Certificate of No Impediment in Israel: Which Document Do You Need?

Couples planning a civil marriage abroad almost always meet the same requirement: a document proving that nothing prevents them from marrying. Abroad people often call it a certificate of no impediment, a single status certificate, or in Italy a nulla osta. In Israel, behind the idea of a certificate of no impediment stand two completely different documents issued by two different bodies. Mixing them up costs couples time and nerves.

I am a rabbi and an attorney, and in this article I separate the two documents according to the official sources. General information, not legal advice.

Two documents, two bodies

The registry extract from the Interior Ministry

The registry extract (tamtzit rishum) is a document of the Population and Immigration Authority that lists your details in the Population Registry. According to the official service page, there is a standard extract and an extended extract, and the page offers an online service for requesting it. People abroad can request it through an Israeli mission. Source: gov.il: extract from the Population Registry.

According to a page of the Embassy of Israel in Australia, the standard extract includes your marital status, and the extended extract adds your spouse’s details and the date of marriage or divorce.

The Rabbinate’s certificate of Jewishness and single status

This is a completely different document. According to the marriage registration procedure of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the authority to issue a “certificate of Jewishness and single status” in Israel belongs only to a marriage registrar rabbi. The procedure stresses that this certificate also confirms Jewishness. Someone who is divorced or widowed receives a certificate of “Jewishness and unmarried status”. Source (in Hebrew): Chief Rabbinate marriage registration procedure (PDF).

What the Rabbinate procedure says about marrying abroad

A few sections of the procedure are especially relevant if you are marrying outside Israel:

• An extra check: when the certificate is meant for a marriage abroad, the registrar rabbi must also check the details with the Ministry of Religious Services and note on the certificate that he checked them.
• The purpose of the certificate: the issuing rabbi must make sure, as far as possible, that it is issued for a marriage according to Jewish law. At his discretion he may decline to issue it until he is shown confirmation that a marriage file was opened at a recognized rabbinate in Israel or abroad, or refer the applicant to the family court, which the procedure describes as authorized to issue a single status certificate.
• Validity: according to the procedure, the certificate is valid for three months only, and the certificate states this.
• What to bring: a full ID card with its appendix, personal details and a declaration, and two witnesses over 18 who confirm your identity and details.

Put simply, the Rabbinate certificate mainly serves religious marriages. If you are having a civil marriage abroad, check carefully whether it is the right document for you at all.

So which document does the destination country require?

There is no single answer. Each country decides what it accepts, and sometimes each town hall does. One example: according to the Italian government portal, the nulla osta cannot be replaced by a simple certificate of marital status. In other words, in some countries an ordinary “single status certificate” is not enough. I wrote about Italy in Jewish wedding in Italy.

My recommendation: before you order any document, ask the authority that will perform the marriage, or whoever is organizing the process for you, for the exact list of documents in writing. Include these questions:

• Which Israeli document exactly do you accept?
• Does it need an apostille?
• Does it need a translation, and into which language?
• How recent must it be, meaning how long before the wedding may it be issued?

Is there an English version?

A very common question. According to the Embassy of Israel in Australia, the registry extract is issued in Hebrew only, and anyone who needs it in another language must have it translated independently by a licensed translator. So if the country where you are marrying requires a document in English or another language, you will need a translation, and sometimes the foreign authority will also ask for it to be certified. Check with that authority which kind of translation it accepts.

An apostille for the registry extract

According to the Ministry of Justice service page, you can obtain a digital apostille for an extended registry extract through your personal area with the Population Authority. The Ministry recommends checking in advance that the country receiving the document accepts electronic documents. Source (in Hebrew): gov.il: electronic apostille.

I cover apostilles in general, and for marriage certificates in particular, in a separate article: apostille for a marriage certificate, including digital.

Immigrants: what about documents from your country of origin?

Immigrants, both new and long settled, often ask whether they need a document from their country of origin. Here too, what matters is the requirement of the country where you are marrying. If you married or divorced abroad in the past, make sure the Population Registry records your personal status correctly before you request an extract. The Authority’s “notice of change of personal status” page explains which documents to submit to update the registry.

And after the wedding?

After the marriage abroad comes registration in Israel. I explain the steps, the documents and the question of personal attendance in how to register your marriage in Israel. The civil marriage options, including ones that do not require a flight, are on the page about civil marriage for Israelis.

General information, not legal advice. Foreign requirements change, so check them with the competent authority and consult a lawyer if in doubt.

And the chuppah?

Many couples who marry civilly abroad also want a personal Jewish chuppah, in Israel or at the destination itself. If that is you, I would love to hear from you and set up a call.