On Tuesday, a senior cabinet member announced that Indonesia is considering providing dual citizenship to individuals of Indonesian descent in order to attract more qualified professionals to the country.
Dual citizenship for adults is not recognised under current Indonesian law; therefore, anyone having two passports must choose one and renounce the other once they reach the age of 18.
Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, announced the government’s plan to award dual citizenship to former Indonesian nationals living abroad, but no further details were provided.
Speaking ahead of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s announcement of a $1.7 billion investment in Indonesia, Luhut emphasised the call to diaspora Indonesians, expressing optimism that the programme will encourage highly trained individuals to return to Indonesia.
According to figures from the Directorate General of Immigration, around 4,000 Indonesians obtained Singapore citizenship between 2019 and 2022. However, the immigration department has yet to react to concerns about the possible acceptance of dual citizenship.
In 2016, President Joko Widodo fired Arcandra Tahar as energy and mining minister when news surfaced that he held both US and Indonesian passports, sparking controversy.
