30-4-2024 (JAKARTA) In a bid to attract more skilled workers and expatriate talent to its shores, Indonesia is considering offering dual citizenship privileges to people of Indonesian descent living overseas, a senior cabinet minister revealed on Tuesday. The proposed policy shift aims to reverse the outflow of skilled Indonesian nationals by providing greater incentives for the global diaspora to return.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan stated the government plans to extend dual citizenship to former Indonesian citizens currently residing abroad, although he did not elaborate on the specifics. His comments came just ahead of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s announcement of a $1.7 billion investment commitment in the Southeast Asian nation.
“We also invite diaspora Indonesians and we give them also, soon, dual citizens,” Luhut declared. “Which I think will…bring very skilful Indonesians back to Indonesia.”
Under existing Indonesian law, dual citizenship is not recognised for adults. Children born with two nationalities must renounce one upon turning 18. However, the government now appears intent on revising these regulations to facilitate greater circular migration of its global talent pool amid a broader economic development drive.
Official data from the Directorate General of Immigration reveals nearly 4,000 Indonesians acquired Singaporean citizenship between 2019 and 2022 alone, underscoring the extent of the diaspora footprint across the region. The immigration authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the proposed dual citizenship changes.
The issue has courted controversy previously, most notably in 2016 when President Joko Widodo was forced to remove Arcandra Tahar as Energy and Mining Minister just weeks into his tenure over reports he concurrently held U.S. and Indonesian passports – a status prohibited under current nationality laws.
