The government’s proposal to grant dual citizenship only to adults with expertise needed by the state has drawn criticism from mixed-marriage advocates, who say it lacks clear eligibility criteria and unfairly overlooks children with stronger legal claims under Indonesia’s citizenship law.
The proposal resurfaced after Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said last week that his ministry had requested a presidential letter to begin parliamentary deliberations on the policy.
Rulita Anggraini, chair of the Indonesian Mixed-Marriage Society, said limiting dual citizenship to a select group of skilled individuals would undermine the legal principles underpinning the country’s citizenship regime and risk turning citizenship into a matter of state interest rather than equal rights.
“Indonesia follows the principle of citizenship by descent, meaning citizens are those with Indonesian parentage of blood ties. If dual citizenship is now going to be granted, shouldn’t the first legal subjects be our children?” Rulita said.
“If Indonesia wants to expand dual citizenship to adults, then, based on the country’s own legal principles, children of mixed marriages should come first.”
Indonesia has never recognised dual citizenship since independence, except for children born to mixed-nationality parents.
Under the 2006 Citizenship Law, they may hold both nationalities until turning 18, after which they have three years to choose one citizenship.
In recent years, however, the government has explored introducing limited dual citizenship for adults as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s human capital and support its Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
First floated in 2024, the proposal has undergone several iterations, with the government also considering alternatives such as a permanent residency scheme to engage the Indonesian diaspora and children of mixed marriages while avoiding legal complications.
Last Thursday, Supratman said the latest proposal would restrict dual citizenship to adults whose expertise is needed by the state, with nominations allowed only from ministries or other state institutions.
“It is only granted when the state needs someone; they could be a nuclear expert, a member of a national team in any sport, or a chemist whose expertise is urgently needed by the Republic,” Supratman said, as quoted by Antara.
The latest iteration has raised concerns among legal experts, civil society groups and observers, who warn it could create legal uncertainty, overlapping rights and obligations, and an opaque selection process vulnerable to arbitrary and inequitable implementation. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
