Limited dual citizenship gives Indonesian diaspora hope of return, better future

The plan targeting the diaspora holding important skills comes as thousands of Indonesians have renounced their citizenship in recent years

The proposed revision to the citizenship law would mark a major shift for a country that has largely allowed only single citizenship since independence in 1945. Currently, children of mixed marriages can hold dual citizenship until they reach 18 years of age, when they are given three years to choose a single country.

Under the new proposal, dual nationality would not be open to all Indonesians abroad, but only to selected individuals whose expertise is considered important to national development, such as scientists, medical specialists, athletes and others recommended by ministries, state agencies or reputable institutions.

For Indonesians such as Ayu, who has built a life in France in the last 13 years while holding to her Indonesian passport, even a limited reform would be meaningful for her.

“I feel like this is giving us hope that maybe we could also have our birthright of always being an Indonesian, even though we’re not living there any more,” she told This Week in Asia from Paris.

For some Indonesians living abroad, acquiring foreign citizenship has meant giving up their original nationality – a choice that has long frustrated members of the diaspora who still want to maintain legal, political and emotional ties to their country.

In June, the Ministry of Law revealed that more than 8,000 Indonesians had applied to renounce their citizenship over the past five years, mostly because of marriage to foreigners.