Indonesia plans to allow limited dual citizenship for the first time for certain members of the national diaspora and highly skilled professionals. President Prabowo Subianto put forward the initiative, proposing that Parliament amend the citizenship law. The president presented the initiative during a speech in parliament on Indonesia’s 2027 state budget proposal.
According to him, the new policy will not apply to everyone who wishes to obtain a second passport. It involves limited dual citizenship for professionals and members of the diaspora in whom the state has an interest.
Among the potential categories, Prabowo named scientists, doctors, engineers, artificial intelligence specialists, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, and athletes.
“We propose allowing dual citizenship for certain talents that the country needs,” the president stated.
According to him, the authorities should not force Indonesia’s most successful expatriates to choose between an international career and maintaining ties with their historical homeland.
It is expected that potential recipients of dual citizenship will undergo a separate selection process, including a background check. The rights and obligations of such citizens are to be defined separately by law, taking into account national security considerations.
Current Indonesian law generally does not recognize dual citizenship for adults.
Children who have acquired citizenship in two countries may temporarily retain both statuses; however, upon reaching the age specified by law, they must choose one citizenship.
Therefore, implementing Prabowo’s initiative will require amending the current law and obtaining parliamentary approval. A timeline for adopting the relevant amendments has not yet been announced.
The initiative is a continuation of a long-standing discussion on engaging the Indonesian diaspora. As far back as 2024, authorities publicly discussed the possibility of dual citizenship for former citizens and professionals of Indonesian descent.
The authorities cite the brain drain as one of the reasons for the reform. According to Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration, nearly 4,000 Indonesians obtained Singaporean citizenship between 2019 and 2022, renouncing their Indonesian passports. The authorities hope that the option to retain Indonesian citizenship will allow professionals to pursue international careers without severing their legal ties to the country.
The involvement of the diaspora is already particularly noticeable in sports. In recent years, the Indonesian national soccer team has included a number of players born primarily in the Netherlands who have Indonesian roots. The authorities implemented special procedures for them to obtain citizenship.
Ahead of a possible reform, Indonesia launched the Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI) program.
It allows former Indonesian citizens and certain foreigners of Indonesian descent to obtain a permanent residence permit with the right to enter the country multiple times without renouncing their existing foreign citizenship. However, GCI does not constitute Indonesian citizenship and does not entitle holders to an Indonesian passport.
The program applies, in particular, to former Indonesian citizens, their descendants, and certain categories of family members with ties to Indonesia.
The limited dual citizenship currently being proposed should go much further and allow certain members of the diaspora to simultaneously retain their foreign citizenship and restore or obtain Indonesian citizenship.
CITIZENSHIP, DUAL CITIZENSHIP, IMMIGRATION, INDONESIA, ДІАСПОРА
According to the current legislation, men with dual citizenship can leave Ukraine only if their Ukrainian citizenship is terminated, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said.
“According to the legislation of Ukraine, dual citizenship (i.e. citizenship of Ukraine and one or more countries) is not allowed in Ukraine. A person who has several citizenships, one of which is Ukrainian, is considered a citizen of Ukraine in relations with Ukraine,” the statement reads. message on Facebook.
The grounds for the loss and termination of citizenship of Ukraine are defined in Art. 18 and 19 of the law “On citizenship”. In any case, citizenship is terminated on the day the decree of the President of Ukraine is issued.
“Thus, individuals can legally use the passport of a citizen of another country to cross the state border of Ukraine after the decree of the President of Ukraine on the loss of citizenship of Ukraine by such persons,” the State Border Service concluded.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal supports the introduction of dual citizenship.
“Dual citizenship is a sign of civilized countries. In many civilized countries it is a common norm […] Dual citizenship should be introduced. It will strengthen us,” Shmyhal told a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
According to him, many ethnic Ukrainians live abroad, and many of them would like to have Ukrainian citizenship.
At the same time, the Prime Minister said that he was categorically against the dual citizenship of the aggressor country.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, through a decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), set a clear two-month deadline for officials to bring their civil status in line with the law, MP Oleh Dunda (the Servant of the People party faction) believes. “There is a clear signal for the state apparatus: to finally decide which state interests it represents in power,” the parliamentarian said.
In his opinion, it will not work to hide one’s dual or triple citizenship, as well as to hope for a delay in the implementation of the NSDC decision.
“A bill on the settlement of dual citizenship has already been registered in the parliament, the theses of which were used by the NSDC when making its decision,” he says.
In addition, according to Dunda, an order to the Cabinet of Ministers to develop a regulatory framework for checking Ukrainians for dual citizenship within two months will only speed up this process.
To control dual citizenship in Ukraine, a special body will be created that will keep a register of all persons who have not only Ukrainian citizenship. In addition, it is planned to introduce a multi-level verification system.
“Such mechanisms will regulate and legalize dual citizenship in Ukraine. And most importantly, they will not allow people who do not take into account the interests of our country into power. State security should be in all spheres and at all levels,” Dunda said.
As reported, the NSDC instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to develop a legal basis for dual citizenship within two months.
At the end of January, MPs from the Servant of the People faction Oleh Dunda, Oleksandr Aliksiychuk, Dmytro Mykysha registered bill No. 4640 on amendments to certain laws of Ukraine concerning the legal provision of foreign citizenship (nationality) for citizens of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, February 2, at 17.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host press conference entitled “Bill on Dual Citizenship: Myths and Reality.”
Participants include Parliamentarians of Ukraine Oleh Dunda, Oleksandr Aliksiychuk and Dmytro Mykysha (8/5a Reitarska Street).
The press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine.
Media accreditation requires registration on the spot.
Ukrainian parliamentarians propose to amend the Ukrainian legislation, which will allow citizens to have dual citizenship.
Corresponding bill No. 4640 “On amendments to some laws of Ukraine regarding the legal provision of foreign citizenship (allegiance) to citizens of Ukraine” is registered in the Verkhovna Rada, the website of the parliament reports.
The authors of the bill propose to amend the Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship”, which provide citizens of Ukraine with the right to obtain citizenship (nationality) of a foreign state without losing the citizenship of Ukraine.
The proposed amendments also allow foreigners to obtain Ukrainian citizenship without renouncing the citizenship of their country.
The authors of the bill are Servant of the People deputies Oleg Dunda, Alexander Aliksiychuk, Dmitry Mikisha.
