Some Indonesian children were born overseas. Under the new Citizenship Act of 2006, children can hold limited dual citizenship until the age of 18 and 21 to complete their education. In this article, we will show a step-by-step introduction on how to apply for an Indonesian passport for children with dual citizenship in Indonesia.
Eligibility for Dual National Children
If you want your child to obtain an Indonesian passport, he or she must meet the following criteria to become an Indonesian citizen:
- Based on the citizenship requirements of the Republic of Indonesia (2006), your child will have Indonesian citizenship if they were born through legal marriage and at least one of their parents is an Indonesian citizen.
- If your child was born through illegal marriage to a foreign mother, their Indonesian father must publicly declare his natural child. (Before the child turns 18 or gets married.)
- Even if your child was born outside the Republic of Indonesia, they will automatically obtain Indonesian citizenship if their parents are Indonesian.
- Indonesian children born out of illegal marriage (under 18 and unmarried) are legally adopted by a foreign father.
- Indonesian citizens, children under the age of 5, are legally adopted by a foreign national.
- Limited dual citizenship is granted to children up to the age of 18-21. After they marry or turn 18, they must choose a nationality by the time they turn 21. At that time, they must submit a notification to Indonesian immigration stating whether they retain Indonesian citizenship or choose another nationality.
Note:
If Indonesian children with limited dual citizenship were born before August 1, 2006, they must obtain an immigration permit at a local immigration office.
If Indonesian children were born after August 1, 2006, they could hold dual citizenship because they have citizenship from both their Indonesian and foreign parents. Children of Indonesian parents born in other countries that grant Indonesian citizenship by birth (ius soli).
Passport Application Requirements for Dual National Children
Before your child with dual citizenship applies for an Indonesian passport, they must first prepare some necessary documents.
- Must provide a valid Indonesian identity card (KTP asli) or proof of moving abroad.
- Must provide a family register or family card (Kartu Keluarga asli).
- Must provide a birth certificate/diploma/marriage certificate (Akta lahir/Ijazah terakhir/Surat nikah asli) or baptismal certificate. Any of them will be okay.
- Must provide Indonesian citizenship certificate for foreign nationals or submit citizenship certificate in accordance with the law.
- If some children have changed their name, they must provide a name change statement issued by authorized officials.
All the above documents must be copied on A4 paper. Each document should be copied per A4 sheet of paper. Otherwise, your passport application will be refused by the officials because of unqualified documents. Don’t forget to make a list of names, place and date of birth, and parents’ names in the documents. These are the documents you must bring to the immigration office.
Steps to Get an Indonesian Passport for Dual National Children
If you have your documents ready, go to the nearest Indonesian immigration office, which issues passports.
1. Register Yourself Online. (https://www.imigrasi.go.id/en/)
You need to make an appointment and get a queue number by registering online. Or you can get a queue number at the local office, but that wastes a lot of time. When you make an online Indonesian passport queue application, you need to create a new account and fill in some basic information, such as National ID/KTP number, phone number, email address and your home address. Once you have a new account, you can log in to your account and make a queue appointment. Click the “Antrian Paspor” button. Choose the immigration office you want to go to, the available arrival date and preferred time, and the number of applicants.
2. Bring Required Documents
You should arrive at your appointment according to the scheduled date and time. Maybe it is better to get there half an hour early. And remember to bring all the necessary and valid documents that we mentioned above. (Original documents and copies thereof).
3. Complete Required Paperwork
When you arrive at the immigration office, fill out some necessary paperwork while waiting for your number.
Surat Pernyataan Belum Memiliki Paspor Indonesia – state that your child didn’t have an Indonesian passport before.
Surat Persetujuan Orang Tua – state that both parents sign to have a passport for the child.
Surat Pernyataan Belum Pernah Memiliki Paspor Asing – state that your child never had a foreign passport before.
Bring 3 × Meterai Rp 6000 – duty stamps with you. Or you can buy them at immigration.
4. Pay for Passport Application
Yes, you must pay the passport application fee. Currently, fees vary according to your choice.
You must pay IDR 350,000 for a regular non-electronic passport (48 pages);
You must pay IDR 650,000 for a regular electronic passport (48 pages);
Or you can pay IDR 1,000,000 for the same-day expedited passport service, which excludes the passport application fee.
5. Take Photos and Fingerprint Records
You must have your biometric data taken at Imigrasi, recording your fingerprints for the first time. You can have your photos taken at Imigrasi. Or you can take a passport photo yourself and bring 2 passport photos that are printed in compliance. Please follow the general requirements of Indonesian passport photos when you DIY passport photos at home for your children, which help you save a lot of money:
- The passport size photo is 2″ x 2″.
- The photo must be taken within 6 months.
- The background should be plain white or white without pattern or design.
- The photo should be focused and clear, without being too light or too dark.
- Photos must be printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper. And print in color.
- Neutral facial expression, open eyes, no smiles, no glasses.
After you take a photo of your child, it can be difficult for parents to make their passport photo into a compliant one. You can use AiPassportPhotos online photo editor to help you get a qualified passport photo in seconds. It can also turn your baby passport photo into a qualified one, so you don’t need to waste a lot of time taking a photo outside, if your baby can’t behave well in a strange place.
6. Interview
Your children will be interviewed by local officials. The interview is basic. So just answer their questions honestly.
7. Picking up Passport
After verification and adjudication by Immigration, it is quick for you to pick up the passport 3-5 days or up to a maximum of 30 working days.
Other Important Information
There is a priority queue if your child is under 5 years old. So you don’t have to wait for very long at local Immigration.
Currently, minors cannot apply for electronic passports.
If your child already has a foreign passport, you can apply for a dual citizenship affidavit (Affidavit Dwi Kewarganegaraan) to prove their Indonesian citizenship. But you need to pay IDR 400,000 when children attach an affidavit with a passport of another citizenship.
Conclusion
Here you know all the procedures for applying for a child’s passport with dual citizenship. Go get your children ‘s passports and start traveling.
Erin Lo