JAKARTA: For two decades, the United States has been home for Indonesian Vivi Fajar, her husband and three children.
But she never seriously considered applying for an American passport until the recent news that Indonesia was mulling a new scheme allowing limited dual citizenship for Indonesians with selected “talents” that Indonesia needs – including scientists, doctors, engineers, artificial intelligence experts, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, and athletes, particularly footballers.
For Vivi, her Indonesian husband and their three children aged nine, 12 and 14, this could open up a potential new set of options for her family to maintain strong ties with their home country while also getting the benefits of US citizenship.
While uncertain if she would qualify as an “extraordinary talent”, she hopes that her work as an insurance administrator and her husband’s job as a software engineer might grant them consideration.
“I am excited but cautious, waiting for the details regarding the fee, tax, and others,” said Vivi, who is based in California, but has retained her Indonesian citizenship.
Speaking annually at parliament on Aug 14 to propose Indonesia’s 2027 budget, President Prabowo Subianto said the government wanted to propose limited dual citizenship to attract millions of strategically important diaspora talent who could make extraordinary contributions to the nation.
“Indonesia has a diaspora numbering in the millions. Among them are outstanding scientists, doctors, engineers, artificial intelligence experts, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, and athletes, particularly footballers, as well as world-class professionals,” said Prabowo.
“Some have had to adopt other nationalities due to career needs, family considerations, or their work abroad. We must not force Indonesia’s best talent to choose between opportunities to pursue their work on the global stage and their ties to their homeland.”
Indonesian law does not currently recognise dual citizenship for adults, and minors with two passports must choose their nationality when they turn 18, with a mandatory three-year grace period ending at age 21.
Members of the country’s diaspora whom CNA spoke to largely welcomed the proposal but wanted more details and transparency on the plan.
The government is still studying how such a policy could work.
“It has merely been put forward as an idea, with a request that we examine it together. We haven’t reached the stage of defining what the scheme would look like,” Secretary of State Prasetyo Hadi told reporters on Aug 15.
Prasetyo said that even if the proposal is eventually approved, dual citizenship would be granted selectively and would not become a blanket entitlement.