Job Discussion Forums

beefer · Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 238 Location: java

does anyone out there know if the new changes to the status of children born to inter-racial parents have taken place already?...both my wife and i have contacted numerous sources and all seem to have a wide variety of answers ( big surprise). i've heard everything from, "no mister, still long time, but you give me deposit now and i process quickly"( hmmmmm, no)...to," sudah mister..ya...sudaaaaah"...(hmmmmmm, not too sure about this guy)... and the embassy gives the response of, " we suggest that you contact your local immigration office for the current status of the topic you are inquiring about" ......(thanks for......nothing)....and this is where the circle begins again.

does anyone actually know if these changes have taken place yet or not? or even just a web address where i could find the answer myself?

thanks in advance

drgonzo · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 82

check out www.jakchat.com
the owner of that page also runs an immigration consulting company... http://okusi.net/... the owner is a Brit, I think, and seems to be quite knowledgeable on these sorts of things.

drgonzo · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 82

Even better... I found the link to the discussion that you need: http://www.jakchat.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/35069/page/1#Post35069

rayman · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 427

A friend is in the process of applying for it in Jakarta now. Apparently, the application process is also free of charge.

There's also a discussion about this on www.expat.or.id. Just go to the 'marriage' forum.

beefer · Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 238 Location: java

thanks a bunch, appreciate the replies

PlasticPill · Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 51 Location: usa

Ahh, a topic I actually started months ago. Never got a straight answer either, but it seems that if an Indonesian women marries a foreigner, the kids are treated as such. However, if an Indonesian man marries a foreigner, then the kids can get citizenship. Silly, no? I thought so.

Ofcourse, I've heard exceptions. If the woman doesn't claim the father, then the kids can get citizenship. I've also heard that there are more changes that are still being worked on ((As the previous linked thread mentioned)).

In the end, it seemed like they only wanted to favor the children from marriages of Indonesian men with foreign women, and not Indonesian women with foreign men.

rayman · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 427

At present, if an Indonesian woman marries a foreign man, the offspring can obtain the citizenship of both parents. According to the newly introduced Indonesian law, when the child reaches the age of 18, dual citizenship ceases to exist and they must select one nationality. This of course could be overcome if the other nationality acknowledges dual citizenship. For example, if the father is Australian, the baby takes Indonesian and Australian citizenship. When the offspring reaches 18, they inform the Indonesian government they wish to keep the Indonesian citizenship. The Indonesian government then ceases to acknowledge the child as an Australian citizen. Yet the Australian government will continue to do so. So, effectively, dual citizenship, in this situation, can be obtained for life.

rayman · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 427

Here's the article. It was printed on November 22nd, 2006. My understanding since then is as I said above.

http://www.expat.or.id/info/dualcitizenshipchildren.html

xsbir · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 81 Location: The Big Durian

I plan to start the process next week. My son's KITAS expires in March. One friend of mine has gone through the process.

Here's another website for info: http://www.kpcmelati.or.id/home.htm

According to my friend, you get 5 certified copies from source of each of:
-Child's birth certificate
-your marriage certificate
-wife's KTP
-wife's kartu keluarga
-6 4X6 pics of the child
-registration form- in Jakarta call Iwan at 02108090704
-letter that from you and wife that your child is not married!
-letter of request for dual citizenship
-you and your child's passports

Apparently then it takes two months to process. Official fees about Rp400,000; unofficial fees another Rp500,000, according to my friend. Will post for all once I've gone through it.

xsbir · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 81 Location: The Big Durian

The Jakarta Office where you apply for dual citizenship is KANTOR WILAYAH DEP. HUKUM DAN HAK ASASI MANUSIA DKI JAKARTA located at Jl. MT. Haryono No. 24 in Cawang. I went there the other day.

All the above information is correct except I was told there that we only need 2 copies of all the above documents and 7 photos of the child. I plan to get 5 certified copies of each anyway. It's better to have too many, and someone else might ask for 5. Good luck.

laughing_magpie06 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 282

My wife is due to give birth very soon and as our child will be born post August 06 we have been told our child doesn't have to register with immigration anymore. However other websites seem to suggest children with foreign fathers still must register within 14 days and obtain a KITAS. All this leaves us utterly confused. Any help with this matter would be most appreciated.

xsbir · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 81 Location: The Big Durian

Here's some important information: if your wife's KTP is not Jakarta KTP your child's application CANNOT be done in Jakarta. It must be done wherever your wife's KTP says she's located. I know this because although we've always lived in Central Jakarta, my wife's KTP is Tangerang. She had to go all the way to Serang in Banten where the department for this is located in order to apply.

For more information see www.depkumham.go.id

Also important: don't let your child's KITAS expire before the dual citizenship is issued. At the end of the process apparently there's some kind of a "ceremony" where the valid KITAS is exchanged for the citizenship. As you can imagine if it's expired there would be some money to pay.

Our son's dual citizenship is in process and we won't know all the costs until it's issued. I will post more then.

Michael_Indonesia · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:52 am Post subject:

Sadly, this is yet another example where there is almost no consistency to the way the law is applied. My wife and I started this process a few months ago at the Jakarta office in Cawang. We were told to get X copies of birth certs, etc., which was expensive and time-consuming since my kids were born in the States.

Then, we were told that, since we live in Tangerang, we had to go all the way to Serang, as someone else mentioned earlier. Since my wife had to go up to Palembang for a visit anyway, she changed her KTP and tried the office there. Amazingly, they didn't need any one of the certified copies we had already gotten and were willing to certify everything (including my passport) then and there. My wife had the entire thing settled in 1 day and we're now just waiting for the results (which is supposed to take 1-3 months)!

The 'uang rokok' was a little higher there - about 500,000 per child - but, had we known earlier that they could certify all the documents on the spot - it would have actually been cheaper.

If you don't live in Jakarta, I recomending calling the office where you live directly. They will give you more accurate answers and you'll know what to expect.

I've also heard that KPC Melati is not always very helpful or reliable, not to mention their services cost much more than doing it yourself. Not to bad-mouth them, because all I have is hearsay and they have been at the fore of even getting this law passed (thanks!), but being patient enough to navigate around the system will save you some cash!

And don't be afraid of resorting to a little KKN. When in Rome!

xsbir · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 81 Location: The Big Durian

GuruStip · Joined: 24 Jun 2004 Posts: 47

Haven't been on here for ages, but thought this might be helpful. We've just been through the process with a newborn (British dad, Indonesian mum).

We messed it up after listening to bad advice and now know the right way to go about things. It's actually pretty simple now - the only problem might be finding people who understand the new law in more remote parts of Indonesia.

Here's a step-by-step:

1a. Make baby.
1b. Deliver baby.

Easy part over. Now pay attention.

2. Unless you are sure about what to do, just get the hospital to process the birth certificate for you. This will cost a bit extra, but will save a whole load of hassle (where we messed up). The certificate will be for the area in which the baby was born - it does NOT need to be the same area as the mum's KTP (which caused our going wrong). The hospital will have an agent who can do it for you. Should take no more than 3 days.
THERE IS A TEN DAY LIMIT FOR THIS PART.

Your baby is now an Indonesian citizen.

3. With printed certificate in hand, get thee to immigration. Again, an agent will help. Make a couple of copies of marriage certificate, passport, KITAS and birth certificate. You will need to turn up with the baby (in a cooperative mood), with originals of all documents. They will take a photo of the baby, and have a quick look at the paperwork, possibly saying something along the lines of "Thank, Mister".
THERE IS A 30-DAY LIMIT FOR THIS PART.

3b. At this point, you may as well get the baby's Indonesian passport done. It looks a bit crappy, but it's a passport.

Indonesia now knows that your baby is an Indonesian citizen. All is legal and OK, until the baby gets to 17 and you need to start the new set of forms. (Will post more details in 2024).

Now, at your leisure, you can go ahead with the other nationality. Immigration do not need you to report again.

Hope this helps others in the future.

Our total costs:
- hospital (caesarian): 12 million.
- birth certificate, agent & fines: 500,000.
- immigration and Indonesian passport: 2.5 million (a bit pricey, I know)