After the Dutch recognised Indonesia's independence on 27 December 1949, following a several month-long conference in the Hague, Soegijapranata returned to Semarang. The post-revolution period was marked by a drastic increase in enrolment at the nation's seminary; the 100th native Indonesian clergyman was ordained in 1956. The government, however, enacted several laws that limited the Church's ability to expand. In 1953 the Ministry for Religion decreed that no foreign missionaries would be allowed into the country, and a subsequent law prohibited those already in Indonesia from teaching. In response, Soegijapranata encouraged eligible clergy to apply for Indonesian citizenship, circumventing the new laws.