The State of Israel acknowledges the right to family life, and therefore, a foreign national married to an Israeli citizen is eligible for status in Israel.
However, as the Ministry of the Interior does not wish to grant status to an individual whose marriage to an Israeli citizen is not sincere, it had created a long and complicated procedure involving many steps and documents, which spans over four years (or in case of common law marriage, seven years or so). This procedure is called the “Graduated Procedure”, and it was created to make sure that the marriage is authentic and sincere, that the couple resides in Israel together and that they wish to settle down in Israel. At the end of the procedure, the foreign partner may apply for citizenship or for permanent residence in Israel – but as we said, it’s a long way before one can get there.
In the lines below, we shall attempt to make sense of the stages of obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage, in order to make it a little easier for applicants to navigate the mires of bureaucracy.
The process of obtaining citizenship through marriage starts with filing an application online. The application can be initially filed when the Israeli partner or both partners are present in Israel.
The online application requires a long list of documents to be attached – some of which are official documents from the foreign partner’s home country. The original documents must be verified in their home country and translated by a notary in Israel.
In addition to the original documents, the partners are required to attach photographs, letters from acquaintances, references regarding the partners’ place of residence, workplace, and center of life. The Ministry of the Interior will also require references from the partners’ friends and relatives, and evidence attesting to their relationship.
Once the application is filed, an employee at the Population Authority’s office will review the documents in their entirety and conduct background checks of the partners, in order to ensure no criminal or security-related reasons bar the process from continuing.
Should the application be reviewed and all required documents are deemed to have been filed, the partners would be invited for an appointment at the Authority, where all original documents shall be presented. However, should the application be reviewed and deemed to lack certain documents, the partners shall be required to complement it with these documents within 45 days.
For the duration of the application’s review, the foreign partner will receive a temporary, type B/1 Visa –a tourist visa with a work permit that will enable the foreign partner to stay in Israel, legally work there, and even receive an entry permit required to enter and leave the country.
Should the application review stage be completed successfully, the partners would be summoned for an interview with the Population and Immigration Authority. The purpose of this interview is to ensure that the partners’ marriage is not fictitious, that their relationship as a couple is authentic, and that they wish to settle down as a couple in Israel. The partners will be interviewed separately, and the Authority will review the correspondence between their answers.
Should be foreign partner be staying abroad, their interview shall take place at the Israeli embassy in their home country.
It should be noted that oftentimes, the process of Regularization of Status is rejected at the interview stage, due to contradictions between the partners’ answers. The interview in question may be invasive, and may contain specific and sometimes tricky questions asked by the Authority. That said, even in the course of the interview, the partners are eligible for certain rights – including the right to be interviewed in a language that they speak and understand, and the right not to be asked offensive questions. During this procedure, the applicants are entitled to be represented by an attorney – who shall accompany them to the interview following the filing of the application, and be able to supervise the interview to ensure that the interviewing process is conducted fairly, that the questions asked do not exceed the bounds of reasonableness, and even to request clarifications by the partners for contradicting answers in certain cases of misunderstanding.
Should the interview be completed successfully, and the officer handling the case receive the impression that the couple is an authentic one, the foreign partner will receive a type A/5 visa – temporary residence for a period of one year.
Each year, the partners will be required to arrive with required documents and undergo an interview in order to extend this visa, for an overall period of 4 years.
Once four years have passed, the applicant shall be eligible to receive permanent residence or citizenship, per their choice.
Upon successful completion of the Graduated Procedure, the foreign partner will receive a permanent residence visa or citizenship. Permanent residence grants its holder permanent legal status in Israel, and may provide a good solution for citizens of countries whom are not allowed to have multiple citizenships.
Citizens of Russia or China, for example, are required to waive their citizenship in order to receive an Israeli citizenship, and some will prefer to settle for permanent residence only.
A partner who wishes to receive an Israeli citizenship is eligible to receive one. It is important to emphasize that the completion of this procedure, whether in citizenship or permanent residence, involves a requirement to present additional documents and a particularly in-depth interview in order to ensure that permanent status is not granted to ineligible individuals. One may also enlist the aid of an attorney at this stage to clarify the difference between a permanent resident status and citizenship, to prepare the application for completing the procedure, and to accompany them through the final interview.
Naturally, not all relationships last forever. Should the marriage end and the partners separate, or should the Israeli partner pass away, the Graduated Procedure shall be terminated and the foreign partner shall be required to leave the country. However, even in such cases, it is possible for the foreign partner to receive status under particular conditions, and it is highly recommended to seek consultation before arriving at the Ministry of the Interior to report the end of the relationship.
The road to obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage to an Israeli partner is not a simple one. The State of Israel does not want to grant status to foreign nationals and is deeply concerned about fictitious marriage. Therefore, the Ministry of the Interior demands a meticulous, document-heavy procedure, which includes reviews at several checkpoints along the way, in order to regularize the status of a foreign partner in Israel.
We recommend to consult an attorney when filing an application to regularize the status of a foreign partner. An attorney who is familiar with the Ministry of the Interior’s regulations and the nature of the proceeding can aid in navigating the mires of bureaucracy, save time, money and grief, and guide you to success in this complicated procedure.
When obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage, the graduated procedure is a multi-stage process that spans approximately four years. This procedure was created by the Ministry of the Interior to verify that the marriage between the foreign national and the Israeli citizen is authentic and sincere. During this time, the couple must prove they live together in Israel and intend to build their life there. The process includes annual interviews and document submissions, starting with a temporary residence visa (type A/5) that gets renewed each year. Only after completing the full four years can the foreign partner apply for permanent residence or citizenship.
The process of obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage begins with filing an online application that requires extensive documentation. The foreign partner must provide official documents from their home country, which need to be verified there and then translated by a notary in Israel. Additionally, the couple must submit photographs, letters from acquaintances, references about their place of residence and workplace, and proof of their center of life in Israel. The Ministry of the Interior also requires references from friends and family members, along with evidence that demonstrates the authenticity of the relationship between the partners.
The timeline for obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage is approximately four years for regular marriages, or around seven years for common-law marriages. This extended period is part of the graduated procedure designed to ensure the marriage is genuine. During these years, the couple must undergo annual reviews and interviews to extend their temporary residence status. Throughout this time, the foreign partner receives different types of visas, starting with a B/1 visa during the application review stage, then an A/5 visa for temporary residence, and finally, after completing the full period, they become eligible to apply for either permanent residence or full citizenship.
During the interview stage of obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage, the Population and Immigration Authority conducts separate interviews with both partners. The purpose is to verify that the marriage is not fictitious and that the relationship is genuine. The Authority asks specific questions and compares the answers between partners to check for consistency. These interviews can be invasive and sometimes include tricky questions. However, applicants have certain rights, including the right to be interviewed in a language they understand and the right not to face offensive questions. Partners are entitled to legal representation, and an attorney can supervise the interview to ensure it's conducted fairly and that questions remain within reasonable bounds.
At the start of obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage, once the application has been filed and is under review, the foreign partner receives a temporary B/1 visa. This is essentially a tourist visa that includes a work permit, allowing the foreign partner to legally stay in Israel, work, and even obtain entry permits to leave and return to the country. This visa remains valid while the Population Authority reviews the application and conducts background checks on both partners. Later in the process, if the interview is successful, the visa is upgraded to an A/5 visa, which grants temporary residence status for one year and requires annual renewal.
After successfully completing the graduated procedure for obtaining an Israeli citizenship through marriage, the foreign partner has two options: they can choose either permanent residence or full Israeli citizenship. Permanent residence provides permanent legal status in Israel and is a suitable solution for citizens of countries that don't allow dual citizenship, such as Russia or China, whose citizens must renounce their original citizenship to become Israeli citizens. For those who prefer full citizenship, it's available upon request. Both options require presenting additional documents and undergoing a particularly thorough final interview to ensure permanent status is granted appropriately. It's recommended to consult with an attorney at this stage to understand the differences between the two options and prepare for the final interview.