Government to Allow Dual Nationality for Children

It can be very confusing if you are married to an Indonesian lady and have a child because under the government law the child has to take the nationality of the father irregardless of the child being born on Indonesian soil.

Thankfully the government has seen fit to amend these laws and the House of Representatives have passed new immigration laws that give children born to mixed nationality marriages the right to hold dual citizenship until the age of 21.

Under the old law citizenship could only be handed down via a child's father, meaning children born to an Indonesian woman and a foreign man could not become Indonesian citizens. Such children could only live in Indonesia on temporary permits that were expensive and time-consuming to obtain.

A group of Indonesian women married to foreign husbands had lobbied for the 1958 law to be replaced and were in parliament when the new bill was passed. On reaching 21, children from mixed marriages must choose one citizenship the law states.

The new law also states that foreigners who have been living in the country for five years will be able to apply for Indonesian citizenship but they must give up their original citizenship and be able to speak Indonesian, among other conditions.