The Law and Human Rights Ministry has said that children born from mixed marriages between foreign nationals and Indonesian citizens may have limited dual citizenship status.
“The limited dual citizenship is in accordance with the Citizenship Law, especially for children born in Lus Soli countries or the determination of citizenship based on place of birth, for example, the United States,” said Director-General of Legal and General Administration of the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Cahyo Rahadian Muzhar, as reported by Antara on Monday 27th June 2022.
Muzhar said that children resulting from mixed marriages that allow them to have dual citizenship status are regulated through government regulation (PP) number 21 of 2022 concerning procedures for acquiring, losing, cancelling, and regaining Indonesian citizenship.
This regulation was issued to protect the rights of children born before the enactment of the Citizenship Law and not registered, including for children born before the enactment of the law, and who have been registered but have not chosen Indonesian citizenship until the specified time limit expires.
“This new regulation strengthens the database that regulates the mechanism for obtaining and applying for citizenship access electronically,” explained Muzhar.
The regulation, he continued, provides convenience, especially in terms of the application procedure for Indonesian diaspora children to obtain Indonesian citizenship, for example, children who do not have the requirements for an immigration certificate (ITAP/ITAS). As long as an attachment of the resident’s biodata is issued by the Department of Population and Civil Registration, obtaining Indonesian citizenship is possible.
Furthermore, children who do not have a job or income as required can still obtain Indonesian citizenship by submitting an application that can be represented by their parents as guarantors. Accommodating children who have citizenship problems by providing the opportunity to return to obtaining Indonesian citizenship status is another purpose of this new regulation.