Indonesia proposes limited dual citizenship for top diaspora talent

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to revise the country's citizenship law to allow some Indonesians to hold dual nationality for the first time. In his wide-ranging speech announcing the state budget for Southeast Asia's largest economy, Prabowo said the government would present the revision to parliament. The dual citizenship plans would be limited and designed with national interests fully protected.

Currently, Indonesian law does not recognize dual citizenship for adults; minors must choose their nationality at age 18. Prabowo cited doctors, AI experts, artists, and football players as examples of talents that could benefit from dual citizenship. He stated that the government wants to prevent the best Indonesian talents from having to choose between contributing to the world and maintaining their ties to their homeland.

Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad mentioned that lawmakers have already processed citizenship applications for athletes. The influx of mainly Dutch-born members of Indonesia's diaspora has led to increased interest in football. Last year, Indonesia opened applications for permits allowing former Indonesian citizens to live and work indefinitely in the country as an alternative to dual citizenship.

The call for dual citizenship has grown due to concerns about a brain drain, as nearly 4,000 Indonesians became Singaporean citizens between 2019 and 2022, according to Directorate General of Immigration data. With a population of 290 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country.