Annisa Dina Amalia, Monika Winarnita and Charlotte Setijadi – The Indonesian government has recently introduced an alternative to dual citizenship for Indonesian diasporic communities: Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI).
Officially launched in January 2026 by the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, GCI is a visa that grants the benefits of permanent residency to former Indonesian citizens and their descendants. It is modelled on India's Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme, which has attracted around 4 million people of Indian origin.
The Indonesian initiative, however, has met with scepticism. As of 11 February 2026, only 11 people have applied for it. While it may be too early to assess the program's success, the media have reported divided reactions among the Indonesian diaspora, with many saying the program does not offer them any real benefits.
For example, Stefanus Leo, a 50-year-old Australian of Indonesian descent in Melbourne, considered retiring to Indonesia to care for his ageing parents in Jakarta. However, he was deterred by the USD2,100 application fee plus the mandatory minimum investment commitment of USD5,000, and the fact that GCI does not grant Hak Kepemilikan Tanah (freehold land rights), meaning he could not inherit the family property.
Having relinquished Indonesian citizenship after finishing his studies in order to gain global mobility as an Australian, GCI simply offered Leo little practical benefit.
The long quest for dual nationality
It is difficult to estimate the exact number of Indonesians worldwide due to diverging criteria of diaspora across various data sources. However, the government estimates that around 8 million members of the Indonesian diaspora are located across 65 countries, with 4.6 million maintaining Indonesian citizenship, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Like Leo, many diasporic Indonesians feel that the government sees them only as a source of revenue, ignoring their long lobbying for dual citizenship rights.
The dual citizenship movement gained some momentum in 2006, when KPC-Melati (Mixed Marriage Families through a Mother's Hand), a lobbying group with members in 23 countries, successfully secured dual citizenship rights for children under 18.
The Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN), established in 2013 with over 60 chapters worldwide, including in the state of Victoria, Australia, has since taken on the dual citizenship lobbying role.
When the organisation was created over 14 years ago, the IDN wanted to embrace individuals like Leo. It aims to mobilise Indonesians living overseas to give back to the homeland and dispel the stigma that those living abroad are disloyal.
It held its first congress in the United States in 2012, with the support of then-Indonesian Ambassador to the US Dino Patti Djalal.
At its congress in Jakarta a year later, IDN notably included Indonesia's 'historical' diasporas, such as the Javanese Suriname community (who migrated in 1890), and the South African Cape Malays, descended from Makassarese exiles who arrived in 1626.
The significance of cultural citizenship
The historical diaspora's participation in IDN exemplifies what anthropologist Renato Rosaldo calls 'cultural citizenship' – a sense of belonging beyond legal status. Across generations, these communities have adapted and re-created hybrid identities that combine homeland traditions with those of their countries of settlement.
The GCI could be seen as enabling those who practise this form of Indonesian cultural citizenship to be officially recognised without changing Indonesia's dual citizenship rights beyond what they are now: children can hold two citizenships until they reach the age of 21. Under Law 12 of 2006 on Citizenship they have a 3 year grace period from when they legally become an adult at 18 to decide which citizenship to keep before Indonesian citizenship automatically expires at the age of 21.
The political action of KPC Melati members in successfully lobbying for dual citizenship rights for children of mixed marriages in 2006 is also a form of cultural citizenship. These women may or may not have given up their Indonesian citizenship but, either way, are still actively engaged in the politics of their homeland, feeling a 'cultural' affinity with Indonesia.
KPC Melati's political lobbying changed Indonesia's citizenship laws from jus sanguinis (by paternal descent only) to jus solis (by place of birth of either parent). They argued the jus sanguinis system, inherited from Dutch colonial law, privileged paternal descent and denied Indonesian mothers equal rights to pass citizenship to their children.
Half-hearted initiatives
Previous government initiatives to respond to the diaspora included the Diaspora Desk (2013) and the Overseas Indonesian Card (KMILN) in 2017. In 2026, the government also created a dedicated directorate for diaspora affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which represents a step towards formulating a grand strategy and roadmap for diaspora engagement.
Yet many in the diaspora, particularly those without Indonesian passports, feel these initiatives, including GCI, do not address core concerns such as property rights, political participation, and full recognition of their enduring ties to Indonesia.
Second- and third-generation Indonesian diaspora members, such as the Javanese in Suriname, maintain a cultural identity and a sense of belonging to Indonesia as 'cultural citizens'. Many, like the members of KPC Melati, aspire to contribute to the country's development, regardless of whether they intend to reside in or return to Indonesia.
But those who do want to return want more rights, including the right to inherit family property. For them, the GCI is nowhere near enough. They want Indonesia to take the obvious next step and give them the same sort of dual citizenship that so many other countries allow.
Sadly, it seems unlikely that the government will allow dual citizenship for adults any time soon.