Ex-WNI Entering Indonesia with Foreign Passport

[Quack990]

Hi all,

I was born and raised in Indonesia until around my twenties, in which I moved to Canada to continue my career and education. Long story short, I enjoyed living here and has finally obtained a Canadian citizenship.

Unfortunately, I understand that Indonesia does not allow its citizen to own a dual nationality. My Indonesian passport has also expired, since I do not intend to use it anymore.

From my understanding, my Indonesian passport is considered invalid since I have obtained another nationality. It has also expired anyway.

However, I have never renounced my Indonesian citizenship/hand my green passport to the embassy and I intend to visit Indonesia by the end of this year. Will this give me problem at the airport? I will line up as a foreigner and apply for VOA, of course.

Thanks in advance!

 

[snpark]

No it won't, just enter as a foreigner / tourist using the passport of the citizenship you have
Use the Canadian passport

Yes dual nationality is not permissible

 

[dafluff]

Hi all,

I was born and raised in Indonesia until around my twenties, in which I moved to Canada to continue my career and education. Long story short, I enjoyed living here and has finally obtained a Canadian citizenship.

Unfortunately, I understand that Indonesia does not allow its citizen to own a dual nationality. My Indonesian passport has also expired, since I do not intend to use it anymore.

From my understanding, my Indonesian passport is considered invalid since I have obtained another nationality. It has also expired anyway.

However, I have never renounced my Indonesian citizenship/hand my green passport to the embassy and I intend to visit Indonesia by the end of this year. Will this give me problem at the airport? I will line up as a foreigner and apply for VOA, of course.

Thanks in advance!

From now on just treat it as if you no longer have Indonesian citizenship. Leave your Indonesian passport (and KTP) in Canada and enter with your Canadian passport and VOA. Never heard of anyone having a problem doing this, unless they're crazy and whip out both passports (has happened!).

The problem that could arise is if you appear to have two valid citizenships (by immigration often interpreted as having valid passports from Indonesia and another country, although this is not strictly the same).

 

[Quack990]

Thanks for all of the reply! Appreciated!

 

[SamR]

Never heard of anyone having a problem doing this, unless they're crazy and whip out both passports (has happened!).

Speaking of the possibility of having two passports, there is anecdotal evidence that the authorities are getting better at tracking these things.

My uncle has a family friend who is an ex-WNI/Aussie Citizen. This family friend was recently on a trip to Sydney and when he was checking in at Sydney Airport to depart for Jakarta at the self-check in counter, the self-check in machine told him to stay for "additional verification of travel documents". The airline check-in person then came over and asked some extra questions. This family friend went through the verification just fine but said that in addition to being asked to show his Kitas, he was also specifically asked whether he had "one passport or two passports" with him (and he thanked the heavens he didn't buy into the "two passports trick" that people suggested when they knew he's taken on the citizenship of another country).

Unless there's some new security measure implemented during the pandemic, I can't imagine this is something an airline would go to the trouble of making sure. Forget about waiting to get caught at Soetta Immigration, they're on to you all the way at the check in counter when you depart.

First time I ever heard this kind of story, but I wonder if there are similar stories elsewhere.

 

[pantaiema]

Speaking of the possibility of having two passports, there is anecdotal evidence that the authorities are getting better at tracking these things.

My uncle has a family friend who is an ex-WNI/Aussie Citizen. This family friend was recently on a trip to Sydney and when he was checking in at Sydney Airport to depart for Jakarta at the self-check in counter, the self-check in machine told him to stay for "additional verification of travel documents". The airline check-in person then came over and asked some extra questions. This family friend went through the verification just fine but said that in addition to being asked to show his Kitas, he was also specifically asked whether he had "one passport or two passports" with him (and he thanked the heavens he didn't buy into the "two passports trick" that people suggested when they knew he's taken on the citizenship of another country).

Unless there's some new security measure implemented during the pandemic, I can't imagine this is something an airline would go to the trouble of making sure. Forget about waiting to get caught at Soetta Immigration, they're on to you all the way at the check in counter when you depart.

First time I ever heard this kind of story, but I wonder if there are similar stories elsewhere.

If he was an ex-WNI born in Indonesia, it does not need a sophisticated tracking system to find out that he is an ex-WNI. Keep in mind they could easily see the city he were born from the passport ID page.

 

[pantaiema]

From my understanding, my Indonesian passport is considered invalid since I have obtained another nationality. It has also expired anyway.

However, I have never renounced my Indonesian citizenship/hand my green passport to the embassy and I intend to visit Indonesia by the end of this year. Will this give me problem at the airport? I will line up as a foreigner and apply for VOA, of course.

Thanks in advance!

Invalid ? Yes as it is already expire.
Unless you are in living in the country where dual citizenship are not allowed such as Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, China, Singapore, etc; it is not a requirement to hand over your old passport.
Ignorance, as they say is usually fatal, but sometimes it can be a bliss. Eoin Colfer

However, I have never renounced my Indonesian citizenship/hand my green passport to the embassy and I intend to visit Indonesia by the end of this year. Will this give me problem at the airport? I will line up as a foreigner and apply for VOA, of course.

You are not doing something illegal, why would it become a problem ? But you will never know what you will be facing, as Indonesian civil servants and their superiors are highly unpredictable. So take that with a grain of salt.
But for a piece of mind, I personally know a few ex-WNIs have done that multiples times.

 

[Teabag]

Hi all,

I was born and raised in Indonesia until around my twenties, in which I moved to Canada to continue my career and education. Long story short, I enjoyed living here and has finally obtained a Canadian citizenship.

Unfortunately, I understand that Indonesia does not allow its citizen to own a dual nationality. My Indonesian passport has also expired, since I do not intend to use it anymore.

From my understanding, my Indonesian passport is considered invalid since I have obtained another nationality. It has also expired anyway.

However, I have never renounced my Indonesian citizenship/hand my green passport to the embassy and I intend to visit Indonesia by the end of this year. Will this give me problem at the airport? I will line up as a foreigner and apply for VOA, of course.

Thanks in advance!

No problem at all, just keep your old WNI passport in Canada at a save place and also a copy of your kartu keluarga.

One day you'll be old and may want to retire in Indonesia as an EX-WNI, so you need proof of your former Indonesian citizenship to get KITAP right away.

 

[jukung11]

Speaking of the possibility of having two passports, there is anecdotal evidence that the authorities are getting better at tracking these things.

My uncle has a family friend who is an ex-WNI/Aussie Citizen. This family friend was recently on a trip to Sydney and when he was checking in at Sydney Airport to depart for Jakarta at the self-check in counter, the self-check in machine told him to stay for "additional verification of travel documents". The airline check-in person then came over and asked some extra questions. This family friend went through the verification just fine but said that in addition to being asked to show his Kitas, he was also specifically asked whether he had "one passport or two passports" with him (and he thanked the heavens he didn't buy into the "two passports trick" that people suggested when they knew he's taken on the citizenship of another country).

Unless there's some new security measure implemented during the pandemic, I can't imagine this is something an airline would go to the trouble of making sure. Forget about waiting to get caught at Soetta Immigration, they're on to you all the way at the check in counter when you depart.

First time I ever heard this kind of story, but I wonder if there are similar stories elsewhere.

Yes. There were policy changes that are behind this and it is not just anecdotal. Indonesia has entered information sharing agreements with the EU for the common reporting standard and the U.S. department of homeland security for immigration and citizenship information sharing. It has taken a while to implement and information to flow, but it is.

DHS, Indonesian National Police sign information-sharing agreement

Assistant Secretary Bersin signed the document on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signifying the U.S. government’s commitment to enhancing and strengthening the bi-lateral fight against transnational crime.

www.ice.gov

Airlines can be fined up to €10,000 for each passenger they board with incorrect documentation. They are required to collect a lot of information at time of booking. With modern databases it is easy to flag any inconsistency. As an example, if the date of birth, address, phone #, name, email address and/or any other contact information matches 2 different passports in their system, it is a red flag to investigate. They are obligated to tell the governments they are leaving and arriving to about the passengers they are carrying.

Document verification travel trouble | Airlines.

airlines.iata.org