Shifting Citizenship Norms in Indonesia: An Analysis of the 2006 Dual Citizenship Law

Maria Sora Yoshimura Keytimu, Dr. Randy Wirasta Nandyatama, S.I.P., M.Sc.

2026 | Skripsi | Ilmu Hubungan Internasional

This study examines the political and institutional dynamics behind Indonesia’s 2006 Citizenship Law reform through the theoretical lens of the Norm Life Cycle framework. The study looks into how Indonesia's changing legal system has selectively embraced, contested, and institutionalised international human rights standards, especially those that deal with gender equality, statelessness, and transnational identity. While norm entrepreneurs, including civil society groups and reformist officials, successfully framed the need for dual citizenship in accordance with Indonesia's constitutional amendments and international legal obligations, the resulting reformed law represented a strategic compromise. Law No. 12 of 2006, which reflected long-standing nationalist concerns over loyalty and sovereignty, maintained the single-citizenship principle for adults while granting limited dual citizenship to children of mixed-nationality marriages. Although the reform represented a step towards harmonising domestic law with international standards, the difficulties in transforming legal change into long-lasting practice are evident in its uneven implementation, which was brought on by institutional inertia, bureaucratic fragmentation, and poor interagency coordination. Indonesia's citizenship reform exemplifies a larger pattern of norm localisation, in which global standards are filtered through domestic political interests and institutional logics. This study contributes to understanding how postcolonial states such as Indonesia interact with international norms as strategic actors attempting to balance domestic priorities with global expectations rather than as passive recipients by placing the reform within larger discussions on sovereignty, state identity, and norm diffusion.

This study examines the political and institutional dynamics behind Indonesia’s 2006 Citizenship Law reform through the theoretical lens of the Norm Life Cycle framework. The study looks into how Indonesia's changing legal system has selectively embraced, contested, and institutionalised international human rights standards, especially those that deal with gender equality, statelessness, and transnational identity. While norm entrepreneurs, including civil society groups and reformist officials, successfully framed the need for dual citizenship in accordance with Indonesia's constitutional amendments and international legal obligations, the resulting reformed law represented a strategic compromise. Law No. 12 of 2006, which reflected long-standing nationalist concerns over loyalty and sovereignty, maintained the single-citizenship principle for adults while granting limited dual citizenship to children of mixed-nationality marriages. Although the reform represented a step towards harmonising domestic law with international standards, the difficulties in transforming legal change into long-lasting practice are evident in its uneven implementation, which was brought on by institutional inertia, bureaucratic fragmentation, and poor interagency coordination. Indonesia's citizenship reform exemplifies a larger pattern of norm localisation, in which global standards are filtered through domestic political interests and institutional logics. This study contributes to understanding how postcolonial states such as Indonesia interact with international norms as strategic actors attempting to balance domestic priorities with global expectations rather than as passive recipients by placing the reform within larger discussions on sovereignty, state identity, and norm diffusion.

Kata Kunci : Indonesia, Sovereignty, Norm Diffusion, International Human Rights Law, Citizenship Politics, Dual Nationality, Nationalism, Norm Life Cycle