Indonesia’s Citizenship Procedures Are Changing: What Applicants Should Prepare Before December 2026

TL;DR

Indonesia has issued a consolidated regulation covering citizenship services.

---

The Facts

Indonesia has issued a consolidated regulation covering citizenship services. For foreign residents and mixed-nationality families, the practical starting point is identifying the correct application route and checking its requirements.

Permenkum No. 15/2026 brings previously separate procedures into one framework. It covers naturalisation, other citizenship services and citizenship-status matters. The BPK legal database lists 20 December 2026 as its effective date. However, Article 129 states that it takes effect three months after promulgation, while the signed document records promulgation on 21 September. Applicants should confirm the operative date before relying on a filing deadline. BPK regulation record

Different routes require different preparation

The regulation distinguishes ordinary naturalisation from applications based on marriage to an Indonesian citizen.

For the marriage route, Article 13 specifies an ongoing marriage that has lasted at least five years. The supporting-document provisions separately require evidence of residence in Indonesia for five consecutive years or ten non-consecutive years. Marriage duration and residence history therefore need separate checks.

The ordinary and marriage-based routes also include language evidence and substantive assessment. Requirements from these routes should not automatically be applied to children’s citizenship or status-confirmation cases. Regulation text, Articles 3–17

Language requirements need precise wording

The regulation specifies an Indonesian-language proficiency certificate with the Unggul designation for the two routes discussed above. Unggul is not the highest UKBI level: the official scale places Sangat Unggul and Istimewa above it. Describing the requirement as “the highest language-test level” would be misleading. Official UKBI proficiency levels

Existing applications need a transition review

Article 127 preserves earlier procedures for specified applications submitted before promulgation. Applicants should not assume that every application filed before December automatically receives the same treatment. Regulation text, Article 127

For families preparing a file, a useful first step is to organise marriage records, residence evidence, identity documents and previous application receipts into one chronology. That makes inconsistencies easier to identify before translations, certifications or tests are arranged.

This is a citizenship-services development. Visa and residence-permit planning should remain a separate part of the family’s preparation.

Primary Source

Exa: thebalitimes.com

---