Land is not only an economic asset but also a social resource and a legal object that can affect household security and local economic activity. Formal land registration provides documentary evidence of ownership, strengthens legal certainty, and can offer greater protection when ownership or boundary disputes occur.
For households whose land comes from inheritance, informal transactions, or older undocumented transfers, however, physical possession does not always translate into legally recognized ownership. The PTSL program was introduced as a systematic government mechanism to accelerate land registration and strengthen legal certainty and protection.
The Pasuruan case demonstrates why measuring PTSL success only through the number of certificates can be insufficient. A household with complete documents and strong administrative knowledge may complete the process relatively easily, while another household may face inheritance disputes, missing records, unclear boundaries, or difficulty understanding administrative requirements.
How the Study Examined PTSL Implementation
Tatimmatunni’Amah and Aminullah used a qualitative descriptive approach at the Pasuruan Regency Land Office. The researchers gathered information through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and analysis of administrative documents.
Fifteen informants were selected deliberately to represent different perspectives. They included two land-office officials, one village government official, one local PTSL committee chairperson, and 11 community members with direct experience of the program. The researchers compared information from government officials, village-level actors, and residents with observations and administrative records.
The analysis examined four aspects of policy implementation: communication, resources, implementer commitment, and bureaucratic structure. It also considered five dimensions of citizens’ access: information, administrative procedures, public services, financial requirements, and legal protection.
PTSL Achieved 15,000 Parcels in 2025
The administrative performance of PTSL in Pasuruan was strong. The 2025 program covered 36 villages or urban villages and had a target of 15,000 SHAT parcels.
All five implementation teams achieved their respective targets:
- Team I: 2,424 parcels, or 100 percent.
- Team II: 3,296 parcels, or 100 percent.
- Team III: 3,132 parcels, or 100 percent.
- Team IV: 3,406 parcels, or 100 percent.
- Team V: 2,742 parcels, or 100 percent.
- Total: 15,000 targeted parcels and 15,000 realizations, or 100 percent.
The program was supported by five operational teams, physical and juridical task forces, the Computerized Land Activities (KKP) system, Letter C records, block maps, and satellite or drone imagery. These resources strengthened the Land Office’s ability to process physical and legal land information at scale.
The researchers nevertheless found a clear gap between administrative output and citizens’ experiences.
Administrative Literacy and Intermediaries Shape Access
One of the most important barriers was low administrative literacy. Some applicants struggled to understand the sequence of requirements, required documents, application status, and reasons why a case could not proceed.
As a result, some citizens became highly dependent on village officials, local committees, or other intermediaries. Such actors can make complicated procedures easier to understand, but excessive dependence can also create information asymmetry.
Applicants may not always be able to independently verify whether documents have been received, what remains incomplete, how long a process should take, or which costs are legitimate.
The researchers therefore argue that communication should not be considered successful merely because information has been transmitted from government officials to local institutions. Communication is more effective when beneficiaries themselves understand what they must do, what they can expect, what costs are legitimate, and how they can verify or challenge administrative decisions.
Reported Preparation Costs Varied
The study also identified differences in locally reported preparation costs, ranging from IDR 200,000 to IDR 2 million for items such as boundary markers, affidavits, stamps, and related preparation.
The researchers explicitly caution that these figures represent reported local experiences rather than official PTSL fees. They should not be interpreted as a universal or official PTSL tariff.
The concern is the unequal burden these costs may create. An expense that is manageable for one household could become a significant obstacle for a household with limited disposable income.
For this reason, the study recommends clearer financial information at the local level, including standardized receipts and explanations distinguishing official program costs from legitimate local preparation activities.
Inheritance Disputes Remain a Major Barrier
Documentation and ownership history also affected access to land certification. The study identified unresolved inheritance disputes, disagreements over boundaries among heirs, verbal land transactions without written evidence, and inconsistencies between physical measurements and juridical records.
These cases cannot always be processed in the same way as straightforward land parcels. Accelerating certification without resolving fundamental ownership disputes could undermine the legal purpose of land registration.
The researchers found that Pasuruan land officials generally maintained a clear-and-clean approach, avoiding certification when legal disputes remained unresolved. This protected the integrity of land certification, although it could also delay completion for applicants with complex cases.
From Certificate Counts to Equal Access
The central concept proposed by Tatimmatunni’Amah and Aminullah is the implementation-capability gap. It describes the distance between the government’s ability to deliver a formally universal service and citizens’ different abilities to turn that service into legally secure land rights.
In the researchers’ analysis, the government demonstrated strong implementation capacity through target achievement, structured teams, technology, coordination, and supportive officials. Citizens, however, did not possess identical capabilities to use those services because their administrative knowledge, financial resources, documentation, and ownership histories differed.
As the authors from Universitas Yudharta Pasuruan explain, the policy should therefore be evaluated through both output effectiveness and substantive accessibility. Producing certificates remains important, but policymakers should also ask whether citizens can actually navigate the system fairly and obtain secure legal rights.
Implications for Land Policy
The findings offer several practical recommendations for improving PTSL implementation.
First, citizens should receive standardized information covering requirements, stages, official costs, timelines, responsible officers, and complaint mechanisms. Second, complex cases involving incomplete documents, inheritance disputes, or boundary conflicts should receive differentiated administrative and legal assistance.
Third, applicants should have greater ability to track their applications, including document receipt, physical measurement, juridical verification, outstanding requirements, and the responsible service point. Fourth, PTSL evaluation should include equity indicators, such as the coverage of direct information, resolution time for disputed cases, variations in reported preparation costs, and accessibility of complaint channels.
These measures could help transform PTSL from a program focused primarily on certificate production into a public service that delivers more equal access to legally recognized land rights.
Author Profiles
The article acknowledges Universitas Yudharta Pasuruan for academic and institutional support, as well as the Pasuruan Regency Land Office, village officials, local PTSL committees, and community informants who participated in the research.
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