Heading Stateside

[Minuteman]

Greetings,

My Son graduated High School this month. He holds the dual nationality (US and Indonesia) allowed by the government.
He will be heading to the USA in August to join the US Army.

Is there a specific requirement to clear with the Indonesian Immigration before his departure?

 

[jstar]

When I read about WNI joining ISIS, it was stated that joining a militia abroad could be a reason for loss of citizenship. It was a bit of a grey area since it did not concern a traditional army (i.e. from a foreign state) as such.

They referred to this law;

1. Masuk dalam dinas tentara asing tanpa izin Presiden;
2. Secara sukarela masuk dalam dinas negara asing, yang jabatan dalam dinas semacam itu di Indonesia sesuai dengan ketentuan peraturan perundang-undangan hanya dapat dijabat oleh Warga Negara Indonesia;

Now if you would be an Indonesian citizen who joins a foreign army, this law definitely would apply.

As you say, your son's status is not different from any other WNI concerning rights and obligations. Wouldn’t your son need permission up front then?

Perhaps it was not perceived as a big issue before since it is probably assumed he would select the US citizenship? (Logical if you'd join the US army.)

But I would be rather concerned about possible consequences if he comes back to visit you in RI and to have the authorities only find out about it then.. ?

So I would definitely contact the Ministry of Home Affairs or Law & Human Rights on the matter (I'm not sure if a department as Immigration as such would have the competence or authority to say anything on the matter.)

 

[Vanuatu]

While not the same issue, my older son joined the army while I was still in Jakarta. His army regulations forbade him to travel to Indonesia while he was on active duty. I don't know if this was a regulation for the entire army or only his specialized unit, but something you son may want to check if has plans to visit Indonesia after joining.

 

[Balifrog]

While not the same issue, my older son joined the army while I was still in Jakarta. His army regulations forbade him to travel to Indonesia while he was on active duty. I don't know if this was a regulation for the entire army or only his specialized unit, but something you son may want to check if has plans to visit Indonesia after joining.

Indonesia seems to be on some blacklist for western armed forces personal. My son (French/thai nationality) is in the French army and told me that R.I. is one of the "no go" zones for them, except Bali.

 

[jstar]

Difficult to control though so I guess it's more of a regional assessment? And if you think about it; probably Bali is no1 on the list of possible attacks on foreigners. (The kafir being military will be a bonus.)

 

[Mitian_Indau]

I'm not sure how the regulations for US personnel are applied. In Australia, there used to be some discretion at a unit level for commanders to approve travel on a case-by-case basis. Visiting family, in a major city, would likely be interpreted positively.

As an American citizen, you are automatically considered to be a 'higher value target' (for those who look for such targets). As an American serviceman (on active duty), increase that 'value' by a factor of 10 (or some other arbitrary number).

Still, the likelihood of running into trouble is very remote, particularly if your son has lived in Indonesia for a while (he'd know what to avoid). His awareness of such things will likely be reinforced by his training there too.

If visiting Indonesia does become a problem, you could always mitigate this by meeting in a third country (Singapore springs to mind) and bypass the issue. That might work for immediate family (parents and siblings), but could be harder for a large extended family (aunts, uncles and cousins) and friends.

It'll also be affected by where he's eventually posted (given the vast network of facilities the US maintains). While likely stateside, overseas is an eventual possibility. You could turn a visit into a family holiday, wherever he ends up.

 

[Mitian_Indau]

My Son graduated High School this month. He holds the dual nationality (US and Indonesia) allowed by the government.
He will be heading to the USA in August to join the US Army.

I neglected to pass on my congratulations too, sorry. There are some good opportunities in the path your son has chosen (some detractors too), but overall it will be a worthwhile undertaking if he makes it one.

But I would be rather concerned about possible consequences if he comes back to visit you in RI and to have the authorities only find out about it then.. ?

I'd imagine this could raise some issues, knowing how strong Indonesia's Nationalism is. It'd be worth checking with the authorities (though I'm not knowledgeable enough to offer advice on that point, sorry) to identify any problems.

Still, he'll have to decide on his citizenship one day (unless Indonesia gets things together by 2024). Serving in a foreign military usually raises flags (regardless of jurisdiction), so he'd need to make sure that he has his discharge papers in order (if/when that time comes).