Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration runs a standing program called Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI), in force since it launched on January 26, 2026 under the legal basis of Regulation 3/2025 (effective May 7, 2025), that grants lifetime permanent residency to several defined categories of applicants. Two of those categories are aimed specifically at people with professional or specialized expertise — holders are only required to report to Indonesian immigration authorities once every five years, rather than renewing a residence permit on a shorter cycle.
According to the Directorate General’s own program material, GCI covers former Indonesian citizens (category E32E) and people with specialized expertise (E32F), as well as descendants of former Indonesian citizens up to the second degree (E32G) and descendants with specialized expertise (E32H). Global immigration advisory firm Fragomen notes an important limit: GCI grants residence status only, and does not automatically confer the right to work in Indonesia — anyone planning to work still needs the separate manpower and immigration authorization that status normally requires.
This sits alongside Indonesia’s other long-stay routes. The Golden Visa offers residency for 5 or 10 years, renewable if investment conditions continue to be met, while the conventional path to permanent status (KITAP) runs through holding a KITAS work permit for a set period. GCI’s lifetime status and five-year reporting cycle make it the most durable of the three — for professionals who already qualify under E32F or E32H, it is worth weighing against the Golden Visa and the standard KITAS-to-KITAP route rather than assuming it is simply “better.”
References
Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi – Mengenal Perbedaan Global Citizen of Indonesia dan Golden Visa Indonesia / Fragomen – Bringing the Indonesian Diaspora Home: Insights on the New Global Citizenship Program
