This publication was inspired by a Capacity Development Lab project in which the partner institutions discussed the challenge of engaging the diaspora from a country which does not facilitate dual or multiple citizenships, given that this is a common ask from the diaspora. In response, we commissioned Farseen Ali Puthanveettil to investigate alternative legal and policy tools in such settings. This was Farseen’s research assignment during his time as a Diaspora Youth Intern with EUDiF.

This document presents tools from three Asian countries, India, Indonesia, and Nepal, outlining eligibility criteria, advantages, and limitations (where specified in the law). It demonstrates how countries balance diaspora engagement with national sovereignty and legal frameworks to create instruments like the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), Non-Resident Indian (NRI), the Indonesian Diaspora Card (KMILN), and Non-Resident Nepali citizenship (NRN) to enable people of shared heritage a privileged status.