8 Simple Steps of How to get Indonesian Citizenship

Review by : Yuli SE., MM

There are several ways that people become Indonesian citizens. Broadly speaking, there are two principles of birth that are used to determine one’s nationality. First, ius soli sees nationality based on where a person is born. Second, ius sanguinis is based on citizenship because of blood ties.

Under Law No. 12 of 2006 concerning the Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia, the principle adopted by Indonesia is ius sanguinis, although there are three points that indicate the existence of the principle of ius soli. For more details, you can read these following steps.

Apply some documents electronically

One of the requirements while applying for obtaining Indonesian citizenship is that at the time of submitting an application, the applicant has resided in the territory of the Republic of Indonesia for at least 5 consecutive years or at least 10 consecutive years.

Requests for citizenship are submitted electronically in Indonesia by the applicant through the official website of the Directorate General of General Legal Administration. After submitting an application for electronic citizenship, the applicant is also required to submit physical documents to the Minister of Law and Human Rights through the Directorate General of General Law Administration accompanied by a statement stating the truth of the contents of physical documents.

Make sure you include on these one or more criteria

In general, Law Number 12 of 2006 concerning Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia (“Citizenship Law”) stipulates that applications for Indonesian Citizenship can be submitted by the applicant with the following criteria:

Foreigners who legally marry with Indonesian citizens
Foreigners who have contributed to the State of Indonesia
Children who have dual citizenship
Indonesian citizens who have lost their Indonesian citizenship status and wish to regain Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia

The submission of Application for Citizenship for each applicant criteria has different procedures and stages.

Meet these general requirements before applying to obtain Indonesian citizenship

Based on the provisions of Article 9 of the Citizenship Law, the conditions that must be met in order to obtain Indonesian citizenship are as follows:

Has been 18 years old or married;
At the time of submitting an application, it has resided in the territory of the Republic of Indonesia for at least 5 (five) consecutive years or a minimum of 10 consecutive years:
Physically and spiritually healthy;
Able to speak Indonesian and recognize the basic state of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia;
Never been sentenced to a criminal case for committing a criminal offense which is threatened with imprisonment of 1 (one) year or more;
If you obtain Citizenship from the Republic of Indonesia, you do not become a dual citizen;
Having a job and / or permanent income; and
Paying citizenship money to the State Treasury.

Read also: How to Get KTP indonesia

Complete the documents you should attached electronically

Here are quoted from article 5 PERMEN (Ministry rule) No. 36 of 2016 states that in submitting a statement request to become an Indonesian citizen as referred to in Article 4, the Applicant must upload the following documents:

photocopy of the applicant’s birth certificate that has been translated into Indonesian by an official sworn translator and has been legalized by an authorized official
photocopy of identity card or certificate of residence of the Applicant that has been legalized by an authorized official
photocopy of the birth certificate of the Applicant’s husband or wife which has been legalized by the competent authority
photocopy of the identity card of the applicant’s husband or wife that has been legalized by the authorized official
photocopy of marriage certificate / marriage book Applicant from husband or wife who has been translated into Indonesian by an official translator is sworn and legalized by an authorized official
original letter from the immigration office in the applicant’s residence which explains that the Applicant has resided in Indonesia for at least 5 (five) consecutive years or a minimum of 10 (ten) years not in a row; original certificate of police record issued by the current Indonesian National Police Headquarters
original statement from the state representative of the Applicant explaining that if the Applicant obtains the citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia, the concerned person loses his citizenship
original physical and spiritual health certificate from a government hospital
fitting the latest 4 x 6 cm size Applicant’s photo with 6 (six) pieces with a red background, well-dressed and polite
original proof of payment for a statement requesting to become an Indonesian citizen

Foreigners who wish to apply for Indonesian citizenship must complete the complete documents as stated in Article 5 PERMEN (Ministry rule) No. 36 of 2016 and uploaded electronically through the official website of the Directorate General of General Legal Administration. Furthermore, these physical documents must be submitted to the Minister through the Director General of General Legal Administration within a maximum period of 5 (five) days from the date the application is electronically received.