This study discusses the issue of Chinese nationality in Indonesia dating back to the creation of the Indonesian state in the 1950s. The Chinese previously had a transnational identity and formed an extensive network covering diverse regions, including China and neighbouring colonies, frequently travelling back and forth between them. However, Indonesia’s newly established nation-state regarded the transnational framework as a ‘problem’ in the process of identifying the members of the Indonesian state. This study aims to understand how the Chinese attempted to deal with this new situation during this period. During the decolonisation process, Indonesia enacted a new nationality law in 1958 that aimed to clarify the legal status of the Chinese people in the country. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the Chinese had had dual legal status as the nationals of China and subjects of the Dutch East Indies. However, the implementation of the new law required the Chinese people to choose between the Chinese and Indonesian nationalities. Using the Chinese-language newspapers published in Indonesia as the main source of information, this study analyses the reactions of the Chinese community in Indonesia to the implementation of the nationality law.