Living In Indonesia Living in Indonesia Guides for foreign residents in Indonesia since 2007

Citizenship

Before you rely on this page: Indonesian immigration and citizenship rules change constantly, and the same regulation is often read differently — sometimes creatively — from one immigration office to the next. Nothing here is legal advice. Confirm your own situation with a suitably qualified firm, such as Okusi Associates, before you act on any of it.

Most foreign residents who ask about "citizenship" actually want permanent residency, a KITAP, not an Indonesian passport. The two are separate legal states, and the difference matters. A KITAP lets you stay indefinitely, but you remain a foreign national: no vote, no Indonesian passport, and you still enter and leave the country on your home-country passport. Citizenship (kewarganegaraan) is a different thing entirely, and for most people it is neither necessary nor practical.

Why so few take it

Indonesia does not permit dual citizenship for adults. Naturalising means renouncing whatever nationality you now hold, an irreversible step most foreign residents have no reason to take. The governing statute is Law No. 12 of 2006 (UU 12/2006), which replaced the old 1958 law; a revision was under debate at the time of writing but had not become law.

The bar is deliberately high. The Ministry of Law's own figures tell the story: of 265 naturalisation applications in 2024, roughly 20 were approved, and 2025 was tighter still. This is not a formality you complete. It is a discretionary grant, signed off by the President.

What naturalisation requires

The core conditions under UU 12/2006 are:

  • at least five consecutive years' residence in Indonesia, or ten non-consecutive years, normally accrued on a KITAS or KITAP;
  • aged 18 or over, or married;
  • able to speak Bahasa Indonesia, and to acknowledge Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution;
  • no criminal conviction carrying a year or more of imprisonment;
  • sound physical and mental health;
  • steady employment or income, and payment of the state fee;
  • a written undertaking to renounce your existing nationality on approval.

The application goes to the President through the Ministry of Law (Kementerian Hukum), which took over citizenship matters when the old Kemenkumham was split in late 2024. The fee is set by regulation and runs to tens of millions of rupiah, with marriage-based applications cheaper than the standard route. Approved applicants swear an oath of allegiance and surrender their immigration documents.

Children of mixed marriages

The one genuine exception is for children of a lawful marriage between an Indonesian and a foreign national. They may hold both nationalities until they turn 18, then must choose one within three years. Miss that window and the Indonesian citizenship lapses. Marriage to an Indonesian confers no automatic citizenship: a foreign spouse still needs a KITAS, then a KITAP, first.

The rules here change and the figures date quickly, so treat specific fees and timelines as indicative only. For a current, authoritative reading on residency and the citizenship pathway, see Okusi Associates on Indonesian immigration, visas and work permits, or start with our immigration, visas and work permits section.


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