Minister Tightens Naturalisation Rules to Prevent Foreigners Using Citizenship to Secure Assets
Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas is tightening the naturalisation policy for foreign nationals wishing to become Indonesian citizens (WNI). The move aims to ensure that citizenship applications are based on a genuine desire to be part of Indonesia, rather than merely to secure assets and obtain land ownership rights.
Supratman noted that the Ministry of Law has recently received a significant number of ordinary naturalisation applications. Applicants have come from countries including South Korea, the People’s Republic of China, Middle Eastern nations, and Australia. “I apologise, but for ordinary naturalisation, I am tightening it further,” Supratman said during an event with the Indonesian Chinese Association (INTI) at the Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta, on Friday.
According to Supratman, a concerning phenomenon has emerged in these applications. Several applicants are foreign nationals who are married and run businesses in Indonesia, yet their immediate family members are not applying for Indonesian citizenship. He suspects that in some cases, the applications are potentially aimed solely at securing assets in Indonesia, particularly land ownership with freehold title. “My suspicion is that it is only to secure assets, especially to be able to have freehold ownership in Indonesia, and that is dangerous for all citizens of the Republic of Indonesia,” Supratman stated.
Consequently, Supratman affirmed that the Ministry of Law will conduct stricter verification of the background and seriousness of naturalisation applicants, including their family circumstances. “I must really ensure that the purpose of becoming an Indonesian citizen, for ordinary naturalisation of foreign nationals, is not solely to secure their assets in Indonesia,” he said.
Supratman also revealed that there are at least three ordinary naturalisation applications that he has temporarily not signed. These applications will be forwarded to the President for a decision. “For ordinary naturalisation, I will forward it to the President; the President will determine whether it is approved or not. But for those who are truly serious, who are unmarried, or together with their spouse, we process everything and forward it to the President,” he explained.
He stressed that the policy is not aimed at any specific country or group. The same scrutiny will be applied to all foreign nationals, whether from East Asia, South Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, or other regions. “There is no distinction. All of them, if they are married, we must ensure that they truly want to become Indonesian citizens,” Supratman said.
On a separate note, Supratman confirmed that there will be leniency for children of mixed marriages who are late in determining their citizenship. This policy was introduced because there was previously a time limit for children with dual citizenship to choose their nationality. Supratman said this issue can be resolved through the discretion currently available and that the provisions will be further regulated in the Citizenship Law. “For the first case, it is easy. There used to be an obstacle related to a government regulation that only gave a period of approximately four years. But since I became minister, and hopefully in the Citizenship Law that we will regulate later, for now there is discretion,” Supratman said. He assured that children who are late in choosing their citizenship need not worry about their legal status. “For the first case, please apply, it will definitely be approved. Because it is a choice. The person was late in choosing,” he said. The Ministry of Law will provide further explanation regarding this mechanism through the Directorate of State Administration and the Directorate General of General Legal Administration.