9 Things That Can Cause Loss of Indonesian Citizenship
Citizenship status is an important aspect for every citizen to possess. A person who does not have citizenship does not have rights that can be defended by the state. As a citizen, you must also ensure that your citizenship remains attached to you.
Moreover, losing citizenship is something that can happen to individuals who violate citizenship regulations. Therefore, knowing the things that can cause citizenship status to be lost is important to understand.
The article that regulates citizenship is Article 23 of the Indonesian Law No. 12/2006 on Citizenship. This article explains several rules that can cause an Indonesian citizen to lose their citizenship.
Here are some points that can cause someone to lose their citizenship.
Obtaining Another Citizenship Voluntarily
A person can lose their citizenship if they obtain another citizenship voluntarily.
Not Rejecting Another Citizenship
Citizenship is non-compulsory; if someone has dual citizenship and does not reject one of their citizenships, even though they can reject it, this can cause them to lose their citizenship.
Declared to Have Lost Citizenship
A person's citizenship can be lost if it is declared lost by the president upon their own request. Provided that the person is at least eighteen years old or married and resides abroad. And with the declaration of loss of Indonesian citizenship, the person does not become stateless.
Becoming a Foreign Soldier
An Indonesian citizen can lose their citizenship if they enter the service of a foreign army without prior permission from the president.
Voluntarily Entering Foreign Military Service
Similar to the previous point, a person can lose their citizenship if they voluntarily enter foreign military service. The positions in that service in Indonesia, according to the provisions of legislation, can only be held by Indonesian citizens.
Taking an Oath
A person who voluntarily takes an oath or pledge to a foreign country or part of that foreign country can lose their citizenship.
Participating in State Elections
An Indonesian citizen who is not required to, but participates in elections of something that has a state nature for a foreign country may be at risk of losing their citizenship.
Holding a Foreign Passport
A passport is an important document that can indicate a person's citizenship identity. By holding a foreign passport, an Indonesian citizen can lose their citizenship. And of course, on the condition that the passport is genuine from a foreign country, not a fake passport.
Residing Outside Indonesia for a Long Period
An Indonesian citizen who resides outside Indonesia for five consecutive years not in the context of state service and without valid reasons, and intentionally does not provide a statement of desire to remain an Indonesian citizen before the five-year period ends. And every subsequent five years, if that person does not submit a statement to want to remain an Indonesian citizen to the representative of the Republic of Indonesia, they can lose their citizenship.
As long as a person is not in one or more of the situations above, they still retain their Indonesian citizenship. And as an Indonesian citizen, it is mandatory to comply with and not violate these rules to remain an Indonesian citizen.
If you are interested in changing citizenship, it can be done by transferring citizenship through the established procedures, not by violating the citizenship regulations.
Author: Iskael
