The Polemic Surrounding the British Passport of the Child of DS: The Director General of AHU Confirms that the Child's Status is Still Indonesian
The Director General of General Legal Administration (AHU), Widodo, affirmed that the child of Dwi Sasetyaningtyas (DS), an alumnus of the LPDP scholarship program, remains an Indonesian citizen if referring to the applicable principles of citizenship law.
Widodo explained that the UK, as DS’s country of domicile, does not adhere to the ‘ius soli’ system or automatic citizenship based on place of birth. Consequently, citizenship status is not automatically granted even if the child is born in that territory.
“If it does not adhere to the place of birth and also does not have a lineage, then the lineage is an Indonesian citizen, in that place, he is not recognized, meaning the child’s status is an Indonesian citizen,” said Widodo during a press conference in Jakarta, Thursday.
He added that, from the perspective of the child’s young age, the child is not yet at the stage of independently determining their citizenship status. In this context, Widodo believes there is a potential violation of the child’s rights.
“This is certainly a lesson for all of us, especially since the Child Protection Law does not allow forcing anything on the rights of the child, meaning the parents are too intervening in their child,” he said.
Based on information gathered by the Directorate General of AHU, DS and her husband are Indonesian citizens who are pursuing postgraduate studies abroad through the LPDP program. With the principle of citizenship based on lineage or ‘ius sanguinis,’ a child born from their marriage automatically has the status of an Indonesian citizen.
However, regarding DS’s upload stating that her child has a British passport, the Directorate General of AHU will conduct further confirmation. This is because, until now, DS has not coordinated with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights regarding her child’s citizenship status.
“Of course, this raises the question of whether the child was indeed born there, in the UK? While the UK is one of the countries that does not adhere to ‘ius soli,’ it is not based on the place of birth,” he said.
The Directorate General of AHU will also communicate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Embassy to ensure the child’s citizenship status.
“Is it just a statement on social media, or is it a formal legal intention expressed to relate to the status of the child?” said Widodo.
This polemic began with DS’s upload on her personal Instagram account on February 20, 2026. In the video, the LPDP alumnus showed her second child’s passport, which she claimed had obtained British citizenship.
In the caption of the upload, DS wrote a statement that then sparked controversy. The statement was considered to belittle access to Indonesian passports and was deemed not to show pride in being an Indonesian citizen. (Antara/I-1)