Indonesian Citizen Benefits

[xyz___]

Hello. In a year, I will come to a decision to get an Indonesian citizenship and give up my Philippine citizenship. I just wanna ask what are the benefits of being an Indonesian citizen? What are the things I would be able to do / obtain while staying in Indo as a citizen compared to just holding a KITAP (spouse sponsored).

Thank you in advance.

 

[snpark]

Ironically one of the few countries you would be worse off than better off becoming one of its citizens regarding legal rights etc from marriage, land ownership, etc. Plus the passport isn't that powerful compared to say Singapore (world #1) or maybe even Phils.
If you plan on just living here for rest of your life then plan ahead for any land property purchases etc and marriage 're inheritance etc

 

[Bad_azz]

Hello. In a year, I will come to a decision to get an Indonesian citizenship and give up my Philippine citizenship. I just wanna ask what are the benefits of being an Indonesian citizen? What are the things I would be able to do / obtain while staying in Indo as a citizen compared to just holding a KITAP (spouse sponsored).

Thank you in advance.

It is a personal choice- only you know if you will be better off with Indonesian citizenship.
I ditched UK citizenship - a lot of my decision was for personal reason, and it is really quite embarrassing to be associated with the UK for me- I am not a right wing xenophobe.

Age can be a factor too, it may be cheaper to buy citizenship than to keep paying for the ITAP, remember though the visa is free the MERP has to be renewed every 2 years. A visa can be revoked- it isn't a right, it is a privilege - even the 'lifetime' one. Have you paid into a pension fund, if so are you able to access it if you do change citizenship?
Does your origin country permit you to change back in case you realise you made the wrong decision?

As we have all just seen with COVID and with this Russian attack on Ukraine things can change in a rapid fashion - where would you want to be if borders close/sanctions /shortages etc have an affect?

These are some of the things to consider.
I am now Indonesian and so far I have no regrets however we cannot second guess the future, at some point a decision has to come down to the basic yes or no, & only you can say if it is for you.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

 

[xyz___]

Ironically one of the few countries you would be worse off than better off becoming one of its citizens regarding legal rights etc from marriage, land ownership, etc. Plus the passport isn't that powerful compared to say Singapore (world #1) or maybe even Phils.
If you plan on just living here for rest of your life then plan ahead for any land property purchases etc and marriage 're inheritance etc

This makes sense. Thank you for your input. I’ll take this into consideration

 

[xyz___]

It is a personal choice- only you know if you will be better off with Indonesian citizenship.
I ditched UK citizenship - a lot of my decision was for personal reason, and it is really quite embarrassing to be associated with the UK for me- I am not a right wing xenophobe.

Age can be a factor too, it may be cheaper to buy citizenship than to keep paying for the ITAP, remember though the visa is free the MERP has to be renewed every 2 years. A visa can be revoked- it isn't a right, it is a privilege - even the 'lifetime' one. Have you paid into a pension fund, if so are you able to access it if you do change citizenship?
Does your origin country permit you to change back in case you realise you made the wrong decision?

As we have all just seen with COVID and with this Russian attack on Ukraine things can change in a rapid fashion - where would you want to be if borders close/sanctions /shortages etc have an affect?

These are some of the things to consider.
I am now Indonesian and so far I have no regrets however we cannot second guess the future, at some point a decision has to come down to the basic yes or no, & only you can say if it is for you.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

Those are very helpful things to think of esp those things that are possible to happen in the future. Anyway, as an Indonesian citizen, do you also get those benefits from government like BPJS?

 

[Helpful Herbert]

Main advantages:

-cannot be deported
-can buy land in your name
-can do any kind of work with no permit needed
-can get BPJS
-can pass Indonesian citizenship to kids

 

[Bad_azz]

Main advantages:

-cannot be deported
-can buy land in your name
-can do any kind of work with no permit needed
-can get BPJS
-can pass Indonesian citizenship to kids

*Can do any kind of work one is qualified to do-eg, if you have no proper quals you cannot be a surgeon or a lawyer etc.
Other than that H.Herbert just about covered it.

 

[xyz___]

Main advantages:

-cannot be deported
-can buy land in your name
-can do any kind of work with no permit needed
-can get BPJS
-can pass Indonesian citizenship to kids

Thank you so much for this. This will help me with my decision making

 

[El_Goretto]

Main advantages:

-cannot be deported
-can buy land in your name
-can do any kind of work with no permit needed
-can get BPJS
-can pass Indonesian citizenship to kids

You can also get BPJS on kitas/p.

I'll add to this:

• allows you to vote
• allows you to apply for a loan
• allows you to run for office
• allows you to be a government employee
• opens up a bunch of other professions which are closed to foreigners (HR, medical doctor, etc)
• allows you to open more kinds of companies (PT, CV, UD) without huge capital requirements and access to all fields of business

 

[Helpful Herbert]

You can also get BPJS on kitas/p.

Not on a spouse kitap

 

[Bad_azz]

Not on a spouse kitap

I actually got mine when I was on spouse sponsored ITAP.
I think they changed the rules to stop this just after I got it though- but I am not sure.

 

[Nicho]

*Can do any kind of work one is qualified to do-eg, if you have no proper quals you cannot be a surgeon or a lawyer etc.
Other than that H.Herbert just about covered it.

Sure theres a few ex fisherman , goat keepers practicing as Doctors down here in S/East Java . A quick wave of the forked stick , a hand full of pills out of a draw full and your done . Got a few mechanics that wouldn't get jobs as shit house cleaners in other countries as well . Any qualification is obtainable for the right amount of $$$$

 

[atlantis]

It is a personal choice- only you know if you will be better off with Indonesian citizenship.
I ditched UK citizenship - a lot of my decision was for personal reason, and it is really quite embarrassing to be associated with the UK for me- I am not a right wing xenophobe.

Age can be a factor too, it may be cheaper to buy citizenship than to keep paying for the ITAP, remember though the visa is free the MERP has to be renewed every 2 years. A visa can be revoked- it isn't a right, it is a privilege - even the 'lifetime' one. Have you paid into a pension fund, if so are you able to access it if you do change citizenship?
Does your origin country permit you to change back in case you realise you made the wrong decision?

As we have all just seen with COVID and with this Russian attack on Ukraine things can change in a rapid fashion - where would you want to be if borders close/sanctions /shortages etc have an affect?

These are some of the things to consider.
I am now Indonesian and so far I have no regrets however we cannot second guess the future, at some point a decision has to come down to the basic yes or no, & only you can say if it is for you.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

Great post summing it very well BA.

 

[fastpitch17]

I actually got mine when I was on spouse sponsored ITAP.
I think they changed the rules to stop this just after I got it though- but I am not sure.

I too got mine when on spouse kitas. Still have it on KITAP. On the form their is a section to fill in KITAS/KITAP number. BPJS does have a national number listed on their web site for information. Best to check there first.

 

[Dave70]

Few weeks ago, heard that SIM (driver’s license) renewal requires proof of BPJS enrollment. If spouse-sponsored KITAS/P holders cannot get BPJS (according to @Helpful Herbert), that means, cannot get SIM too.

BTW, a question for @El_Goretto, I understand you are on company-sponsored KITAS/P and you have BPJS (peserta badan usaha) paid by your PT (Rp600.000/month/person). You must have a physical BPJS card, do you also have the digital card on JKN Mobile app? I’m in similar situation like you (on work KITAP), and recently I saw Indonesian colleagues having digital cards, so I tried downloading the same app, but it just won’t work. I was able to register and open the app but no data about my coverage, not even my profile, and of course, no digital card.

 

[pantaiema]

It is a personal choice- only you know if you will be better off with Indonesian citizenship.
I ditched UK citizenship - a lot of my decision was for personal reason, and it is really quite embarrassing to be associated with the UK for me- I am not a right wing xenophobe.

Age can be a factor too, it may be cheaper to buy citizenship than to keep paying for the ITAP, remember though the visa is free the MERP has to be renewed every 2 years. A visa can be revoked- it isn't a right, it is a privilege - even the 'lifetime' one. Have you paid into a pension fund, if so are you able to access it if you do change citizenship?
Does your origin country permit you to change back in case you realise you made the wrong decision?

As we have all just seen with COVID and with this Russian attack on Ukraine things can change in a rapid fashion - where would you want to be if borders close/sanctions /shortages etc have an affect?

These are some of the things to consider.
I am now Indonesian and so far I have no regrets however we cannot second guess the future, at some point a decision has to come down to the basic yes or no, & only you can say if it is for you.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

Very well, assessed Bad_azz. I like the statement "It is a personal choice- only you know .."
For someone else they might be looking from the flip side.

• Travelling with your UK password will give you more access to travel to Visa free entries or visa on arrival.
• Free National Insurance Service NHS coverage., where you get free medication, Lifetime medication, free major health services such as major operation which might cost you a fortune or even can not effort to pay.
• Access to state benefit, housing benefit. If you are out of work you get free universal credit, housing benefit
• Access to state pension. Everyone with enough NI contribution over 65 (or 67 in the future) will get state benefit. They could also apply for housing benefit. Lifetime healthcare if needed.
• Exposure to multi assests to invest from well known individual US, UK, EU, JP, Asian stocks, Chinese ADR, cryptos, commodities.
• Not to mention More democratic, more freedom of expression without fear of detention. For some people these are the esteem features.

Indonesia does not allow dual nationalities but the UK allows multi nationalities. So people could still reclaim their UK nationality in the future. Not sure about this, please shed the light ??

So I guess the crux here is that where do you intent to make your own home from now until you drop ? Noone has a crystal ball so you will never know whether you have made the right or the wrong decision.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

You do not get access to the NHS as a British citizen living permanently abroad. (same for benefits).

You get your UK state pension even if you gave up your British citizenship. It's based on contributions not citizenship.

You can reclaim the British citizenship again, but you need to show a justification (eg leaving Indonesia permanently) and I don't think the process is that easy.

 

[Bad_azz]

You can reclaim the British citizenship again, but you need to show a justification (eg leaving Indonesia permanently) and I don't think the process is that easy.

It is a one time only thing to change back and they state that it is available for those with valid reason such as countries that do not allow dual citizenship.

 

[Bad_azz]

Very well, assessed Bad_azz. I like the statement "It is a personal choice- only you know .."
For someone else they might be looking from the flip side.

• 
  
• Free National Insurance Service NHS coverage., where you get free medication, Lifetime medication, free major health services such as major operation which might cost you a fortune or even can not effort to pay. Not free- we have to pay in to it for life unless so poor we need foodbanks and charity to survive. Prescriptions are only free for certain groups. Basic meds in Indonesia are generally much cheaper.
• Access to state benefit, housing benefit. If you are out of work you get free universal credit, housing benefit. Access to any type of benefit nowadays is a humiliating experience from 1st hand accounts I have heard. For those out of work , the benefits are not free, they have to have already paid into the pot. I am not all that up to date on benefits - things change over time and I haven't been there for almost a decade. I would not expect that anyone living on UK benefits would even be in Indonesia in the 1st instance.
• Access to state pension. Everyone with enough NI contribution over 65 (or 67 in the future) will get state benefit. They could also apply for housing benefit. Lifetime healthcare if needed. State pension is the recipients' own money, paid in & as already stated- available. Lifetime healthcare: Indonesia has the BPJS system now so healthcare is very much subsidized if not quite free here.
• Exposure to multi assets to invest from well known individual US, UK, EU, JP, Asian stocks, Chinese ADR, cryptos, commodities. Not quite sure what you mean, I have cryptos though.
  Exposure to violent /racial abuse in the streets for my spouse in UK perhaps.
• Not to mention More democratic, more freedom of expression without fear of detention. For some people these are the esteem features. Bills the Tories pass take away democratic freedoms from what I read.

Indonesia does not allow dual nationalities but the UK allows multi nationalities. So people could still reclaim their UK nationality in the future. Not sure about this, please shed the light ??

So I guess the crux here is that where do you intent to make your own home from now until you drop ? Noone has a crystal ball so you will never know whether you have made the right or the wrong decision.

Thank you

 

[pantaiema]

It is a one time only thing to change back and they state that it is available for those with valid reason such as countries that do not allow dual citizenship.

I wonder how did the UK government know that you have renounced your UK citizenship if you do not tell them ?? AFAIK there is no requirement from the UK government that you have to tell them (please correct it).

When you applied for the Indonesian citizenship did the Indonesian government ask you a confirmation letter from the British Embassy ??