Luxembourgers in Indonesia? This is the response we often get when we tell people that LuxCitizenship has helped a few families, mostly located in California, to prove that their ancestors came to Indonesia in the 19th century and settled there.
The story is tied of one of the most fascinating and underexplored chapters in Luxembourg’s history which involves Luxembourgish soldiers who served in the Dutch colonial army in Indonesia during the 19th century.
This is the story of how over a thousand Luxembourgers found themselves fighting in tropical wars thousands of miles from home, and how their descendants today are reconnecting with Luxembourg today.
The Historical Reality: Luxembourg Soldiers in Dutch Service
Between 1815 and 1914, the Dutch colonial army (Koninklijk Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger, or KNIL) sent approximately 150,000 soldiers to the Dutch East Indies, now modern-day Indonesia. Among this massive military force was a small but significant contingent of 1,075 Luxembourgish soldiers who volunteered for service in the tropical colonies.
This figure, documented in recent academic research by historians Ulbe Bosma and Thomas Kolnberger, represents a remarkable chapter in Luxembourg’s history that few know about today. These weren’t Luxembourg’s own military campaigns, but rather individual Luxembourgish men who enlisted in the Dutch colonial forces as part of a broader European recruitment drive. Logically, at this time, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg was also the King of the Netherlands.
Why Luxembourgers Joined the KNIL
The KNIL operated much like a “Foreign Legion,” recruiting not only Dutch volunteers but also German, Belgian, Swiss, and Luxembourgish mercenaries. For young men in 19th-century Luxembourg, military service in the Indies offered something their homeland could not: steady pay, signing bonuses, and the prospect of advancement.
Luxembourg in the 1800s was one of Europe’s poorest countries. Economic opportunities were scarce, and emigration—whether to France, Belgium, the United States, or in this case, the Dutch colonies—was often the only path to a better life. The KNIL recruiters offered advance payments, particularly attractive during times of economic crisis, making colonial service an appealing alternative to poverty at home.
Interestingly, research shows that Luxembourgish soldiers had different characteristics from their Dutch counterparts. While they came predominantly from urban areas, they lacked strong military backgrounds and were more motivated by immediate financial incentives than by career prospects in the tropics.
A Case Study: Paul François Jules Augustin
To illustrate this broader historical pattern, consider the story of Paul François Jules Augustin, born in Diekirch on August 19, 1850. His journey exemplifies the experiences of many Luxembourgish colonial soldiers.
On July 6, 1877, Augustin voluntarily enlisted in the KNIL for a six-year term. Unlike some recruits who received cash advances, his contract began only upon embarkation. On August 4, 1877, he sailed from Rotterdam aboard the steamship Friesland, arriving in Batavia (modern Jakarta) on September 18, 1877.
Augustin’s military career unfolded entirely in the Indies. He was promoted to Corporal within months, then to Sergeant in 1879. By 1884, he had voluntarily re-enlisted, this time receiving a 300-guilder premium for another six years of service. His military record shows participation in the Aceh War (1873-1904), the Dutch Empire’s longest and bloodiest colonial conflict.
Most significantly, Augustin chose to remain in Indonesia after his military service, marrying Maria Williams in Semarang in 1902. He established a family that would remain in Indonesia – in the region of Surabaya (as did other Luxembourgers) – for generations, only emigrating to California in the 1990s—over a century after his initial journey from Luxembourg.
Modern Connections: Reclaiming Luxembourgish Citizenship
Today, descendants of these colonial soldiers are discovering their Luxembourgish roots and seeking to reclaim their ancestral citizenship. This process, while legally complex, represents a fascinating continuation of the migration story that began over a century ago.
Many of these families followed a similar migration pattern: from Luxembourg to Indonesia in the 1800s, then to California in the 1990s. The Golden State, with its diverse population and economic opportunities, became the new destination for Luxembourgish-Indonesian families seeking to preserve their dual heritage while building new lives.
However, proving this ancestral connection presents unique challenges. Indonesia’s decentralized record-keeping system, particularly during the colonial period, makes it difficult to trace vital records. Military service records, marriage certificates, and birth registrations from the Dutch East Indies period require specialized knowledge to locate and authenticate.
LuxCitizenship’s Expertise
LuxCitizenship has successfully assisted more than ten Indonesian descendants of Luxembourgers in obtaining Luxembourg dual citizenship through ancestry. Our first successful application dates back to 2021, before Indonesia joined the Hague Apostille Convention.
At that time, every Indonesian vital record had to be obtained from the local civil authority— sometimes requiring additional steps back in Indonesia—then translated into French and legalized. Legalization is a lengthy process in which a document first receives a special certification from a government ministry or authority in its country of origin confirming the authenticity of the signature. The applicant must then present the document to the embassy of the destination country for further legalization of that certification.
Because Luxembourg does not maintain an embassy in Indonesia, we had to work with the Embassy of the Netherlands, which represents Luxembourg’s interests in Indonesia. It took significant effort and persuasion to secure their assistance, but ultimately, we succeeded. With the duly legalized Indonesian vital records, our clients obtained Luxembourg citizenship.
Since June 2022, Indonesia has become a member of the Hague Apostille Convention and now issues apostilles, simplifying an already complex process.
LuxCitizenship may be the only service in the world supporting Indonesians of Luxembourgish descent in reclaiming their dual citizenship. If you are an Indonesian with Luxembourg ancestry—whether you live in Indonesia, the United States, or elsewhere—do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
This article is based on historical research by Ulbe Bosma and Thomas Kolnberger, published in “Military Migrants: Luxembourgers in the Colonial Army of the Dutch East Indies” (Itinerario, Cambridge University Press, 2017), and genealogical research conducted on behalf of descendants seeking Luxembourgish citizenship by descent.
