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Timor-Leste and Indonesia share the island of Timor. The western boundary between the countries is 125 km in length with Indonesia to the west and Timor-Leste to the east as well as the enclave of Oe-Cusse Ambeno.

The island of Timor was historically divided between two colonial powers: Portugal in the east (with an enclave in the west) and the Netherlands in the west. As colonial administrations, they established the boundary on the island of Timor, with the delimitation process being finalised in 1904.

Indonesia unilaterally declared its independence from the Netherlands in 1945. From December 1975 to 1999, Timor-Leste was under Indonesian military occupation until a United Nations-supported referendum held in 1999, leading to the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence in May 2002.

Since the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence, Timor-Leste and Indonesia have been engaged in negotiations on the demarcation of their land boundary based on the agreements concluded between Portugal and the Netherlands. This process is now nearing completion, with the remaining segments subject to demarcation representing less than two per cent of the total land boundary.

To read more about the land boundary talks, click here!

Treaties related to land boundaries

  • Treaty of Demarcation and Exchange of Some Portuguese and Dutch Dominions on the Solor and Timor Archipelago between Portugal and the Netherlands, 20 April 1859
  • Convention for the Demarcation of Portuguese and Dutch Dominions on the Island of Timor-Leste between Portugal and the Netherlands, 1 October 1904
  • Decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration between the Netherlands and Portugal concerning the Subject of the Boundary of a part of their Possessions in the Island of Timor, 25 June 1914
  • Provisional Agreement between Timor-Leste and Indonesia on the Land Boundary, 8 April 2005
  • First Addendum to the Provisional Agreement between Timor-Leste and Indonesia on Land boundary,  21 June 2013.

Timor-Leste technical team with community elders and security forces during a joint field visit on land border in Citrana, Oe-Cusse Ambeno, 29 April – 15 May, 2019.

Timor-Leste and Indonesia’s negotiating teams during the second Special Senior Officials’ Consultation (SOC) in Jakarta, Indonesia, 2024.

DISCLAIMER

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This website is hosted by the Maritime Boundary Office of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries to allow readers to learn more about Timor-Leste’s pursuit of permanent maritime boundaries. The Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries and the Maritime Boundary Office do not accept any legal liability for any reliance placed on any information contained in this website (including external links). The information provided is a summary only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. The information and views expressed in this website and in any linked information do not constitute diplomatic representations and do not limit or otherwise affect the rights of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste. The views expressed in any linked information do not necessarily reflect the views of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste.

GFM is the acronym for “Gabinete das Fronteiras Marítimas”, which is the Portuguese translation of Maritime Boundary Office.