Obtaining and registration of Israeli citizenship

Every year he moves to the “Promised Land” for permanent residence up to 10,000 residents of Russia... Most of these migrants are repatriates and receive citizenship practically from the plane, but the rest will have to use other methods to get a new passport.

The legislative framework

The acquisition of citizenship is regulated by 3 legislative acts:

• Return Law;
• Citizenship Law
• Naturalization Law.

According to the first regulatory document, the following people can return to the homeland of their ancestors with a guaranteed receipt of an identity card:

• Jews by nationality;
• Children, grandchildren and spouses of Jews.

In this case, it does not matter whether the relative is alive, thanks to which the right to citizenship arises, and where he lives.

The law gives a clear definition of the term "Jew". It includes persons who:

• Born of a Jewish mother;
• They voluntarily converted to Judaism.

The Citizenship Law provides a list of persons who have the right to legally reside with an Israeli passport:

• A child born from Israeli parents in Israel;
• A child born to Israeli parents in another country;
• Children whose father was Israeli but died before the baby was born;
• Children without citizenship, but who were born and live in Israel;
• Persons who have lived in the country for at least 3 years and are ready to renounce the citizenship of another state;
• Spouses of Israelis.

Also, widowed persons who were officially married to a Jew can apply for citizenship (nationality can be traced to 3 tribes).

Naturalization provides for its own conditions, the observance of which will allow changing a Russian passport to an Israeli one:

• Age qualification (from 18 years old);
• Living in the country at least 3 years;
• Having the right to permanently reside in the country;
• Desire to live on the territory of the state for all subsequent years;
• Knowledge of Hebrew (the required level is not defined by the legislative framework);
• Renunciation of the existing citizenship.

Who is prohibited by law from becoming a citizen

The Israeli regulations indicate the reasons that will not allow foreigners to apply for a new passport:

• Criminal past or present;
• Religion (the state recognizes only Judaism and does not accept documents from persons belonging to other confessions);
• Insufficient evidence of Jewish kinship.

A foreigner who has renounced Judaism will not be able to obtain citizenship.

Ways to obtain citizen status

All opportunities to become the owner of an Israeli passport are divided into 2 large groups:

1. For Jews;
2. For the rest of the migrants.

More details about the features of each category.

Repatriation or return

The opportunity to return to their historical homeland is trying to take advantage of many who have a relationship with Jews and are subject to the law "On Return".

Aliyah (citizenship), these persons can receive:

• Being on Russian soil or anywhere else in the world;
• Living in Israel.

In either case, the evidence base of one's Jewish identity plays a decisive role.

Evidence is roughly divided into 3 categories:

1. Direct - documents issued by government agencies (passports, acts of civil status, and so on);
2. Indirect - papers issued by state bodies, but not related to important (extracts from personal files, documents of the Soviet period with an indication of nationality);
3. Clues - documents that indicate a blood relationship with Jews (gravestones at the Jewish cemetery, photos, evidence of death in concentration camps during the Great Patriotic War).

The presence of papers from the above list allows you not to wait 3 years after arriving in the country.

It is interesting that repatriates can not pay tax on foreign income for 10 years after returning to their historical homeland, which in Israel is up to 50%.

Other options

There are not many of them in Israel, so the choice of foreigners is not great.

Naturalization

Most often, migrants try to acquire the right to live in the country through naturalization. The applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Be over 18 years old;
• Have a residence permit;
• Live in the country 3 years or longer;
• Planning to settle in Israel forever;
• Renounce your existing citizenship.

Equally important:

• Consistently high income;
• The presence of real estate in the property;
• Proficiency in Hebrew.

Simplified naturalization

This method is less common, but it can significantly reduce the waiting time for a new passport.

Simplified naturalization is available:

• Conscripts who have served in the ranks of the army for at least a year;
• Parents of children killed in the ranks of the Israeli army while on duty.

To obtain citizenship, the listed categories must:

• Express loyalty to Israel;
• To live permanently on the territory of the country.

Marriage

The undoubted advantage of Israeli legislation is the fact that it recognizes such a formulation of the marriage union as "civil".

The procedure for obtaining citizenship by marriage will be as follows:

1. Official spouses must have lived together for at least 5 years;
2. Common-law spouses need to run a common household and stay in the same territory for at least 7 years.

After the specified time intervals have elapsed, the right to citizenship arises. But the husband and wife must be prepared for the fact that their union will be carefully checked by government officials.

Description of the procedure

The algorithm for changing citizenship depends on the chosen method of becoming an Israeli.

Complete list of required papers

The list of documents required for aliyah for repatriation is as follows:

• Color photographs of 3 by 4 format (they are required for each applicant, regardless of age);
• Identity card (passport);
• Birth and marriage certificates for applicants, parents and grandmother;
• Documents confirming the received education;
• Employment history;
• Information about relatives on the territory (full name, address, phone number, place of work);
• Certificate of no criminal record.

The last document requires translation into 2 languages:

• Hebrew;
• English.

The certificate must be notarized. All evidence of your relationship with the Jews must be attached to the listed documents.

A package of papers for registration of citizenship in other ways

Persons who are going to receive a passport by naturalization right or through a marriage union will need to collect the following package of papers:

• Color photographs of 3 by 4 format (they are required for each applicant, regardless of age);
• Identity card (passport);
• Birth and marriage certificates for applicants (the latter document is important for those who apply for citizenship by marriage);
• Documents confirming the received education;
• Certificate from the employer;
• Bank statement confirming income;
• Confirmation of the ownership of real estate;
• Certificate of no criminal record;
• Resident card.

Foreigners applying for simplified naturalization must add a document confirming the onset of the right to citizenship to the main list of papers.

Where to go when applying for citizenship: step by step instructions

If the Russian has not yet left his home country, then he must apply to the consul with the package of documents. With a personal visit, an interview takes place, which determines the further fate of the applicant for an Israeli passport.

The consul accepts in two cities:

• Moscow;
• Saint Petersburg.

From time to time he travels to major Russian cities. It is up to the candidate to decide where the interview will be more convenient.

The algorithm for obtaining citizenship is extremely simple:

1. Make an appointment with the consul by phone (during the conversation, the data of all applicants for moving to Israel are communicated);
2. A visit to the consulate (the procedure takes a whole day, so you need to arrive early in the morning, having worried about a light snack in advance);
3. Obtaining an application form (it is issued only on the spot);
4. Filling out the questionnaire (the data of relatives in Israel, as well as the contacts of former spouses must be indicated);
5. Submitting the form and waiting for an invitation to the consul;
6. Passing an interview (the consul will carefully study the documents and ask clarifying questions);
7. Re-interview invitation.

Almost no applicant for Israeli citizenship was able to limit themselves to a single visit to the consulate. Most often, minor supplementary papers are requested, the time spent on collecting which allows consular staff to find detailed information about the candidate.

There are 2 very important questions during the interview:

• About religion (it is better to admit the absence of one's religiosity);
• About plans in Israel (this point needs to be thought out in advance, since the consul will be waiting for a specific answer).

After successfully passing the interview, the applicant for citizenship will face the following procedures:

• Affixing an Israeli visa at the embassy;
• Registration of free air tickets to Israel;
• Obtaining citizenship at the airport of arrival;
• Issuance of lifting money and directions for obtaining medical insurance.

In the future, the newly-made citizen can hope for all kinds of help from the authorities of the country that has accepted him.

In Israel, citizenship issues are handled by the Ministry of the Interior. A Russian migrant and any other foreigner applying for a passport must:

1. Transfer a package of papers to the ministry;
2. Get an invitation for an interview;
3. Pass the interview;
4. Wait for the decision.

Most often, applicants are engaged in paperwork on their own, but there are also special organizations that provide assistance in collecting papers and directly searching for evidence of kinship with Jews. You can get information about such companies on the Internet. Feedback on the activities of employees is also posted here. The disadvantage of contacting the company is the inability to check whether everything was done correctly.

The organization "Sokhnut" provides significant assistance to Russian Jews returning to their historical homeland. She takes care of all the hassle and expenses for the registration of the move to Israel.

Cost and terms

Upon receipt of a positive decision, a new passport is issued extremely quickly:

• In case of repatriation - at the airport after filling out an application and photographing procedure;
• After contacting the Ministry of Internal Affairs - in a period from 5 to 21 days (the time interval is influenced by the workload of the department).

If the applicant for citizenship applied to special companies, then the passport will cost him approximately in 5000 dollars... In case of self-registration, you need to pay only the fee for the issuance of a new identity card:

• Temporary document worth from 180 to 240 shekels;
• Lifetime passport costs an average of 200 shekels.

It is important that you cannot buy an Israeli passport. Such schemes are punishable by law.

Possible reasons for a negative decision

Israel often refuses to issue citizenship. The reasons for making a negative decision are:

• Establishment of the adoption of the applicant by atheists or persons of another religion;
• Rejection of Judaism;
• Conviction;
• Entering into a marriage union with a representative of other religions after the death of an Israeli spouse;
• Fictitious marriage;
• Revealing the fact of providing false information;
• Doubts about the applicant's intentions to permanently reside in Israel.

It is not recommended to file a complaint against the Israeli Interior Ministry's decision. If you correct the moments that caused the refusal, then you can submit the documents again.

https://youtu.be/Fa7tOnSpsRc

Double citizenship

Most of the world's states do not want to give passports to those who seek to simultaneously keep another identity card. Formally, it is impossible to have dual citizenship in Russia and Israel, but at the legislative level, the ban is not formalized.

Design features

Those who have received a new passport, but plan to keep the Russian one, must be notified of the change in their status to the FMS. The procedure is given 2 months.

Russian Jews have every chance not to renounce Russian citizenship. During registration, no one will demand this action from them. But in the process of naturalization, it is difficult to retain citizenship of another country, since the procedure itself provides for the renunciation of an already holding citizenship.

Our compatriots planning to obtain an Israeli passport and live in Russia will have a very difficult time. At the slightest suspicion of such a scheme, citizenship will be refused.

In general, the procedure for obtaining Israeli citizenship for ethnic Jews does not seem difficult. The rest of the migrants will need to be patient in order to get a passport in a few years that would equalize them in rights with the Israelis.