How to obtain an Israeli passport: step-by-step process

Israel has three types of ID cards: one for domestic use – Teudat Zehut, and two certificates – Darkon and Lesse-Passe (Teudat Ma’avar). It is useful to know the differences between these documents and the rules for obtaining them in 2024.

Eligibility For An Israeli Passport

It is not only Jews who can obtain residency status, as is commonly believed.

Almost anyone can become a civilian of Israel, even if they have no Jewish roots.

It is just much easier for repatriates to do it.

How to obtain an Israeli passport:

Through a repatriation program based on the Law of Return;
Through marriage to an Israeli man/woman;
Through naturalization;
Through the family reunification program;
Through the rite of Giyur (Conversion to Judaism).

Each option has its characteristics, pros and cons.

Requirements For Israeli Passport

There is a right to aliyah – to obtain Israeli citizenship by blood relationship:

Jews – those whose mother is Jewish.
Children and grandchildren of Jews – those whose father or grandfather are Jewish.
Spouses of Jews, spouses of children, and grandchildren of Jews.
Widows and widowers of Jews in three generations who have not remarried.

According to the rules of Judaism, Jewish nationality is transmitted through the maternal line. That is, a Jew is someone who has a Jewish mother. If your grandfather in all documents is written English, but his mother (your great-grandmother) is written Jewish, in the eyes of Israeli law he is also a Jew. And you have the right to get citizenship if you can prove your kinship.

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Aliyah will be denied if a person:

Voluntarily converts to another religion.
Acts against the Jewish people.
Has a criminal record.
May threaten the public health and security of Israel. The exception is if he or she falls ill after coming to Israel.

But more often people are turned away because of insufficient proof of kinship.

Special Cases And Exceptions

Non-Jews who associate with Israelis can also use the right to Israeli citizenship. But several subtleties complicate the seemingly simple process:

You have to wait a long time – at least 5 years after the relationship is formalized;
Issued first for 12 months residence permit will have to be prolonged – for this to prove that the union is non-fictitious.

Schemes in which foreigners use marriage for residency are not rare. Therefore, evidence of the sincerity of the relationship is revealed through interviews. It is noteworthy that Israelis have learned to identify real and fictitious unions. They often interview spouses separately to see the degree to which their answers match. It is believed, for example, that a truly loving husband knows exactly whether his wife drinks coffee with or without sugar. The couple must also answer questions quickly, such as under what circumstances the last date took place.

Numerous documentary evidence of the marriage will also have to be collected. Even letters from neighbors, friends, and people you just know are required, indicating that the couple’s relationship is really sincere.

The birth of a child refers to those arguments that further confirm the conclusion of a marriage for love. You can independently show joint photos, and cheques from cafes – it is only encouraged. If there is a crisis in the relationship, it is better not to separate; otherwise, the residency status is more likely to be revoked.

Application Process For First-Time Applicants

For repatriation, the algorithm will be as follows:

Find a Jewish ancestor whose nationality you can prove.
You look for documents and evidence through MFC, registry office, archives, and everywhere else.
Go to the consul.
You get permission to move.
Go to Israel.
You get a citizenship right at the airport in Tel Aviv.

Certain documents will need to be prepared.

Necessary documents

You need documents that show that you or your relative belonged to the Jewish people. It is not difficult to find them: almost all Soviet-era documents are suitable – as a rule, they contain a “nationality” column.
Some documents are more weighty, others less so. Conventionally, all documents can be divided into three categories:

Direct evidence – basic civil documents issued by state authorities: passport, birth, marriage, and death certificates.
Indirect. This is the largest block. It includes less common documents from state bodies, and trade union documents. And also – extracts from the house book, and personal files at the place of study and work.
Evidence – papers indirectly indicating Jewish nationality: certificates of death in the Holocaust or burial in a Jewish cemetery, characteristic photos in national dress.

The minimum requirements can be viewed on the Israeli government website. There is no complete list of documents to prove nationality, nor is there a list of the weightiest ones.

In addition to documents proving the nationality of your relative, you will need documents proving your kinship.

For example, to prove your relationship to your paternal grandfather, you will need two birth certificates: yours, where your father will be listed, and your father’s, where your grandfather will be listed. You will also need the marriage certificates of your parents and grandparents.

You should look for these documents in the first place: you will need them to get other documents. No archive or registry office will issue any papers to a person from the street. You will also need a power of attorney from the relative to receive his documents. You can get any documents for a deceased relative simply by confirming your relationship.

Where To Apply

After you have collected the documents, you need to go to the consul with them. It is he who, after a personal meeting, decides whether you have sufficient evidence to grant you citizenship or not.

Fill in the form “Request for a repatriate visa”, and specify in it where you will be interviewed. The application form will be checked at the consulate.

The situation is constantly changing, and you can keep track of it in the chat rooms of repatriates. If you are in a hurry, go through the consular check abroad.

When the application form is processed, its number will change and you will receive a letter in your mail.

If you are being tested in another nation, after the questionnaire has been processed, you will most likely have to call and make an appointment yourself.

Arrive at the consulate at the specified time. The event may take all day. Bring a snack if you don’t want to eat sandwiches from a vending machine. At the entrance, there will be a thorough search, just like at the airport.

You will wait in the general hall, and then you will be led in a small group to another building, where the consul will receive you. On the spot, you have to fill in consent to data processing and a questionnaire about religion. It is not forbidden to consult with the consular staff.

Application fees

It is difficult to say how much a candidate will spend if he or she organizes repatriation on his or her own. If we talk about fees, there is no fee for an Israeli internal passport, for a foreign certificate – about €70, for a driving license – €150-160. Also, a long stay in Israel for the processing of documents will result in expenses for rent and food.

Renewing An Israeli Passport

Identity documents may need to be replaced under the following circumstances:

Expiration.
Loss due to negligence (the document is lost).
Loss as a result of force majeure (theft, fire, flooding, etc.).
Unintentional damage of the document.
An error in the records.
Change of full name, date and place of birth, gender, appearance, etc.
Passport is stolen or lost.
There are no blank pages in the form, so there is no opportunity to enter information.

Eligibility for renewal

After moving to Israel, great-grandchildren of Jews are granted an Aleph 5 visa. The document must be renewed annually. After 3 years, 4th generation Jews have the right to apply for an Israeli passport.

Permission to stay in the nation in the status of temporary resident is renewed at the Ministry of Interior. The list of papers to be carried is extensive, it includes:

A renewal application.
Photos.
A receipt confirming the payment of the fee.
The foreign certificate of the minor, issued in the nation of origin.
Birth certificate.
Certificates of the child’s attendance at educational institutions (school, kindergarten).
Documents confirming the minor’s involvement in Israeli life. These may be certificates of attendance at various clubs and sections. As evidence is accepted photos from various public events attended by the child, children’s birthdays, etc.

To extend the visa, the applicant must continue to live with his parents. If they decide to leave the nation, leaving the child with relatives (guardians), the procedure of naturalization of the minor will be terminated.

Required documents for renewal

Replacement (extension) of the document is carried out at a personal visit. It is necessary to have:

Documents confirming your identity.
Two 5×5 photos on a white background.
Confirmation of the appointment at the consular section of the Embassy of Israel.

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How to renew an Israeli passport online

It is not possible to renew or replace identity cards outside the state. The document is issued only after a personal application to the Israeli Ministry of Interior.

It is necessary to apply to the Ministry of Interior in advance – about six months before the final date of validity of the form.

The order of actions:

Make an appointment at the office of the Population and Migration Authority. The applicant may choose a date and time convenient for him/her.
Visit the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is necessary to have the old license and an application for prolongation. If the replacement is due to theft, loss or careless handling will have to pay a fee.
Obtaining and activation of Teudat Zehut.

Before visiting the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is necessary to make sure that the Department has up-to-date information on changes in the applicant’s family status. If after receiving the first passport a person has found a family, had children, or, on the contrary, there was a breakdown of the family union or loss of a spouse as a result of his/her death, this information must be present in the Office. If the Office was not notified in time about the change of status, it is necessary to bring the originals and copies of passports (certificates) confirming this or that fact.

Renewal process in the USA

It is possible to make an appointment at the consular section only by e-mail. In this case, you must specify in the letter: the purpose of the visit; full name in Latin letters exactly as in the certificate; date of birth; Teudat Zehut number; telephone number, and other information specified on the website of the embassy or consulate. An automatic response will indicate that the letter has been accepted for processing.

Israeli Passport For Dual Civilians

Not all states allow the possibility of dual citizenship. But Israel has legalised this concept. To confer it, a petition is submitted and a package of documents is collected.

Requirements for dual civilians

In Israel, repatriates are allowed to have 2 citizenships. But only for them, not for naturalized residents. The first residency will still have to be relinquished when undergoing naturalization.

Process and documentation

If dual citizenship is obtained, it must be notified to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This must be done within 2 months after obtaining it. If the rule is ignored, the offender is subject to penalties.

Israeli Consulate And Embassy Services

Israel is a rather ambiguous state in terms of immigration issues.

It is not only compliance with the law, although it is obligatory, that is of great importance. It is also important how much a particular civilian is trusted by Israeli society. And for this purpose, it is necessary to prove oneself well during one’s residence here.

The requirements are very subjective, so in case of difficulties, it is better to contact the embassy directly or use the services of accredited visa centers.

Services provided

After completing and submitting the questionnaire, you will finally be invited to see the consul. You do not have to be afraid of a thorough interrogation: he will mainly examine your documents and ask you about their contents. I am not aware of any pitfalls. The consul will probably ask about your plans after you move to Israel – it’s worth getting them.

Contact information and locations

In the USA there are Israeli embassy offices in cities: Washington, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

Special Considerations

It is useful to know the differences between the different types of documents.

Lesse-Passe

The Lesse Passe is an Israeli travel document issued in place of the national passport, the Darkon, and entitles you to visa-free entry to more than 60 nations around the world. But for convenience, we will refer to it as a certificate, just like the Darkon.

Israeli ID card (Teudat Zehut)

Since 15 October 2023, the non-biometric Teudat Zehut has been issued to new repatriates at the airport immediately upon arrival in the nation. To obtain a biometric document, one must apply to the Israeli Interior Ministry.