Dual Nationality

November 22nd, 2006, in News, by Patung

Children born of mixed Indonesian and foreign parentage can now obtain dual nationality.

As one of the first examples of the implementation of the new citizenship law, on the 21st of November in Jakarta the Law and Human Rights minister, Hamid Awaluddin, officiated at the granting of dual nationality papers (SK Kewarganegaraan Indonesia) to thirteen children of mixed Indonesian/foreign parentage, at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Jalan M.H. Thamrin.

Hamid Awaluddin
Hamid Awaluddin, with some budding sinetron stars.

Hamid explained that parents who wish to apply for Indonesian citizenship for their children need to prepare photocopies of birth certificates, marriage certificate, and KTP. Then they fill in an application form at the immigration office, and it is said that the application process takes six weeks. Oddly, the fees are not yet determined. [1]

Once the papers have been granted a passport may be applied for, however Hamid said that Indonesian passports granted to dual nationality children would contain a special code. [2]

Children granted dual citizenship, later, at the age of 18, have three years to decide whether they wish to become “full” Indonesian citizens, and renounce their foreign citizenship, or the other way round. Previously, under the old law, nationality was deemed to always derive from the paternal side.

Correction, 28th Nov.

Once the papers have been granted a passport may be applied for, however Hamid said that Indonesian passports granted to dual nationality children would contain a special code.

This is wrong, my mistake. Once the SK Kewarganegaraan Indonesia has been issued it can be used to apply for an Indonesian passport. In the meantime, or while one is waiting for the passport to be issued, foreign passports will be given a special stamp to show that the child is an Indonesian citizen.

Those who wish to apply for a SK Kewarganegaraan Indonesia for their child should go to the immigration section of the Departemen Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia, see here for addresses of their offices - http://www.depkumham.go.id/xdepkumhamweb/xkanwil/daftarkanwil.htm.

__________________

March 1st 2007.

Hamid Awaluddin in Batam yesterday claimed that 300 applicants for citizenship had already been processed, 90% of these being foreigners who had married an Indonesian. At an event in Batam Hamid granted citizenship papers to 5 year old Jane Edward, who had once almost been deported because her foreign father had left his Indonesian wife, Dewi Chyntia. [3]

__________________

March 27th 2007.

In Surabaya, East Java, Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin handed over Indonesian citizenship decrees to 36 Indonesians of foreign descent on the 27th. The citizenship decrees were given to 36 children of Indonesian mothers but with fathers coming from various places such as Germany, the Sudan, the Netherlands, Britain, Switzerland, India, Australia, and Bangladesh.

House of Representatives member Murdaya Poo, Chinese Indonesian businessman Chandra Srijaya and chairman of the Chinese Indonesian Society (PSMTI) HM Jos Soetomo also attended the function.

Today, we mix those different backgrounds into one entity called Indonesia. The different backgrounds came from different ethnic descents which used to have the impression that they were separated, but today we are eliminating the impression by uniting them.

______________

March 29th 2007.

Hamid Awaludin says that since the promulgation of the new law on citizenship in 2006 700 children of mixed parents have been granted Indonesian nationality.

Hamid said that even those children of mixed parentage that were born overseas were entitled to Indonesian citizenship. He said dozens of applications for such children had already been received, the most recent one coming from Cuba. These applications were processed normally, he said, provided accompanying documentation was complete. [4]

______________

April 10th 2007.

Hamid Awaludin visited Banten and gave letters of citizenship to 42 children of mixed parentage.

Sudarmanto, the head of the Banten department of justice and human rights, said that all parents who had children of mixed parentage could now submit applications for dual citizenship. He said the process took one month. [5]

______________

April 29th 2007.

Speaking in Surabaya on the 28th Hamid Awaluddin threatened to imprison officials who attempted to thwart the realisation of the new law on nationality. He said that there was to no longer be any discussion of pribumi and non-pribumi, all were Indonesians.

Officials from the centre down to the regions must not play around. If they deliberately try to make it difficult for people to obtain Indonesian citizenship then they will be sent to jail.

He also added that the law had greatly helped Indonesian women married to foreigners who previously could be chased down by immigration officials attempting to deport their children back to the father’s country. [6]

  1. ↑1 L6
  2. ↑2 antara
  3. ↑3 indosiar
  4. ↑4 republika
  5. ↑5 antara
  6. ↑6 detik

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65 Comments on “Dual Nationality”

  1. Retarders Says:
    November 22nd, 2006 at 2:02 am

    Oddly, the fees are not yet determined.

    Because it’s gonna cost more if your child born in the U.S, compared to the one born in Arab countries. They’re also going to apply Buddha Tax, Kristen Tax, Katolik Tax, and possibly Kong Hu Tax, and Atheist Tax, but not for Islam.

    Hamid said that Indonesian passports granted to dual nationality children would contain a special code.

    the Code is PB1(Pribumi) = Non hassle non taxable, and CHN2(Chinese) = hassle it and tax it, OTH3(Other) = hassle it and tax it like CHN2.

  2. Andrew Says:
    November 22nd, 2006 at 2:43 am

    Slightly off topic, but still related - I’ve had this question unanswered for years:

    Chinese-descent Indonesian citizens have a legal document called SBKRI (Surat Bukti Kewarganegaraan Indonesia). This is the holy grail of all documents, you need this document for virtually anything.

    Do citizens of other ethnics (Indians, Arabs, etc.) need to have the same?

  3. Anonymous Says:
    November 25th, 2006 at 2:44 pm

    To my knowledge, SBKRI had been made redundant ever since Gus Dur was the president.
    However, I’m not surprised if some government officials still use SBKRI to ‘milk’ the Chinese Indonesians (and perhaps other ethnics as well) for some money.

  4. Anonymous_aloy Says:
    November 25th, 2006 at 3:26 pm

    The photo caption is a gem:
    “Hamid Awaluddin, with some budding sinetron stars.”

    you gotta love Patung’s sense of humor

  5. Parvita Says:
    November 28th, 2006 at 8:13 pm

    This is a great news. At least, Indonesian mothers don’t have to worry if something happens to their marriage and they are away from the hassle of reporting their expat child every year for permit to stay.

    There is no SBKRI now, it has been for years!

  6. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    November 28th, 2006 at 11:51 pm

    Parvita said:

    if something happens to their marriage

    Why the negative comments Parvita?, I think we should just be happy that both the parents of these children don’t have to worry about the hassle of visa’s etc. I know you don’t like expat men, but I don’t think the mixed marriages are any more likely to end in disaster than an Indonesian couples marriage, there are plently of women divorced by their Indonesian husbands who face far greater problems than getting a visa for their child, how about just feeding themselves and their offspring?

  7. Andrew Says:
    November 29th, 2006 at 7:13 am

    No SBKRI, theoretically - but try to get or renew your passport, they will ask for it.
    Or at least they did, 6 years ago… :D

  8. Parvita Says:
    November 29th, 2006 at 11:21 am

    Khafi: You’ve got it wrong. I have nothing against expat men. What I meant, which was probably not well written, is that when the father is an expat, and the mother is Indonesian, if something happens to their marriage, the children will have the father’s nationality. Which means that the children are not Indonesian. As a foreigner, even when the mother is Indonesian, the mothers have to apply for visa and go through the hassle with the immigration, which I find it ridiculous. With this new law, it is easier for the mothers if something happens to their marriages.

    Marriage between Indonesian and Indonesian, children is usually mother’s custody. When marriage is between Indonesian and non-Indonesian, previously, the children automatically follows the father’s nationality. If the father is a foreigner and he leaves his wife, it was difficult for the mother to have the children live with her unless she goes through all the paperworks from immigration (i.e. bribe and all). Indonesian+Indonesian doesn’t have to go through this. Understand now. Can’t believe I have to explain this. I thought everybody knows about this. Boy.

    I hope I made it clear this time.

  9. mark Says:
    December 2nd, 2006 at 9:45 pm

    I am german/chinese-Indonesian. I’m over 18 years old and up to now have only been using a german passport. I live in Indonesia and was wondering if anyone knows how i can end up keeping both passports. I heard that even if the Indonesian government requests I give up my german passport, that I can always reapply for it at my embassy.

  10. Miss Indo 07 Says:
    December 6th, 2006 at 1:30 pm

    No SKBRI,,
    just Surat Ganti Nama..
    any difference?

  11. Faiz Says:
    December 6th, 2006 at 2:38 pm

    I am german/chinese-Indonesian. I’m over 18 years old and up to now have only been using a german passport. I live in Indonesia and was wondering if anyone knows how i can end up keeping both passports. I heard that even if the Indonesian government requests I give up my german passport, that I can always reapply for it at my embassy.

    Hi Mark, you may ask Habibie Center,
    FYI, if I am not mistake Mr. Habibie is still holding German Public Health Insurance which also give benefit for his wife medical treatment some years ago in German.
    They may give you some help for your problem.

    Regards,

    Faiz

  12. DianDoank Says:
    December 8th, 2006 at 8:11 am

    Mark:

    Don’t know much on German’s legal law. I think the Indonesia law at this moment is not accomodate the possibility of having dual nationality. Thus only for those below 18 years old. Might be there’s a condition where Indonesia might grant dual nationality but I guess if the other country gave the nationality as a honor citizen. I don’t know much on Habibie case. But if I were you, I will opt to ask for a legal advice at the German embassy to see if there’s a room for dual nationality. After that, seek advice in regards to Indonesia law. probably you can find help through http://www.aliansipelangi.org/ It focus on the problem arise in regards to legal matters of mixed marriage. But hey they might have a trusted information on the guidelines of new law on citizenship.

    Good luck.

    Parvita: Reading your last comment, I think then it will be better in addition to citizenship law, the marital law of Indonesia needs to be changed. More protection to woman that married to foreigner and vice versa (but I opposed the deposit idea) :)

  13. Parvita Says:
    December 9th, 2006 at 7:43 am

    Yeah, marital law here needs to be looked at as well. Couple with different religion have difficulty getting married here, although they are both Indonesians. I think it’s the rights of everybody who they want to marry.

  14. Faiz Ahmed Mohammed Says:
    February 23rd, 2007 at 5:32 pm

    Hi, I am an indian we have a lovely son (Mohammed). I wanted him to have an Indonesian passport. For this I contacted the embassy of Indonesia here in qatar and the reply I got from them is that they are still waiting for the newly law to be implemented. So are the embassy officials wrong or the website of human rights wrong which shows that already 13 mixed children have honoured the passport.
    Please help me with this issue.
    Thankyou,
    Faiz Ahmed.

  15. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    February 23rd, 2007 at 8:18 pm

    The law is actually in place, but typically with Indonesian law as the article say’s, the fee’s are not yet decided. Reason?

    Well, one mixed couple that I know were asked for 6 Jt Rupiah to process the paperwork, when they found out another couple were only! charged 4 Jt Rupiah, they challenged the request and were told ” Well ok I will try to do it , but you mustn’t not tell anybody about this!”

    Another law to fleece foreigners, is it any wonder that we have such a bad reputation abroad!

    Where was you son born Faiz? If born outside of Indonesia there may not be an option of dual citizenship, I believe my friends had to supply Surat Keterangan Lahir and Akte Lahir for their application to prove the child was born in Indonesia.

    Peace

  16. Michael Says:
    March 4th, 2007 at 10:16 pm

    Please could someone advise me if the child must be born in Indonesia in order to receive dual nationality? Can the child be born outside Indonesia and still receive an Indonesian passport?

  17. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    March 5th, 2007 at 12:15 pm

    Anything is possible in Indonesia, It depends on how much money you have in your wallet!

  18. William Says:
    March 7th, 2007 at 11:18 am

    Just wondering, what will happen if one is found to hv dual nationality while living in Indonesia? I.E having taiwanese/Indonesian citizenship at the same time.

    Will one get prosecuted by indo law or just given the option to choose which nationality one wish to have? Any legal law that governs this matter?
    Thanks for any information.

  19. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    March 7th, 2007 at 1:27 pm

    Same answer as above William! ;-)

  20. William Says:
    March 7th, 2007 at 1:34 pm

    hahaha, it’s true but at least if we know the rules that govern it, we can minimize the money flowing out of the pocket :D, otherwise we’ll be squeezed till dry … :D

  21. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    March 7th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

    As I understand it Dual Nationality is only applicable to children of mixed parentage, who are born in Indonesia, I could be wrong however, best to check here: Directorate General of Immigration of The Republic of Indonesia.

  22. Hasan Zuberi Says:
    March 15th, 2007 at 7:37 pm

    Greetings from Pakistan!

    Here in Karachi, just 2 days back we received a letter from KJRI (Consulate) in which they have asked for photocopies of Nikah Buku, ID card (Indonesia) of my wife, My Pakistani ID card, 6 photographs of my son, attested birth certificate & a no-objection certificate that my son is not married.

    Along with submission, we will be required to fill-out the nationality application form and till he will get his Indonesian passport, he will be able to travel on Pakistani Passport with attestation of his dual nationality status.

  23. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    March 17th, 2007 at 4:25 pm

    Hasan,

    Just out of interest for my friends, how much are you being charged for this process?

    Peace

  24. Setiawan Says:
    April 2nd, 2007 at 5:29 pm

    Dear “Indonesian Matters’.

    I read the news and story regarding the New Law about the Dual Nationality. All of news (correct me if I am wrong); the Man is Non-Indonesian and the Lady is Indonesian National. Just wondering, how is the other way around; The Man is Indonesian and the Lady is Not-Indonesian?

    I am Indonesian, Married in Indonesia with Thai (All Legal Married Documents complete).
    Currently stay in Thailand (due to working/expatriate), but still holding Indonesian Nationality.
    I have a Son (4 years old), who born in Thailand and currently holding Thai Passport.

    My question is, can my Son has Indonesian Citizenship?/Passport?

    Thanks and waiting for the news.

    Regards,
    Setiawan

  25. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    April 2nd, 2007 at 5:41 pm

    Setiawan,

    As far as I understand the law, your son should ne automatically entitled to Indonesian nationality as he follows the nationality of yourself as the father. I would advise you to contact the Indonesian Embassy at:

    The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
    600-602 Pecthburi Road
    Ratchatewi, Bangkok 10400
    Thailand
    Phone: (66-2) 2523135-40
    Fax: (662) 2551267, (66 2) 2551261
    e-mail : kukbkk@ksc11.th.com

    Register your sons birth if you have not already done so and just apply for an Indonesian passport for him.

    Peace

  26. Setiawan Says:
    April 5th, 2007 at 1:29 pm

    Thanks for the reply Pak Mohammed Khafi,

    Just want to make sure that as you said; by the Law my Son’s Nationality will be automatically follow my Nationality.

    Sorry to ask again; my Son now (due to he has Thai passport), means that he has Thai Nationality right?
    If I go to Indonesian embassy, and bring all Legal Document that I have (Married certificate, my Son birth certificate (Akte Kelahiran); and apply a passport for him, are they will allow me to do so and granted to me?

    Honestly speaking, with all of my respect; I am rather doubt about this, since this Dual Nationality matter is just recently issued and the officer at the Embassy seem not ‘well-informed’ about it.

    Thanks, waiting for the comments

  27. Mohammed Khafi Says:
    April 5th, 2007 at 3:32 pm

    Pak Setiawan,

    As far as I understand it the dual nationality applies up until the age of 18, when the child then has three years to decide which nationality to choose.

    Please check this site from Departemen Dalam Negri, and you can print a copy to take to the Embassy in Bangkok if necessary: UU Kwarganegaraan

    Peace

  28. Ken Reemeyer Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 2:30 pm

    Just out of interest, I applied for dual citizenship for my child and got all the necessary paperwork and took it to the Jakarta Provincial Immagration office. I was told that I did not need to do this as my child already had a birth certificate. The law to apply for dual citizenship, only applies to children born before before August 2006.
    As my child was born in February 2007, I was able to apply for my childs passport directly.

  29. Andrew Says:
    April 17th, 2007 at 5:12 am

    My son was born on March 2006 in Indonesia, I am a naturalized U.S. Citizen, born in Indonesia and has not renounced my Indonesian citizenship yet. I’m still in possession of active KTP and expired Indonesian Passport. My wife and I married in KUA or religious court and has not registered our marriage with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. Does my son entitled to this new law? thanks.

  30. Andika Says:
    May 9th, 2007 at 11:49 am

    I was married overseas under Australian Law but I haven’t Registered yet at “Civil Register” in Indonesia and If I have a child and I want to be born in Indonesia is my child will be recognised? What is the status of my child will be?

    I need more info because I have no idea about it.

  31. Anne Says:
    May 11th, 2007 at 5:08 pm

    I am now has separated from my husband almost 12 months (was married legally in Indonesia), I am Indonesian and my future ex-husband is Australian. I have been granted a permanent resident in Australia under domestic violence last november 2006. I am now living together with another Australian who is happens to be the father of my unborn child. Since, I am not married with this one and have not yet filed for divorce with my ex-husband. What is the status for my child going to be? What is my next step from here, since my baby is due next month and I was planning to filed for divorce soon after that. Will anybody help me with any information at all? I would really appreciate if anybody could tell me also from the law point of view. Thanks.

  32. Postino Says:
    May 29th, 2007 at 6:24 pm

    Hi, I happen to stumble upon this site while doing my research on dual citizenship. And looking at the helpful responses, I thought I might as well get some advise on my situation.

    Currently I’m an Indonesian citizen working in Australia. I’m planning on getting Australian citizenship but I’m not sure if I can keep my Indonesian passport.

    I’m hoping that I can. The question is how do I travel back to Indonesia with an Indonesian passport.

    My parents and siblings are back home and I was told that if I don’t have an Indonesian passport, it might be difficult for me to stay in Indonesia.

    Please advise.

    Cheers.

  33. Oigal Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 2:42 am

    Hi, I was wondering how much it cost for an Indonesian to get a passport, and on average it takes too get one? Thanks.

  34. Anne Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 11:41 am

    Hi there, Rob.

    For an Indonesian to get a passport nowadays is cost around Rp. 500.000 up to 1 million rupiah. Depends if they were using an agent or DIY (By going to the immigration office and start from scratch), if they were using an agent then of course it will be around 1 million, all they have to do is show up at the immigration office to take Photos after all the condition fulfilled. But as you may know that the DIY process may took longer. It could be up until 3 weeks or even 1 month. But with an agent (usually from a travel agent), it only take max : 5 working days. I realize maybe the process fees could be various in every city. I hope this info could be helpful.

  35. Achmad Sudarsono Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 11:51 am

    You can buy a whole passport and new identity in the Riau island of Tanjung Pinang for about 2-5 juta, I hear.

  36. Ken Reemeyer Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    Check this web http://www.imigrasi.go.id, you can know the cost to get Indonesian passport.

  37. Hasan Zuberi Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 7:16 pm

    KJRI - Karachi, has called up a meeting to further educate the Indonesian citizens here about the new citizens ship scheme on 07 June.

    I will update you all on the proceeding soon.

  38. Edward Says:
    June 2nd, 2007 at 5:12 am

    Hi all,

    I’ve got a question. Maybe the answer has already been written but I don’t see it. My question is. I’ve got a dutch father and an Indonesian born mother but who has got the dutch nationality. I had an Indonesian passport (Indonesian citizenship) before we returned to holland when I was little. Now I’m 25 years old and I wanna return to Indonesia. I’m wondering can I get back my Indonesian Nationality like when I was little. Because I feel like Indonesia is my home. Hope you guys can help me clear things up.

    Thanks in advance.

  39. Jingga Says:
    June 9th, 2007 at 9:11 am

    As far my interpretation of the new law goes, keeping dual nationalities for people past the age of 21 (3 years after 18) is not allowed by the Indonesian law. Now, we all know that some countries (e.g., US) allow multiple citizenship.

    So what are the tricks of keeping two passports? That’s a tough one. If you live abroad and want to visit Indonesia for longer than 3 months, than you could enter Indonesia with the Indonesian passport. But then when you leave, if you use the Indonesian passport, the immigration officials at the airport will look for the visa from country of your destination, which you won’t have since you are a citizen of that country. However, if you show your foreign passport instead, then they will check if you have an Indonesian visit visa and that you have not overstayed your visit. That’s a gotcha, isn’t it?

    Another possibility is to have a visa-free country as a transit destination, so instead of going to the US directly, go through Singapore (if you fly SQ, this is given — same with Malaysia through KL). In that case, you would just to show the Indonesian passport, then in Singapore, switch to your U.S. passport.

    We did the above with our children before the dual citizenship law was passed. Wrt immigration officials, they enter and leave Indonesia with their Indonesian passports, and once we’re outside, we switched to their U.S. passports.

    Any thoughts about this? I would love to hear other tips and tricks. It wouldn’t be so hard if the Indonesian law (or the constitution) wasn’t so much a stickler about dual citz. Apart from watered down nationalism (not true in most cases), I don’t see the any disadvantage to allowing dual citizenship.

    [Getting Indonesian passport renewed in KBRI is easy. Of course, don't renew your Indonesian passport and apply for a visit visa for your US passport at the same time or closely together. The consular staff will know you have two.]

  40. Jingga Says:
    June 9th, 2007 at 9:22 am

    Edward, the quickest way to find out is to call the nearest KBRI/Embassy, and ask them what you would need to do to renew your expired passport. Don’t pose the question as whether or not you could still do it, but rather as what the necessary documents are, etc. If your mother (or you) speaks bahasa, that’s better to get the staff on your side. They may ask if you have a Dutch passport, to which your answer would have to be a twist of the fact. Don’t mention that your mother has become a naturalized Dutch.

    As far as the new law, you had three years to decide which nationality to keep, but even past that, I venture to guest that as long as you don’t explicitly renounce your Indonesian citizenship and don’t tell them you have a Dutch passport, you should be able to renew your passport and retain your Indonesian citizenship (how you got it in the first place, given that your father was Dutch, is another interesting matter.. but irrelevant). Hopefully you never applied for a visit visa with your Dutch passport, but even if you did, they may not try to cross reference your name. It won’t hurt to try.

  41. Postino Says:
    June 9th, 2007 at 7:58 pm

    Thank you for your post Jingga. I met a couple of Indonesians who managed to maintain their Indonesian passports and also a citizen of another country. And what you mentioned about the transit makes sense. Thank you so much for your comments.

  42. Edward Says:
    June 9th, 2007 at 8:14 pm

    Banjak trima karih (if I spelled it right) Jingga,

    I’m gonna go to the embassy and try. Lebih gampang ngomong dari tulis bahasa Indonesia (I’ve got probably a lot of spelling mistakes in that sentence). But thanks for the advice.

  43. Michael Says:
    August 7th, 2007 at 9:23 am

    I (Australian) have found out that my ex-wife (Indonesian) did not make a real (Indonesian) birth certificate for my 14 year old daughter who was born and lives in Indonesia. She did not register her and made a fake birth certificate to get around the law.

    My question is - Is it possible for me to go back and make my daughter a real birth certificate and register her at the catat sipil. I do have the original certificate from the hospital.

    Thanks

  44. William Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 2:43 pm

    To Jingga:

    Hi Jingga, read your post about switching passport in a visa-free country eg. singapore/malaysia.
    As far as I know if we use our Indonesian passport to enter other countries ie. singapore, there is a time limit for us to stay, say 1 mth, after that we have to leave the country.
    In your case, please clarify if you did below procedures:

    1. enter singapore with US passport
    2. leave singapore with Indo passport

    3. enter Indonesia with Indo passport
    4. leave Indonesia with Indo passport

    5. enter singapore with Indo passport
    6. leave singapore with US passport

    Wouldn’t it create a problem because in singapore, yourself with US passport are considered still in the country and if you stay over several months in Indonesia, that means yourself with US passport have overstayed your permit (ie. 1 mth) in singapore and would be blacklisted?

    Thanks for your explanation, maybe I miss a point or two here that would enable such switching.

  45. Ihaknt Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 4:22 pm

    Jingga, wont the S’pore authorities want to look for the entry stamp? Or they don’t do that at all? I have 2 passports too but I am unsure how to tackle it.

  46. Jingga Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 10:52 pm

    In my case, I only do a transit in Changi, so I don’t deal with Singapore’s immigration at all.

    Entering Indonesia: show Indonesian passport. No question asked (I also use a ‘friendly’ service, Rp. 300,000 and don’t have to wait in line. Don’t ask me how I get this service).

    Leaving Indonesia: In Cengkareng, show the US passport to the airline agents and they won’t ask any questions. Next, get the fiscal free form from the Pajak counter using the Indonesian passport (showing your US address). Proceed through the immigration with Indonesian passport, exit/entry form and the boarding pass for the flight to Spore (not to the US). In Changi, show the the US passport when you board for the flight for the US.

  47. Jim Says:
    August 18th, 2007 at 6:34 pm

    Hi Jingga,
    My wife and I just got Australian Citizenship. I have been thinking for quite a long time on how to keep both Indonesian and Australian passports. I still couldn’t figure out the proper and safe way of doing it. We both still have valid not-expired Indonesian passports.

    Leaving Australia, the citizen must use Australian passport (no question asked).
    Question no.1
    Do we still need to transit in S’pore or KL before entering Indonesia? Let say we do have to. We will then pass through S’pore immigration counter and have the ‘arrival-stamp’ stamped on our passports. After couple of hours, we will then go back to S’pore immigration counter and have the ‘departed-stamp’ stamped on our passports again.
    After this, we will board the plane going to Indonesia. When we arrive in Indonesia, we will use our Indonesian passports (no question asked), therefore we can save the $US25 VoA and we can also stay in Indonesia for more than 30 days if we want to.

    Question no. 2
    When passing through the Indonesian immigration counter, the officer will flip through our passports and find no Australian ‘departed-stamp’ stamped in our passports. This will trigger a big question mark for the officer and he/she will start thinking we might have Australian passport and use it to leave Australia.

    Does anyone have this experience at all? Is there anyone who can suggest a better solution please?

    Please allow me to continue my posting here.
    Assuming I have someone in the Indonesian airport arrival center and forking out Rp. 300000 to pass smoothly at the immigration counter, that will only give me no problem in entering Indonesia. What about leaving Indonesia after couple of weeks or months?

    Question no. 3
    Is it better off to buy the airfare direct from Indonesia to Australia or a ticket from Indonesia to S’pore and buy another ticket in Singapore with the destination going to Australia?
    The reason why I ask this question is because, the immigration officer in Indonesia Airport Departure centre might ask for our airfare and in this case it will show Indonesia - Singapore - Australia. The officer will question our Indonesian passports that have not got Australia Visa stamped.

    Let’s just assume that this time the officer doesn’t check in details and we can successfully leaving Indonesia for Australia. It will have Indonesian ‘departed-stamp’ stamped on 18/08/2007.

    Question no. 4 (sorry about the so many questions asked here but it will be very useful for all Indonesian that wants to keep Indonesian passport).
    In couple of years later, we will want to go back to Indonesia again. Here is the fun stuff. I assume that we have to still transit in S’pore or KL before entering Indonesia and thus will have Singapore ‘arrival-stamp’ and ‘departed-stamp’ stamped on 01/01/2009 (for example).

    Question no. 5
    This is going to be the biggest challenge when entering Indonesia. The Indonesian immigration official will look at the last Indonesian ‘departed-stamp’ and that was on 18/08/2007.
    The next stamp having stamped in our passports is the Singapore ‘arrival and departed stamp’ which was stamped on the same day 01/01/2009
    The question is: “where the hell has this guy gone between 18/08/2007 and 01/01/2009
    Then the officer will start thinking that this guy must have passport of other country.

    Can anyone please shed some lights on this issue?

    THANKS IN ADVANCE.

  48. Reni Says:
    October 1st, 2007 at 5:22 pm

    Hi All, can anyone help me? This might have been discussed but i missed it.
    We got 2 kids indo/british and we live in Bali, now our kids got their 2 passports, I wonder how do we do it at the immigration counter, do we have to show both of their passports or each for each country? FYI we always travel from Bali to England via Hong Kong. Thanks

  49. Jingga Says:
    October 1st, 2007 at 8:32 pm

    Reni, in your situation, I would think it doesn’t really matter which passport to show in the Indonesian immi counter, just make sure you use the one that shows sufficient documentation for visa and residency purposes. If you’re going to Hong Kong or England, I would show the British passports because they wouldn’t have/need any visa for those destination countries. The Indonesian immig would probably want to know what their status in Indonesia is, so then you’d show them their Indonesian passport. As an aside, for residency purpose, because you live in Bali, you do have Kartu Keluarga with their names on it, don’t you?

  50. Ken Reemeyer Says:
    October 2nd, 2007 at 7:03 am

    Reni, I have a child with two passports. Australian and Indonesian.
    I just recently went to Australia and found that the Indonesian immigration officers are of differing opinions. On leaving Indonesia I produced the Indonesian and Australian passports to show that my child has dual citizenship. I filled the immigration card using the Indonesian passport. the officer seemed confused so he went to his office to ask what to do, ten minutes later he came back and said that we can use the Australian passport to exit Indonesia which we did.
    On returning to Indonesia I used the Australian passport and also produced the indonesian passport to show my child was a dual citizen. The immigration officer said that I should have used the Indonesian passport to exit Indonesia. For me it seems logical to use the Indonesian passport to exit and enter Indonesia and the Australian passport to enter and exit Australia at the same time showing them both passports at either end. I had no problems with this when I arrived in Australia.

  51. Reni Says:
    October 2nd, 2007 at 1:30 pm

    Thanks very much to Jingga and Ken. Your info is really helpful.

  52. Jon Says:
    October 3rd, 2007 at 6:55 am

    Hi Jingga,

    mind me asking your email address?
    My email address is johnpeter@iinte.net.au

    Cheers,

  53. greg Says:
    October 3rd, 2007 at 2:08 pm

    Hi there,

    I live in New Zealand and holds a permanent residency here. Its Stamped on my Indo passport. I am going to apply for NZ citizenship.

    My question is.. isnt it possible to enter and leave Indonesia with the Indo passport without the Indo immigration finding out that I have a dual citizenship? I have been doing this for the past 9 years.

    I can just use my NZ passport to travel elsewhere, cant I ?

    The Indo immigration wont find out that I have a dual citizenship.. or will they ?

    Can anyone answer my question?

    Much appreciated

    thanks

  54. Ken Reemeyer Says:
    October 3rd, 2007 at 2:49 pm

    Greg, You are ok as long as you are a resident.
    Once you have citizenship in NZ you will have to use your NZ passport, so you won’t have a departure stamp on your Indonesian passport.
    That will be a problem for you when you try to enter Indonesia on your Indonesian passport. You would only be able to enter Indonesia with a Visa.

  55. Hasan Zuberi Says:
    October 3rd, 2007 at 2:59 pm

    It seems not so simple in case of my son who holds a Pakistani passport and now will get his Indo-passport by next week.

    Pakistan only recognises dual nationality status with 15 countires and Indonesia is not in the list.

    If we exit Pakistan on say Indo passport then on return they will require a visa to enter again …. or if they show the Paki passport then Indonesians will require visa.

    If somebody can check with Indonesian immigration department on this ??

  56. Dragonwall Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 6:33 am

    My question is, can my Son has Indonesian Citizenship?/Passport?

    Your son is holding a thai citizenship and wants to have an Indonesian passport?

    I think it would be better of if he remains unchange. The dual citizenship is just a matter of acknowledgement of their parentage. What matters is the KIMS and KIMT, Pajak bla.bla.bla.

    You will never be able to hold 2 passport at one time unlike the case of Taiwan. ROC is not recognized by the UN. So if you obtain a citizenship in the US you could still hold the Taiwanese passport and not the other way round.
    In HK you could hold a HK SAR passport and still return to Mainland China without showing your passport. All you need is to prove that you have a home in China and obtain a identity card and a reentry permit. Nothing else.

    Better be a Thai than Indonesian. The condition there is more conducive than in Indonesia.

  57. Alec Says:
    October 16th, 2007 at 4:46 pm

    Does any one have an English translation of forms required for Indonesians applying for a new passport, forms required for dual nationality for children and forms for registering an Indonesian living in the UK. All the forms from the Indonesian Embassy in London are only in Indonesian and no guide to pricing is given for the services. Also their webpage is out of date re dual nationality.

  58. Felix Says:
    November 19th, 2007 at 8:28 am

    Hi Jim, I was wondering if you have received any response to your questions. I am curious if anyone has experience with this.

    Thank you.

  59. Jimmy Says:
    November 24th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

    I’m in the exact same situation as Jim…
    Will the Indo immigration people look for the departure stamp? and what happens if they found out that you had 2 passports?

  60. Peter Says:
    December 20th, 2007 at 6:38 am

    I am an Australian citizen working in Indonesia with an Indonesian wife. Our son has just obtained dual citizenship. I have read my son will need only one passport (an Indonesian passport) to visit Australia as he is an Australian citizen. (see http://www.wijayaco.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=237) Wijaya and Co Law Firm. Can anyone confirm this is the case.

  61. Dian Says:
    January 19th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    I’ve a question: I am Indonesian, my sons are us citizen but my husband is indian. The older one was born in 2005 the younger was born in 2007. How can I get Indonesia passport for them and how long the process will be, how much it will cost me? Please let me know if anybody knows about that.

  62. Wijaya Says:
    January 26th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    Hi Dian,

    Your oldest son need to get a mininstry approval before he is entitle to an Indonesian passport. You as the mother can be his sponsor. The time frame for obtaining the approval is approximately 3 up to 4 months. With the ministry’s decree you can then apply for the Indonesian passport. On another hand, your younger son is automatically entitle to dual Indonesian citizenship. Good luck, hope that can be useful.

    As for peter, yes, that’s the case.

  63. Jade Says:
    February 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm

    Can a child born out of wedlock get dual nationality ? from Indonesian mom and Australian father. The parents had separated and the child is with the mother. If yes, where to start ?

  64. Wijaya Says:
    February 28th, 2008 at 12:03 pm

    Jade,

    Under the new citizenship law, the child born out of wedlock can get Indonesian nationality providing she/he was born before August 2006, under 18 years of age and unmarried, and legally admitted by her foreign biological father. The legal admision is in the form of court decree from local district court in Indonesia.

    In accordance to the Regulation of Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the child’s mom can be the applicant for citizenship. Application must be made in Bahasa and addresed to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights supported with the following documentation: a. copy of the child’s birth certificate, b. copy of mom’s KTP and family card (kartu keluarga) and the child must be included, c. photograph sized 4 x 6 cm with red background, d. copy of court decree from local district court, e. copy of child’s current passport.

    Upon receipt of completed supporting documents, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights will issue a Decree of Ministry of Law and Human Rights regarding the child’s Indonesian citizenship. The child’s photo will be attached to the decree. The Ministerial decree is the main requirement for applying an Indonesian passport at the local immigration office in Indonesia.

    Hope that useful and good luck, mate!

  65. Jade Says:
    March 5th, 2008 at 10:33 am

    Mr. Wijaya, thanks a bunch for your help. I shall go into the battle as soon as possible. Big help, thanks again !!

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