August 16, 2026 | 04:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto’s proposal to allow limited dual citizenship for certain Indonesians remains under consideration and has yet to take the form of a government policy, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said.
If the proposal is eventually adopted, the government will apply strict criteria in determining who qualifies, Prasetyo said.
“If we agree to adopt it, of course it will be highly selective,” he said.
The Gerindra Party politician said the proposal still needs further study and that the government has not prepared a specific mechanism for implementing it.
He stressed that any future dual citizenship policy would not automatically apply to everyone who meets a broad set of requirements or make it easy for applicants to obtain Indonesian citizenship.
“This will not be a policy that automatically applies to everyone or can be obtained easily. That is not how it will work,” Prasetyo said.
Prabowo Calls for Limited Dual Citizenship
Prabowo proposed allowing limited dual citizenship during his address at the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Friday, August 14.
He called on the House of Representatives (DPR) to revise Law No. 12 of 2006 on Citizenship to accommodate limited dual citizenship for members of the Indonesian diaspora who have made or could make significant contributions to the country.
“Today, I am proposing to the House that we allow dual citizenship for certain talents needed by our nation,” Prabowo said.
The president said Indonesia has millions of people living in the diaspora, including world-class professionals such as scientists, doctors, engineers, artificial intelligence experts, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists and athletes, including football players.
Prabowo said some of these Indonesians had obtained foreign citizenship because of career opportunities, family circumstances or their work overseas.
He argued that Indonesia should not force highly skilled Indonesians to choose between pursuing opportunities abroad and maintaining their ties to their homeland.
The proposed policy would therefore allow selected individuals with exceptional skills to hold Indonesian and foreign citizenship if they could make an outstanding contribution to Indonesia’s national interests, Prabowo said.
Indonesia’s Current Citizenship Rules
Indonesia currently follows a single-citizenship principle and does not generally recognize dual citizenship.
Limited exceptions apply to children of mixed-nationality marriages and certain children born in countries that grant citizenship based on the principle of jus soli, or birthright citizenship.
However, those children may retain dual citizenship only until they reach a specified age, after which they must choose one nationality.
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