SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA SUB-REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SOUTHEAST ASIA Birth registration rates within Cambodia are reported at 92% in 2022. identity documents to prove their status, language requirements and governmental discretion.2669 discriminatory administrative processes have led to the denial of identity documents, birth registration and any recognition of their status as citizens, leading to an inability to provide required proof of identity and other documentation.2666 Additionally, although the citizenship law of Cambodia — in providing children born to foreign parents who themselves were born in Cambodia access to citizenship — may on paper provide an avenue for children born to ethnic Vietnamese who have been denied citizenship, in practice citizenship continues to be denied.2667 Children born to ethnic Vietnamese communities face frequent barriers to birth registration, disproportionately unlikely to have birth registration and, in turn, access to citizenship.2668 Finally, long-term ethnic Vietnamese residents who may seek citizenship through naturalization also face barriers in meeting residency requirements due to their frequent lack of In June 2023, Cambodia adopted a new law on Civil Registration, Vital Statistics, and Identity, planned to enter into force in 2024, which is intended to ensure universal birth registration.2670 The new law is also intended to remove previous barriers to registration as well as establish a universal right to an identity card.2671 The success of this law will depend largely on implementation, for which there is actively monitoring and advocacy being undertaken by stakeholders and experts. This contributes to the National Strategic Plan of Identification (2017-2026) which Cambodia implemented to increase the birth registration rate and achieve its long-term goal of ensuring that everyone in the country has a legal identity.2672 The success of this law will depend largely on implementation, for which there is actively monitoring and advocacy being undertaken by stakeholders and experts Indonesia Laws Citizenship Law Jus sanguinis and jus soli provisions Indonesian citizenship law operates through a jus sanguinis structure, stipulated by the Law of the Republic of Indonesia on Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia (2006) (‘Law on Citizenship’), providing that children born to a citizen parent or parents within or outside of the country will be considered a citizen.2673 Children born in Indonesia to an Indonesian mother, even if the father is stateless or from a country that does not grant citizenship to such children, are also considered as Indonesian citizens.2674 Further, children born out of wedlock to an Indonesian mother or acknowledged by an Indonesian father before they turn 18 or married can be granted Indonesian citizenship.2675 Indonesia lacks a definition of a stateless person in its citizenship legislation. Indonesian citizenship law operates through a jus sanguinis structure, stipulated by the Law of the Republic of Indonesia on Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia (2006) (‘Law on Citizenship’), providing that children born to a citizen parent or parents within or outside of the country will be considered a citizen. Indonesia also uses a restricted jus soli principle for certain cases of citizenship acquisition. Children born in Indonesia when their parents' citizenship status is unclear, newborn children found in Indonesia with unknown parents, and children born in Indonesia when both parents lack citizenship or their existence is unknown can also obtain citizenship by birth.2676 Lastly, children born outside Indonesia to Indonesian parents in countries granting citizenship and those born to parents whose citizenship applications were approved but one parent passes away before taking an oath or declaring allegiance can also be considered Indonesian citizens.2677 Naturalized citizenship There is a naturalization process available for those who are 18 or are married, have resided in Indonesia for five consecutive years or ten years intermittently, are physically and mentally healthy, able to speak the Indonesian language, have a steady 236 STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC (DETAILED VERSION) REPORT 2024 237