House Supports Govt Tightening of Foreign National Naturalization Procedures

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) fully supports the government's decisive steps to tighten the naturalization process for foreign nationals to become Indonesian citizens. It considered the policy crucial for protecting national assets and preventing the misuse of citizenship status for property and land ownership.

A House member, Willy Aditya, emphasized that the government must have clear and comprehensive regulations. He stated that granting Indonesian citizen status should not be based solely on practical reasons such as athlete status, investment, or marriage.

"Becoming a citizen is not just a utilitarian matter of becoming an athlete, investing, getting married, or even owning assets. Someone who chooses to become an Indonesian citizen must be aware and willing to fully integrate themselves, not only with their legal status, but also with their culture, social values, and Pancasila (Indonesia's five basic values) philosophy," Willy said in a press release, as quoted from dpr.go.id on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

Willy compared the naturalization process in several other countries that have strict standards. Australia, for example, requires a long residency period, tax contributions, and a cultural integration test. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, applicants must live for several years and undergo a direct evaluation by the local community regarding their level of cultural assimilation.

He also emphasized the importance of oversight to ensure that Indonesian citizenship is not exploited to control strategic resources. Therefore, he emphasized that the government must no longer allow coastal areas to be controlled by naturalized Indonesian citizens who disregard national interests, and must prevent the country from suffering social and economic losses due to a lax citizenship process.

This support is a response to a statement by the country's Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas. He previously announced plans to tighten the rules for regular naturalization.

Supratman on Friday, August 7, 2026, said that the government found indications that a number of naturalization applications were submitted by foreign nationals who already had businesses in Indonesia without including their immediate family members. Therefore, he emphasized his commitment to ensuring that applications for Indonesian citizenship are not solely for securing business assets or acquiring land ownership rights in Indonesia.