How to become an Indonesian Citizen

A few basic facts:

To gain Indonesian citizenship you must have a minimum of five years continuous legal living in Indonesia or ten years on and off whilst holding a KITAS or KITAP.

You must have no criminal record that left you with more than one year in prison. NO drug use at all as that sort of stuff will immediately kill your application.

It's easier for those married to an Indonesian than those who are not. The process is much faster for people married to Indonesians.

Expect the process to take around two years, more if not married to an Indonesian.

You MUST give up your original nationality before the citizenship is confirmed. This must be in writing from your previous government.

The whole process is in Indonesian - If you can manage that, you have sufficient skill in that language. There is no formal language test as such but the final stage is mostly interviews so, if you can't manage the answers in Indonesian, you're unable to get past those.
Questions vary a lot but there are several panels of people including immigration, senior police offices, people from Hukum HAM and several others including doctors that check your health record.
You move to a new set of interviewers as they become free to speak to you.

The number of naturalised Indonesians is very small so it's unlikely there are droves of Australians using Indonesian passports as suggested and, even if there were, they'd need a visa to return to Australia as they would have had to surrender their Australian passports and renounce citizenship. The passport is kept by the holder but the corner is cut and it's cancelled electronically meaning it's just a worthless book but serves as proof the passport is no longer valid. Immigration will require that as part but not all of the proof you have renounced your citizenship of whatever country.

The interviews are the final stage in a very long and careful process that includes a lot of home visits from various people and a lot of checking up on the applicant. Questions vary a lot but you should know the national anthem, Pancasila, UUD 1945 and what all these mean to Indonesia as a country and life here. I deliberately over prepared so I have a pretty good understanding of all on that list and a lot more.

The long and the short is, apart from the set requirements, you have to prove you're likely to be a good Indonesian, not just using the passport as an easy way to buy a villa in Bali but really live in Australia or where ever.

Citizenship is a major change with advantages and disadvantages, not something you should or can do on a whim.
In my case, the application was made with many factors in mind as no single reason was enough on its own.
I think I had advantages as I have grown to love this country and that seemed to show in the interview process, something that didn't hurt my chances. My wanderings also helped a lot as they allowed me a far deeper insight into the lives of a wide spectrum of Indonesian lives from the poor and homeless right to the top of Indonesian society as seen in the Indonesian art world I have found a very nice interest in.

Long time and a lot of very hard work and study but worth it when immigration hand you an Indonesian passport. I've felt very much part of this country from the first few weeks of arriving so it was a real boost when that little book was handed over the counter.

Thanks Fred. That pretty much explains it all.

The big thing is only giving up a foreign passport which I am not prepared to do at this time. I will wait until Indonesia gets around (hopefully one day in the future) to allowing dual nationality.

Btw, the foreigners who have Indonesian citizenship in Bali weren't Australians, they were Europeans, I think from Western Europe. I guess they found paradise.

Thanks again for the detailed explanation.

Hi Fred,

I've been living in Indonesia for 3 consecutive years,  2 years on social visa and 1 year on spousal KITAS.  Dose this mean I have 2 more years to go before I can apply or do the 5years only count if they are KITAS holding years.

Warm regards
Chris

No, a minimum of four more years.
The five years is continuous living without any breaks and you should have left the country to get the telex for your KITAS.
The application is long and hard, it including many checks and all the process is in Indonesian.
Here's a tip - Keep every scrap of paperwork you have, including scans of your KITAS, police registration documents, criminal records checks, driving licence, and everything else.

This is a beautiful break down on what are the requirements are but I have some questions of my own.

My father is an Indonesian Citizen, and my mother is an American citizen. I was born in Jakarta and live there for half my life, but currently reside In The United States and have my United States citizenship. My father holds an Indonesian passport, where as my mother holds an American passport.

I currently have resided in the United States for the last 11 years, and would love to relocate to Indonesia and become an Indonesian Citizen. I understand that I have had to resided here for 5 years. Is that 5 years right before gaining citizenship? Or 5 years continuously during my lifetime? Thanks!

RamonaL wrote:

My father is an Indonesian Citizen,..............
......... I understand that I have had to resided here for 5 years. Is that 5 years right before gaining citizenship? Or 5 years continuously during my lifetime? Thanks!

Probably not as you're already and Indonesian by birth. To get the passport, you have to renounce US citizenship but, unless you have already previously renounced Indonesian citizenship, your path should be easy.
You need to contact Hukum HAM

RamonaL wrote:

This is a beautiful break down on what are the requirements are but I have some questions of my own.

My father is an Indonesian Citizen, and my mother is an American citizen. I was born in Jakarta and live there for half my life, but currently reside In The United States and have my United States citizenship. My father holds an Indonesian passport, where as my mother holds an American passport.

I currently have resided in the United States for the last 11 years, and would love to relocate to Indonesia and become an Indonesian Citizen. I understand that I have had to resided here for 5 years. Is that 5 years right before gaining citizenship? Or 5 years continuously during my lifetime? Thanks!

Did you have Indonesian citizenship after you were born in JKT?

I presume it would be more straightforward for yourself as I would think A. You have an Indonesian birth certificate, B your parents are or had been married and your father remains an Indonesian citizen
C if father not named on an Indonesian birth certificate he can easily sign appropriate paperwork side of things for you

I read recently and have googled just now but I can't find it as it's quite an interesting read on a Indonesian law and sort of sums up your story whereas you can obtain a local ID or a version of it so you can open a bank account etc but I'm not sure if it allows you to work or study
I'll keep looking as it named the laws passed and it was in the last couple of years it was passed by the government, in that case you could keep your USA citizenship, only way for full Indonesia citizenship if definitely giving up your USA one
They are a few on here who do visas and have relinquished citizenship from one country for this Im sure they will have a better idea on the above

http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/3 … pora-card/

This isn't the one I was looking for but reads similar

Hello friends
Assalamualaikum,
Please guys i need help
I married to indonesia girl, I have completed my one year of marriage, I m seeking for citizenship for indonesia.
How to apply for the process
Is my wife can do all the process from there for me
Please anyone know who can help me for this

Hiteshkumar wrote:

Hello friends
Assalamualaikum,
Please guys i need help
I married to indonesia girl, I have completed my one year of marriage, I m seeking for citizenship for indonesia.
How to apply for the process
Is my wife can do all the process from there for me
Please anyone know who can help me for this

Ask in another 4 years and you might be eligible. You'll find reading the thread really helpful.

To be clear, the minimum 5 years is if you stay in Indonesia with no breaks abroad.
If you spend time outside Indonesia, it becomes 10 years.

My birth certificate was issued by the us consulate. To my understanding I do not have an Indonesian one.

Hey guys,
Interesting topic and thanks for the many clarifications.
I am wondering why no one is explaining the exact meaning of five consecutive years exactly?
Meaning is there a maximum period of time that you can be outside of Indonesia like 1,2 or 3 months max or you are saying that you can't leave the country at all even for short business trips to countries nearby?

Thanks again.