SRUK: Indonesia’s Carbon Unit Registry System

Updated 2026-11-02 · 4 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

SRUK registry explained: Indonesia's Carbon Unit Registry System, which replaces SRN-PPI for traded units from 2026. What it records and what projects must do.

SRUK (Sistem Registri Unit Karbon) is Indonesia’s national Carbon Unit Registry System. It records each carbon unit from issuance through transfer to use or retirement, and since the 2026 reforms every unit traded on the Indonesian carbon exchange must be recorded in SRUK, which replaces SRN-PPI for that purpose.

What SRUK is

SRUK is the government registry that sits between a verified mitigation result and a trade. In the chain the government describes, a unit moves from project → MRV → SRUK → IDXCarbon or direct trade → buyer → retirement.

Three points define it:

• It records units. SRUK tracks issuance, transfers between account holders, and use or retirement. Each step leaves a record, which supports traceability and prevents double counting.
• It is not a marketplace. Buying and selling happen on IDXCarbon or through direct trading. SRUK records the result.
• It works alongside SRN-PPI. SRN-PPI continues to manage information on climate-change actions in general. SRUK focuses on carbon units.

Legal basis and dates

The Permen LH/BPLH 10/2026 and launch dates come from secondary sources. Before relying on them in contracts, confirm with the Ministry of Environment.

POJK 10/2026 also set a transition: until SRUK operated, the exchange could facilitate units recorded in a ministry electronic system for at most three months after promulgation. For forestry, Permenhut 6/2026 describes a similar transitional use of the Ministry of Forestry’s electronic system while SRUK is refined.

Who it applies to

• Project developers and proponents whose units are to be traded in Indonesia, including forest carbon projects under Permenhut 6/2026.
• Compliance companies holding allowances (PTBAE-PU).
• The carbon exchange, which may only trade SRUK-recorded units (with limited exceptions for certain overseas units under POJK 10/2026).
• Buyers, whose ownership and retirements are recorded.
• Holders of internationally certified units. Secondary reporting on Permen LH/BPLH 11/2026 says that where data interoperability with international standards is not available, units are self-recorded in SRUK within two working days of the verification report, certificate issuance or transaction. That is a waste-sector rule; forestry projects should check their own sector rule for the equivalent.

What it means for forest carbon developers

1. Registry status is now a gate. No SRUK record, no exchange listing. Put SRUK recording on your project plan with the same weight as verification.
2. Data must match across registries. If your project is also on an international registry such as Verra’s, the boundaries, vintages and quantities in SRUK must match. Mismatches are the classic route to double counting accusations. See SRUK vs Verra registry.
3. Migration work for older projects. Projects recorded under SRN-PPI or a ministry system may need to move records into SRUK. Budget staff time and keep source documents ready.
4. Monitoring data underpins every record. SRUK records what verification confirms. Plot-level field data and consistent remote sensing are what make verification, and so recording, quick. Our dMRV implementation work is designed to produce registry-ready outputs.

What it means for buyers

• Ask for the SRUK record of any Indonesian unit, not only an international registry serial number.
• Retire units in a way that leaves a record in the system you report against. If you buy on IDXCarbon, retirement can happen there and is reflected in SRUK.
• For international claims, check whether the unit is authorised and whether a corresponding adjustment applies. SRUK records units; authorisation is a separate government decision.

Preparing a forest project for SRUK

A short preparation list helps. Keep a single, versioned project boundary file. Make sure plot IDs, monitoring periods and vintages are the same in every document. Record who holds each account and who may instruct transfers or retirements. Store verification reports and certificates where they can be retrieved quickly. These steps cost little and avoid most registry delays.

Open questions

• Interoperability. Which international registries connect to SRUK by data link, and when, is not yet public in the sources we reviewed.
• Fees and account opening. We found no reliable source on SRUK account procedures or fees. Ask the registry operator.
• Authorisation flags. How SRUK marks units authorised for Article 6 use is not described in our sources.

See the SRUK glossary entry for a short definition, the Indonesia regulation hub for the wider framework, or our regulatory navigation service for help preparing a project for SRUK.