Indonesia grants unlimited stay permit for former citizens

Indonesia has opened applications for a permit that would allow former Indonesian citizens to live and work in the country for an indefinite period as an alternative to dual citizenship, an official at the immigration ministry has said.

Indonesian law does not recognise dual citizenship for adults, and anyone with two passports must make a choice of nationality when they turn 18.

The new policy, named Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI), is modelled after the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), which allows foreigners of Indian ancestry to visit, work and live in India indefinitely, the ministry said.

“GCI is a strategic solution to the issues of dual citizenship by giving an unlimited stay permit for foreign nationals with strong ties to Indonesia,” Is Edy Eko Putranto, the ministry’s director of immigration residence permits, told Reuters on Saturday, adding the Indonesian diaspora could help with national development.

Putranto said former Indonesian citizens, foreign nationals of Indonesian descent up to the second degree, and children from mixed marriages would be eligible to apply.

Calls to allow dual citizenship have increased amid concerns about a ‘brain drain’ as Indonesians leave the country for better opportunities abroad.

Nearly 4,000 Indonesians became Singaporean citizens from 2019 to 2022, according to data from the Directorate General of Immigration. Indonesia’s population is 280 million people, making it the fourth most populous country in the world.

“The ministry essentially responds to the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon by turning it into a strategic opportunity by facilitating a special right to the diaspora so that Indonesian talents can return or contribute remotely,” Putranto said.