From several immigration enforcement cases, Indonesian immigration officers have processed dozens of Indonesian citizens (WNI) with dual passports, who were willing to relinquish their citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia in support of global mobility. “They know the risks,” but they actually prefer Singaporean or Malaysian passports, with the reason of “visa-free access” to hundreds of countries. The most striking example: an Indonesian expatriate with international social circles is significantly hindered by the visa requirements of the Indonesian passport. With a Singapore passport, he can cross national borders without administrative barriers—migration flows smoothly, business is uninterrupted, investment flows in strongly.
This reality reflects the structural weakness of the Indonesian passport. As of September 2025, the Indonesian passport only provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 73 countries (ranked 65th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index), far behind Malaysia (180 countries, ranked 11th) and the United States (184 countries, ranked 8th). In fact, the strength of a passport is not merely a matter of national prestige, but a catalyst for economic progress to facilitate 80 percent of global trade activities, attract diaspora talent, and open opportunities for education and investment. Without deep reform, Indonesia risks losing its golden generation to neighboring countries, namely talented Indonesian citizens who prefer a “strong passport” to support unrestricted career advancement.
Perhaps, this is the right time for the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections to act; “aggressive diplomacy, legal supremacy, and global branding narratives must become the main literacy to elevate our passport to the level of world expatriates.”
Why do Indonesians willingly lose citizenship for foreign passports? The answer is simple: time is money in the era of globalization. Imagine Indonesian professionals in Silicon Valley, or ASEAN consultants losing weeks to obtain Schengen, Japan, or Australia visas with an Indonesian passport. Every visa rejection means business contracts are lost, promotions are delayed, and potential investments evaporate. World Bank data (2024) shows that countries with strong passports receive 25 percent more FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), due to ease of executive mobility. Singapore and Malaysia understand this—their passports are “golden tickets” for global talent, including former Indonesian citizens.
Indonesia’s rigid dual citizenship policy worsens the situation. Law No. 12 of 2006 on Citizenship requires individuals to choose a single nationality upon adulthood, which pushes highly productive and talented Indonesians to permanently migrate to neighboring countries. The result is quite tragic: Indonesia loses potential tax revenue of IDR 50–100 trillion per year from high-income diaspora (estimates from BPS & Ministry of Finance, 2023). Worse, this brain drain is chronic—10,000 IT professionals and financial experts leave for Singapore every year (Migration Policy Institute, 2024), bringing with them innovation and global networks. When they easily obtain Singaporean passports, Indonesia no longer receives their remittances + diplomatic voice in international forums.
Ironically, this is not about loyalty, but pragmatism. These Indonesians still love Indonesia—they send money to their families, invest in property in Bali—but choose a functional passport for their careers. Without a strong passport, Indonesia merely becomes a spectator in the global economy, not a key player.
Policy reform seems necessary to minimize domestic visa barriers, by considering flexibility in citizenship for strategic talent. Thus, the Indonesian passport will become a competitive weapon—not an administrative burden.
How did Malaysia turn an ordinary passport into a “competitive weapon”? The answer is by using a consistent global narrative. Since 2004, Malaysia has used a commercial approach “Truly Asia”—a model of inclusive cultural branding, destination security, and positioning as a business-friendly ASEAN hub. This narrative is not a gimmick, but translated into visa diplomacy policies through visa-free agreements with 180+ countries (ranked 11th globally). As a result, tourist arrivals in Malaysia increased to 30 million/year, and FDI also rose to US$15 billion (UNWTO & World Bank, 2024). The United States is even more impressive, using a commercial approach based on “Hegemonic Citizenship”—meaning the U.S. passport is a symbol of military power, #1 economy, and biometric security—the U.S. guarantees access to 184 countries visa-free (ranked 8th). With this narrative, both countries successfully built global trust, meaning: “If the U.S. issues its passport, then you are safe and powerful.”
Indonesia’s commercial narrative is still not integrated and interconnected (fragmented). The “Wonderful Indonesia” branding is quite strong only as tourism promotion (20 million visits in 2023), but has not been integrated into the passport system. The global public sees Indonesia only as a “developing country at risk”—corruption, political stability, transnational crime—not as a strategic partner. The Henley Passport Index shows proof: our passport score is 73 vs Malaysia 180 due to low security perception. Ironically, Indonesia is a G20 member, has a population of 280 million, and is the 16th largest economy in the world. Our diplomacy focuses only on infrastructure, not passport branding.
The concrete solution is to develop the branding narrative “Nusantara Passport – Bridge to the World,” through an integrated campaign between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections. Our country must begin focusing on promoting Indonesia’s green economic strengths, our central role in ASEAN digitalization, and being the third-largest democracy in the world. Indonesia must start a global campaign “Nusantara Passport – Bridge to the World” by combining strategic advertising, diaspora success storytelling with branding narratives such as: “Indonesia: Safe, Innovative, Connected.”
Therefore, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections is highly needed to implement this narrative branding as the top diplomatic priority. In this way, perceptions will gradually change internationally. From this consistency, Indonesia can accelerate visa waiver agreements and position the Indonesian passport on par with more advanced neighboring countries.
Great global narratives such as “Truly Asia” are not built without a strong foundation, but are supported by rule of law and national security. Malaysia and the U.S. succeed in building their visa waivers because of the perfect balance of these two pillars. Malaysia successfully implemented a 100 percent biometric e-passport since 2006, integrated data with the Interpol database, and enforced strict anti-terrorism laws. The impact is “zero” cases of passport forgery (ICAO, 2024). The U.S. is more advanced, with the REAL ID Act + Visa Waiver Program successfully verifying U.S. passport holders in 40+ countries with 99.9% biometric security (DHS, 2024). This makes destination countries trust that “the U.S. passport carries low risk of international criminals” and is considered a respected citizenship.
Indonesia is still far behind in these two crucial pillars. Our e-passport has only reached 100 percent coverage in 2025, but enforcement against passport forgery is still weak: from 15,000 cases detected in 2023–2024 (Directorate General of Immigration), only 20 percent were processed legally. In addition, a Global Peace Index survey shows our security perception is low, ranked #54 vs Malaysia #10 (2024). As a result, European countries, Japan, and Australia still reject visa waivers for Indonesia due to concerns over transnational crime and human trafficking.
If in 2026–2029 Indonesia succeeds in integrating its Immigration Information System with Interpol and trains 10,000 biometric officers, it is not impossible that Indonesia’s visa access will expand from 73 to 120 visa-free countries. Let’s go Indonesia, it’s time to act….
The author is Special Staff to the Minister of Immigration and Corrections of the Republic of Indonesia for Communication and Media.
