The Indonesian government has formally proposed introducing limited dual citizenship through the revision of the Citizenship Law, marking a significant step in a long-running policy discussion.
The proposal, submitted by Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas, is designed to allow selected Indonesian citizens with specialised expertise to retain foreign citizenship while contributing to the country’s strategic interests.
According to Supratman, the draft bill has already been submitted to President Prabowo Subianto, who will issue a Presidential Letter before forwarding the proposal to the House of Representatives (DPR) for deliberation.
“We have sent the bill to the President. The President will then issue a Presidential Letter and send it to the House of Representatives,” Supratman said.
The proposal does not introduce dual citizenship for the general public. Instead, the government intends to apply the policy only to individuals whose knowledge and expertise are considered essential to Indonesia’s national development.
Limited Eligibility for Strategic National Interests
Supratman explained that the proposed policy would be limited to professionals with highly specialised skills, including experts in nuclear technology, chemistry, medicine and elite athletes who could contribute to national interests.
“If the country needs them, perhaps they can be nuclear experts, or they can join our national team in all sports, or they can be chemistry experts who are desperately needed by this republic,” he said, as quoted from Kompas.com.
He stressed that eligibility would not be based on individual applications. Instead, the relevant ministry or government institution would be responsible for identifying and nominating candidates according to national priorities.
“It can’t be just anyone, because the ministry or agency must make the proposal. The country itself must make the proposal,” he emphasised.
The minister said one of the government’s primary objectives is to attract highly skilled members of the Indonesian diaspora who have established careers abroad but have been reluctant to surrender their foreign citizenship.
“Many of our diaspora are reluctant to relinquish their citizenship, especially those with expertise in the nuclear, chemical and medical fields. We want to accommodate our best talents,” Supratman said.
He expressed confidence that the policy would enable Indonesia to retain valuable expertise while allowing talented Indonesians overseas to contribute more directly to national development.
Parliament to Decide the Future of the Proposal
Although the government has completed its initial submission, the proposal cannot take effect without approval from the House of Representatives. Parliament will review the draft as part of the broader revision of the Citizenship Law before deciding whether it should become law.
In addition to addressing the needs of skilled diaspora, Supratman said the revision also seeks to resolve legal uncertainties surrounding children born overseas to mixed-nationality families.
“There are Indonesian women who marry foreign citizens in other countries, give birth in other countries. What about the status of their children? The status of their children is because they were born elsewhere, and it’s a mixed marriage. That’s also a problem,” he said.
The minister also rejected suggestions that introducing limited dual citizenship would conflict with Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution.
“It’s new, because we’ve never had dual citizenship. No, it’s not. If it violated the Constitution, why would we propose it?” Supratman said.
He reiterated that dual citizenship under the revised law would remain tightly regulated, with approvals granted only through formal proposals submitted by government ministries or state institutions.
If approved by the House of Representatives, the revised Citizenship Law would introduce Indonesia’s first legal framework for limited dual citizenship, while maintaining strict eligibility requirements focused on national interests and strategic expertise.
