I'm seeking some information on how to get indonedian citizenship.
To answer some questions one might have.... Why? Because this is home, I don't like having to do business awkwardly due to my citizenship, and...a whole bunch of other headaches would be relieved. If I want to move back to the USA some day, then I'll deal with it. No, I don't want to change my citizenship because of Trump or US politics. I migrated to Indonesia. It is home and will be likely till I get old and die from eating street food.
Quick stats:
Married to WNI for 8+ years
Currently on KITAP (on 2nd year)
Previously on KITAS for 5 years with no breaks or exit only permit.
Mid-November will be 7 years total on KITAS/KITAP, Was on sosbud for 2 months prior to getting KITAS.
Does anyone have a good source for information on how to gain Indonesian citizenship? Otherwise options I think are go knocking at imigrasi or find an immigration lawyer.
Your first stop is not at Imigrasi but at the Kanwil (
divisi pelayanan hukum dan HAM, this is a different divisi dan the keimigrasian one) which is the representant of the Ministry of Justice and Human rights at provincial level. In fact, Kantor Imigrasi has little to do with it, save for an important document which is the SKIM. All citizenship matters are the privilege of the Direktorat Administrasi Hukum Umum which is a branch of the Ministry of Justice, and they will be the one handling the whole procedure.
I will try to give you a quick overview of the procedure below. however, double check it because there is quite some times I didn't take a look for an update on the procedure or regulation.
Your first step is a letter (obviously in Bahasa Indonesia) stating you want to gain Indonesian citizenship (Permohonan pendaftaran kewarganegaraan melalui pernyataan) and including:
Your name,
Place and date of birth,
Present citizenship,
Name of your Indonesian spouse,
Place and date of birth of your Indonesian spouse,
You will have to join legalized photocopies of your birth certificate, KTP OA, passport and KITAP, legalized photocopies of the birth certificate and KTP of your indonesian spouse, legalized photocopies of your akta perkawinan or buku nikah (whichever is relevant).
You will have to prove that you have either a job or an income (pension is OK, revenue from term deposit in bank are OK...etc).
You will have to apply for a SKIM to the Kantor Imigrasi. It is the document which states you have resided in Indonesia for at least 5 uninterrupted years or 10 years with breaks in your residency permit. Imigrasi has been known to
sometimes be a pain in the neck to issue this document. They may ask a photocopy of your past KITASes and ITASes, photocopies of your visa when you last enter in Indonesia...etc. Don't worry, they will find the document you haven't kept and will ask for it. For all friends I know who went through the procedure, I can't remember any for which it has been simple and straightforward to get the SKIM. Expect some delay here but if it's too long, contact the Kanwil to complain. Anyway, think about it: Imigrasi officers know it's the last time they may have a grip on you.
Your next step will be a visit to your POLDA office to get a SKCK (a certificate saying that you have been a good boy for the time you have been here). This is a bit like a lottery. I have friends who got their SKCK without hassles and others who had to fight hard not to get extorted. Here again keep in mind that cops know why you want the SKCK and why it is important for you.
You can do all the above concurrently, not necessarily one after the other.
When all documents will be complete you will go through at least one interview with a bunch of officials from various agencies. They are usually cool if they detect you are genuinely caring about the country. I know around 10 people who went through or are going through the whole procedure in the past 5 or 6 years. Out of them only 1 reported that during the interview the officials were "difficult". However,, considering the personality of said applicant, I can't blame the officials. I won't say more. The other applicants I know reported that it was formal but convivial with even moments of laughters.
During the whole process you may be visited by officials (Intelkam for example) who may interview family, neighbors, pak RT...etc to find out what breed of applicant you are.
During the formal interview, you will very probably be asked to sing the national anthem, asked formal questions about your reasons, checked if you know a bit of Indonesian history and heroes, questioned on the Pancasila and the UUD and very probably asked your opinion about religion (all friends I have been guiding through the procedure or that I have been in contact with, got questions about religion). This is pretty ceremonial and if you are an atheist or an agnostic, if you don't believe that Pancasila is the most wonderful philosophy, it is the time to lie about it). Obviously a fair command of bahasa Indonesia is preferable but I know some people who had only a basic command of Bahasa Indonesia and still went through.
At the end of the procedure and just before being granted Indonesian citizzenship, you will have to submit a document from your embassy stating that you will relinquish your citizenship upon becoming Indonesian.
Sorry, if the above is not clear. Had a long day and little time for the forum. However feel free to ask questions. I will keep an eye on the thread.
