Can Foreigners Get Married in Israel? Options for a Foreign Partner

Can foreigners get married in Israel, and what happens after the wedding? Marrying a foreign partner in Israel is first of all a love story. But right after the chuppah, and sometimes even before it, the practical question arrives: how can your partner live with you in Israel? In this article I explain the official tracks in simple terms, based on the service page and the procedure of the Population and Immigration Authority.

I am a rabbi and an attorney. This is general information, not legal advice. In this field, guidance from a lawyer who specializes in immigration can make a big difference.

Where can you marry?

The question of who can marry whom inside Israel, and how, is part of a wider legal picture that I describe on the page about the legal status of marriage in Israel. The civil options, including marrying abroad, are on the page about civil marriage abroad for Israelis. In this article I focus on what comes next: status for the foreign partner.

Two tracks: marriage or cohabitation

According to the Population and Immigration Authority, Israelis, whether citizens or permanent residents, who are in a relationship with a citizen of a foreign country can apply for status in Israel for their partner. The service page offers two options: an application based on marriage, or an application based on cohabitation (a shared life). The Israeli partner, or a lawyer representing the couple, submits the application online after identifying on the site. Those who cannot apply online can go to the nearest Authority office. Source (in Hebrew): gov.il: status for a foreign partner.

The cohabitation track has its own procedure, procedure 5.2.0009, and its title explicitly includes same sex couples. According to procedure 5.2.0008, a couple in the cohabitation process who marry during it can ask to transfer to the married couples track.

Is my chuppah enough?

It is important to me to be clear here. A chuppah I officiate is a real Jewish ceremony, but the Interior Ministry does not register it, and it does not produce a state marriage certificate. The documents list for the marriage track includes a marriage certificate. So if you want to use that track, the chuppah alone will not provide the certificate, and you can combine it with a civil marriage. The other option is the cohabitation track. I wrote about registering your marriage after you return home in how to register a marriage in Israel.

What is the staged process?

Procedure 5.2.0008 of the Authority deals with a foreign partner married to an Israeli citizen. The procedure stresses, in Hebrew, that “המוזמן אינו זכאי אוטומטית לאזרחות ישראלית מכוח נישואיו לישראלי”, meaning that the invited partner is not automatically entitled to Israeli citizenship by virtue of marrying an Israeli, and that everything is subject to the procedure. Broadly, according to the procedure, the stages are:

• Review of the application: during the review, the foreign partner may receive a B/1 stay and work permit for up to half a year, which does not count as part of the staged process.
• Start of the staged process: if the application is approved, an A/5 temporary residence permit for one year.
• Extensions: subject to meeting the conditions, the permit is extended every two years, up to 4 years in total.
• Conclusion: at the end of the period, and subject to all the conditions in the law and the procedure, naturalization may be approved.

According to the procedure, at any stage the couple may be called for an interview, asked for additional documents, and checks may be carried out. Residents of the Area have separate provisions. Source (in Hebrew): Population Authority procedure 5.2.0008 (PDF).

Which documents are requested?

The list in the procedure includes, among others:

• Application forms and recent passport photos of both partners.
• The Israeli partner’s ID card, including the appendix.
• A foreign passport valid for at least two years.
• A birth certificate, and a public certificate of the foreign partner’s personal status issued within the last six months, duly authenticated and translated.
• The marriage certificate.
• A police certificate of good conduct.
• An explanation letter signed by both of you about your relationship, how you met and your shared life.
• Proof that the relationship is genuine and that you have had a shared center of life for at least the last year.

I wrote about authenticating documents with an apostille in apostille for a marriage certificate.

What if you want to marry abroad before applying?

The procedure addresses this too. If the foreign partner is staying in Israel lawfully, and you want to travel abroad to marry before submitting an application, the Israeli partner can request a re-entry visa for them. According to the procedure, after an initial review of the genuineness of the relationship, a B/2 permit for three months and a re-entry visa may be granted. After you return as a married couple, you submit an online application and continue the process.

And the ceremony, when your partner does not speak Hebrew?

This is the part I love most. I speak Hebrew and English at native level, and I lead the ceremony in Hebrew and English only. I say the traditional blessings in Hebrew. Your own vows, and words from family members or guests, can be in Russian, French, Spanish or any other language. That way the family who came from far away also understands and feels part of it. If your partner is not Jewish, read also interfaith marriage in Israel. For the restrictions that apply to Israeli citizens themselves, see who can get married in Israel.

General information, not legal advice. Procedures change from time to time, and in case of conflict the law prevails. Consult a lawyer before you apply.

Let’s meet

If you are a couple from two countries and want a chuppah that both families will understand and feel, I would love to hear from you and schedule an introductory call.