People in Indonesia will not be allowed to have extramarital sex under new laws that will come into effect in three years

Indonesia has passed a criminal code that bans their citizens from sex outside of marriage.

The new laws, which will take effect in three years, will see people facing up to a year in jail if they have extramarital sex.

Couples who are not married are also not allowed to live together as they could be jailed for up to six months.

According to the BBC News, this comes after the Muslim-majority country has seen a rise in religious conservatism.

A 28-year-old Muslim woman, who lives with her partner in the country, told the publication: "With the new law, both of us can go to jail if one of the family decides to make a police report.

"What if there's one family member who has a problem with me and decides to send me to jail?" She added: "I think living together or having sex outside of marriage is not a crime. In my religion, it's considered a sin. But I don't think the criminal code should be based on a certain religion."

She added: "I think living together or having sex outside of marriage is not a crime. In my religion, it's considered a sin. But I don't think the criminal code should be based on a certain religion."

Researcher Andreas Harsano also explained that many couples in Indonesia don't have marriage certificates, especially among Indigenous peoples or Muslims in rural areas" as many of them had specific traditional ceremonies.

He said: "These people will be theoretically breaking the law as living together could be punished up to six months in prison."