citizenship asks only that you can speak Indonesian, shown by your own signed statement; see our citizenship requirements table.
Five sections, adaptive
Listening (up to 40 questions, 30 minutes), Merespons Kaidah, responding to grammar and usage (up to 32, 25 minutes), Reading (up to 40, 45 minutes: eight passages, five questions each), Writing (two tasks: 15 minutes for 100 words or more, 20 minutes for 150 or more) and Speaking (two tasks, 10 and 15 minutes).
The multiple-choice sections have four options, and the number of questions and the time adapt to how you answer: the figures above are maximums.
You choose one of three packages, Paket 1, 2 or 3, each with a different set of sections. The guide's table of which package holds which sections is an image we could not read, so we do not state it here.
The seven bands
Scores run from 251 to 800, in seven named bands (the ministry's press release of 26 March 2025):
Istimewa 725–800 · Sangat Unggul 641–724 · Unggul 578–640 · Madya 482–577 · Semenjana 405–481 · Marginal 326–404 · Terbatas 251–325.
What it costs a foreigner
Fees are state revenue set under PP 22/2023, and foreigners pay more. Per person, per test, from Badan Bahasa's service standard of 14 March 2025:
School students: Rp0 for Indonesians, Rp250,000 for foreigners. University students: Rp100,000 / Rp500,000. General public: Rp300,000 / Rp1,000,000.
Booking, sitting and results
Register online yourself at least 2 working days before the test, or through an institution at least 5 working days before. Foreigners register with a passport; foreign university students with a student card plus a passport or KITAS. You pay into a virtual account and pick a slot.
You sit it online, with a computer, a webcam that stays on, a headset and at least 10 Mbps.
Results: Paket 1 shows your score as soon as you finish. Paket 2 within 10 working days, Paket 3 within 14, after marking. The digital certificate follows the same week.
The certificate is valid for 2 years. The 2023 guide allows a retake 15 days after the previous test, and one year later for school students.
Who asks for it, and a rule that is only a draft
Badan Bahasa lists the Beasiswa Unggulan scholarship, 60 Indonesian universities that use it as a graduation requirement, and the translator and Widyabasa civil-service posts. By March 2025, 534 foreigners from 68 countries had taken it.
The 2023 guide says UKBI can be provided to foreign workers and students in Indonesia. It does not say they must take it.
A draft, not law: on 30 September 2025 Badan Bahasa consulted on a regulation to replace Permendikbud 70/2016. The draft of 10 September 2025 would set minimum bands for foreigners: Semenjana to study or work in general fields, Madya for work in social, education or research fields, and Unggul to become an Indonesian citizen. We found nothing showing it has been enacted, so none of these is a requirement today.
Our reading: three of the five sections, grammar and usage, reading and writing, are about formal written Indonesian. If you learned the language by speaking it, that is where to practise.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Planning to book a UKBI slot in November 2026.
Booking from 1 December, for a test from 8 December.
Badan Bahasa closed the UKBI site from 1 to 30 November 2026.
Telling an employer that UKBI Unggul is the legal bar for citizenship.
Calling it a 2025 draft.
The bands for foreigners are in a draft regulation we found no sign of being enacted.
Using a three-year-old certificate.
Retesting.
Badan Bahasa states a UKBI certificate is valid for 2 years.
Questions
How much does the UKBI cost for foreigners?
Rp1,000,000 for a member of the public, Rp500,000 for a university student and Rp250,000 for a school student, per test.
What are the UKBI score bands?
Istimewa 725–800, Sangat Unggul 641–724, Unggul 578–640, Madya 482–577, Semenjana 405–481, Marginal 326–404 and Terbatas 251–325.
How long is a UKBI certificate valid?
Two years.
Can you take UKBI online from outside Indonesia?
It is taken online with a webcam and headset, and foreigners register with a passport. The site reopens on 1 December 2026, with tests from 8 December.
How soon do you get a UKBI result?
Immediately for Paket 1, and within 10 or 14 working days for Paket 2 or 3.
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