How to obtain Israeli citizenship for a Russian without living in Israel

Who can apply for Israeli citizenship

The Holy Land attracts with the beauty of its nature, unusual traditions, high standard of living and rapid pace of development. Everyone who, through family ties, can consider themselves Jewish, is thinking about moving to the Jewish state.

Repatriation programs with the support of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration provide the opportunity to take advantage of all benefits and simplified relocation schemes to return to their historical homeland. However, every year the number of people wishing to obtain the status of a citizen of the Holy Land increases, so the authorities are forced to constantly monitor the reliability of the data of applicants.

The tight controls come amid an increasing number of attempts to falsify documents about Jewish ancestry, which is considered a serious crime against Israeli authorities.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO OBTAIN AN ISRAELI PASSPORT

MARRIAGE

Spouses, widows and widowers of Jews
Spouses, widows and widowers of Jewish children
Spouses, widows and widowers of Jewish grandchildren

BY BLOOD

Jews
Children of Jews
Grandchildren of Jews

ADOPTION

Adopted Jews
Adopted children of Jews
Adopted grandchildren of Jews

Apply for citizenship

Who can obtain Israeli citizenship without moving?

The following categories of foreigners can obtain Israeli citizenship without permanent residence in the country:

persons with documented Jewish roots;
one of a married couple after the death of a Jewish spouse who has not registered a remarriage;
citizens of other countries who were born in Israel before its independence was recognized;
children born in the Israeli state (if at least one of the parents is Israeli);
children of Jews born outside the country.

Repatriation

An effective way to obtain citizenship without permanent residence in Israel is the repatriation program

The real way to obtain citizenship without the fact of permanent residence in the Promised Land is a repatriation program. The relevant embassy approves entry into the state and issues a visa for all native Jews who live in other countries.

After successfully entering the territory of the Jewish state, the repatriate has the right to immediately submit an application and the required documents to obtain a passport with Israeli citizenship. Previously, in such cases, the rule of compulsory life in the Holy Land for 1 year was in force, but today this condition has been abolished.

In accordance with current Jewish laws, the status of repatriates can be obtained by:

Jews born from a Jewish mother are halakhic Jews;
persons who converted and converted to Judaism;
children whose parents were born in Israel or are citizens of a Jewish country (even if this condition is only suitable for one parent).

Repatriation is the easiest way to obtain the status of a citizen of the Holy Land. Many repatriation assistance programs offer various ways to quickly obtain all the necessary documents for moving to the Promised Land. The time frame for preparing and obtaining citizenship for repatriates is about 6 months from the date of submitting documents to the embassy.

Our specialists can speed up this process. Experienced experts in the field of migration issues of the Consulting Office give professional recommendations on finding evidence, and also help to find original documents confirming Jewish origin. To quickly complete the required package of documents and go through all other stages, leave a request on the website or call us at 8 (800) 600-34-42.

Other methods of obtaining the status of a citizen of the Holy Land imply mandatory long-term residence on its territory:

Marriage to an Israeli. In this case, you can think about submitting documents for registration of citizen status only after 4 years of temporary residence in the country.
Naturalization. This path is quite difficult, but it is the only one suitable for people who do not have Jewish roots on their mother’s side and do not have a Jewish spouse. However, naturalization presupposes not only being directly in the Holy Land at the time of filing the application, but also having a permanent residence permit, which is issued only in case of permanent residence in the territory of the state for 4.5 years or more.

Basic provisions of the Law “On Citizenship”

The Citizenship Law clearly regulates who can become an Israeli citizen. In particular, these are:

a child born in the country, if at least one of his parents is Israeli;
a child born in another country if one of his parents is a citizen of Israel;
a child born after the death of a mother or father who was an Israeli citizen;
a child who was born in Israel but has no citizenship. The main condition is the absence of restrictions established by law. Representatives of this category have the opportunity to acquire citizenship by submitting a petition at the age of 18-25 years. In addition to this, you are required to live in the country for at least 5 years;
other persons who have lived in Israel for at least three years and have completed the naturalization process. Non-Jews must also obtain a residence permit. Representatives of this category are required to renounce their previous citizenship;
legal husbands and wives of Israelis who have lived in Israel for at least two years.

Refugees

Move to Israel without Jewish roots under the refugee program. This is not to say that it is very simple, but with a great desire you can overcome all obstacles. This category includes persons fleeing from their native land to another country, fearing for their freedom and life. The main thing is that the refugee legally crosses the border of the country of the four seas and is able to prove that he really has good reason to fear for himself in his homeland. Such persons in Israel are entitled to financial assistance, housing and the opportunity to transport their family.

Upon arrival in the country, you must contact the Department of Refugees and submit the following package of documents:

application in the prescribed form;
applicant's passport;
birth certificate;
photos.

In addition, the applicant must have evidence that confirms the presence of a threat in his home country. These may be publications in the media, audio and/or video recordings, photographs, and so on. If a positive decision is made, it will be necessary to undergo a medical examination, an interview and submit fingerprints. Family members will need to undergo the same procedures if they also arrived in Israel.

See also: Do Russians need a visa to Israel in 2021?

There is no need to delay submitting documents. This must be done within 12 months of arrival in Israel. It should be remembered: the longer the applicant delays submitting documents, the less chance he has of obtaining a residence permit.

Refugee status is granted for a period of 1 year with the possibility of extension.

What documents do Russians need to submit for Israeli citizenship?

To participate in the repatriation program and submit an application to the relevant authorities, a citizen of the Russian Federation needs to collect the following package of documents:

official confirmation of kinship with Jews on the maternal side or a certificate of conversion;
documents on current marital status;
documents confirming the education received (certificate of secondary education, diploma of a higher educational institution);
work book or other documents about qualifications and work experience;
certificate of good conduct;
identity cards of close relatives - citizens of the Holy Land;
visa application form.

Israeli citizenship entitles you to free medical care

If the applicant really has Jewish roots in the ancestry up to the third generation, then the paperwork process will happen very quickly. The decisive stage is the consular check: it is during this process that the presence of Jewish blood and the possibility of participation in the repatriation program are officially confirmed.

During the interview with the Consul, all family members who are going to move or apply for citizenship status, even children, must be present. At the meeting, the family will learn all the intricacies of obtaining citizenship and moving. If the decision at the family council does not change, repatriation visas are issued already on the second visit. Their validity period is 6 months, but if necessary it can be extended. Only after receiving this visa can you choose a specific flight date and search for tickets.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

All available passports

Israeli medicine is known throughout the world: the country has created a unique insurance system for organizing care. To be eligible to enjoy all the benefits of medical services in Israel, repatriates must choose one of four

Certificate of no criminal record

Copies of documents of close relatives in Israel

Children, parents, sisters/brothers, grandparents, including their ID card numbers (Teudat-zehut). The exact date of repatriation to Israel according to Teudat-ola (repatriate document). Their residential addresses and telephone numbers in Israel.

Help from the Red Cross

Information about close relatives of Jews who were evacuated during the Second World War. It takes a month to get the certificate, but you can order it a little more in 2 weeks. The Red Cross is located at the station. metro station "Kuznetsky Most". Take only your passport with you.

Birth and marriage certificates

About birth: your own, a Jewish parent, a Jewish grandparent, each minor child. About marriage (divorce): your own, your Jewish parent, your Jewish grandparents.

Education documents

Certificate of secondary education, university diplomas, documents on scientific degrees, if any. Your own and direct Jewish relatives (parents, grandparents) if any.

Color photographs 3 x 4 for the application form

3 x 4 cm color photographs of each family member submitting documents, including newborns.

General family photos

General family photos with all Jewish relatives, if any.

Work records

3 x 4 cm color photographs of each family member submitting documents, including newborns.

Military ID

Only for military personnel.

FAQ

How can a Russian citizen obtain Israeli citizenship?

To obtain Israeli citizenship, a Russian must prove his belonging to the Jewish nation and collect the relevant documents. In this case, you will be able to obtain citizenship based on Jewish roots under the Law of Return.

How can a Russian citizen obtain Israeli citizenship without living in Israel?

The following categories of foreigners can obtain Israeli citizenship without permanent residence in the country: persons with documented Jewish roots; one of a married couple after the death of a Jewish spouse who has not registered a remarriage; citizens of other countries who were born in Israel before its independence was recognized; children born in the Israeli state (if at least one of the parents is Israeli); as well as children of Jews born outside the country.

Naturalization

This is one of the most difficult ways to obtain Israeli citizenship. It takes from 2 to 15 years.

A person cannot apply for citizenship by naturalization unless he has permanent residence status.

An unmarried person has the right to obtain permanent residence after 3 years of legal residence in Israel. He must also have a permanent and legal source of income.

Other requirements:

no problems with the police;
speak Hebrew sufficiently to communicate with the consul;
confirmed evidence that Israel is the center of vital interests (having real estate or business in Israel).

Having received permanent residence, the foreigner submits an application for Israeli citizenship. You will have to wait 5 years.

During these 5 years a person:

should not have any problems with the law;
must be physically present in Israel for 3 years;
must renounce Russian citizenship (or provide convincing evidence of intentions to do so after obtaining Israeli citizenship through naturalization).

Israel allows dual citizenship. But a person can be deprived of his second citizenship if it was acquired after he became an Israeli citizen.

Read on our website: is dual citizenship of Israel and Russia possible?

Watch the video: how to legally obtain Israeli citizenship for a non-Jew.

How to confirm Jewish roots

To successfully get into the repatriation program, you need to confirm your affiliation with Jews through the female line of your family. To do this, it is important to find as many sources as possible:

birth certificates of mother, grandmother or great-grandmother;
marriage, death or divorce certificates containing information about the nationality of a female relative;
extracts from the registry office archive, house register and other sources indicating Jewish nationality;
information about burial places of relatives;
photos from the family archive, documents with Jewish symbols and other indirect evidence of Jews in the family.

Also, in the absence of official documents, you can prove your roots using DNA tests. However, this is an additional method of proof, not the main one. It has no legal force, only confirmation of relationship through DNA can be taken into account.

Consulting specialists carefully examine each situation; you can count on full involvement in your process and a quick guaranteed result.

Help in confirming roots

Advantages of obtaining citizenship without residence in the country

Israeli citizenship provides the opportunity to freely visit the sunny country as a holiday destination

Residents of other countries have recently preferred to take the chance to become citizens of the Holy Land without the condition of staying on its territory.

This is due to several reasons, including:

The opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of an Israeli citizen. This is the right to free medical care and other benefits.
The fact of official affiliation with the Jewish state makes it possible to freely visit the sunny country as a holiday destination. At the same time, you can choose any resort on one of the four seas and not have to worry about how many days you can still spend in the Holy Land.
Special regime for visiting other countries. Three months after completing the documents, every newly minted Israeli citizen receives the right to a visa-free regime with dozens of countries. The travel document lesse-passe was previously issued in the Holy Land, but now it can only be issued in Russia, subject to obtaining Israeli citizenship without staying on its territory.

Applying to the embassy to obtain Israeli citizenship

Documents confirming nationality are submitted to the consul at the Israeli Embassy. An interview is conducted and the evidence provided is reviewed in detail. After this, the consul makes a decision on whether to grant citizenship or not. Embassies are located in big cities, but once every couple of months the consul travels to other cities. You can find out when he will be in the nearest town, so as not to go to another city, by phone, on the embassy website. By telephone you can make an appointment with the consul at his next visit. At the same time, it is necessary to indicate the details of all family members applying for citizenship.

The event may take the whole day; it is recommended to arrive for your appointment with the consul in the morning. At the entrance, all visitors undergo a thorough search. Everyone who is scheduled for an interview with the consul that day gathers in the common room. You will be given a form in which you must indicate passport and personal data, contact phone numbers of your closest relatives, the presence of relatives in Israel, the dates of their visits to Russia, telephone numbers, addresses of ex-wives and husbands. It will not be possible to download the application form on the embassy website in advance and fill out the application form; when entering information at the embassy, you can turn to specialists for help.

Interview with the consul

After filling out the application form, the applicant for Israeli citizenship goes for an interview with the consul. He studies documents, asks questions, clarifies data from certificates, asks questions about plans for the future after moving to Israel. When asked about religion, it is recommended not to give preference to any existing one except Judaism. If the interview was successful the first time, this is luck; usually, making a decision is postponed for some time.

After a successful interview

If the interview is successful, the consul puts an Israeli visa on the passport. A future Israeli citizen with a visa is entitled to free flights on certain dates with additional luggage, taxi or transfer. Specialists from the Ministry of Absorption will help you settle in. Citizenship is obtained at Tel Aviv airport upon arrival. Afterwards, you need to go into the room to take photographs for documents: a Teudat Ole citizen’s ID and a temporary passport - registration in the population register. With the documents, they provide a referral for medical insurance and cash.

Before accepting citizenship, you can take free educational programs. They are available free of charge to future Israelis. Training lasts from 10 days to 4 months. It takes 2 years to obtain citizenship. For Israelis with citizenship, educational programs are available for money.

Hereditary Jews have a better chance of obtaining Israeli citizenship than Russians, this is the law.

Second citizenship

The authorities of the Jewish country do not prohibit its residents from being citizens of several states at the same time. Strict requirements are imposed only in the case of the naturalization procedure: then you will have to completely abandon official ties with your country of birth. This should be taken into account when deciding to move to the territory of the Promised Land: if things don’t work out with the new country, it will be difficult to return the Russian passport to those who refused it.

The Russian Federation recognizes the presence of two passports for its citizens if the person’s first citizenship was Russian.

It is beneficial to be a citizen of two countries at the same time. This position brings certain privileges:

this is convenient for citizens of the Russian Federation who do not want to give up their status in Russia, but at the same time want to have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a citizen of another state: for example, travel around the world with an Israeli passport;
in the case of business development related to movement between states, the status of a citizen of the Holy Land will significantly simplify this task;
Living in two countries for the same amount of time during the year makes it impossible to determine which of them falls under the concept of “center of vital interests,” which will help save on taxes.

Also, we should not forget about the disadvantages of obtaining citizenship of the Promised Land, for example:

a citizen of the Jewish state is obliged to undergo compulsory military service and cannot evade military service;
utility bills for citizens of two countries are also multiplied by two or even more, given the high cost of utilities;
an Israeli citizen must live in his country at certain times of the year, otherwise he risks losing his Israeli passport;
Due to military conflicts, Israelis are prohibited from entering such eastern countries as Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and others.

Before deciding to obtain Israeli citizenship, without renouncing the status of a citizen of the Russian Federation, you should weigh all the advantages and disadvantages, and also obtain detailed advice from specialists.

Double citizenship

Many states prohibit holding passports from two countries. However, in Russia it is legal. Many Russians legally hold passports from Israel, Tajikistan and other countries.

Citizens of the Russian Federation are required to report receiving a passport from another country to the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs by submitting an application no later than 2 months. Violation of deadlines or failure to notify authorities may result in a fine.

In Israel, repatriates can have two passports, but naturalized citizens of the country are deprived of this opportunity. To obtain Israeli citizenship, they are required to renounce their native one.

What is important to consider

It should be remembered that having all the documents in hand does not guarantee successful registration of the status of a citizen of the Holy Land for residents of another country. Without a permanent stay on the territory of the Jewish state, it will be quite difficult to go through all the bureaucratic procedures on your own. Therefore, it is better to contact specialists who will quickly resolve any issue related to obtaining citizenship.

The team offers a full range of services for obtaining the status of a citizen of the Promised Land for residents of the Russian Federation. Our specialists not only take care of all the difficulties of collecting documents when applying for citizenship with residence in another country, but also provide preparation for the main stage of obtaining the status of a citizen of the Holy Land - a personal interview with the Consul.

To obtain the status of an Israeli in the shortest possible time and take advantage of all its privileges as soon as possible, leave a request on the website or call 8 (800) 600-34-42. We work seven days a week because we know that when it comes to repatriation to Israel, every day counts.

How to increase your chances of success in naturalization?

The path is difficult and does not always lead to a positive result. Especially if you have no experience in bureaucratic processes. Even if you have a full package of documents for naturalization, the state has the right to refuse the applicant. To increase the chances of a successful completion of the case, it was opened.

We will collect a package of documents, register with the Israeli Consulate in Moscow or another city, and assist in filing an application. Migraplus employees will advise on the correct submission of documents for obtaining Israeli citizenship. We will help with the interview, drawing up a questionnaire, and will guide you through all stages of naturalization.