The process of granting residency status to a foreign spouse always begins with submitting a residency application using the Population Authority’s online form. As part of this, a long list of documents must be submitted, which must be officially certified and acceptable to the Ministry of Interior, and sometimes translated into Hebrew in a translation accepted by the Ministry of Interior.
This article will therefore deal with a general list of these documents according to categories, and the way to certify and translate them so that they are acceptable to the Ministry of Interior.
The required documents are divided into three different categories: threshold documents, center of life documents, and genuineness of relationship documents. The list presented here is a general list, which may vary from case to case – sometimes additional documents may be required.
Threshold Documents
These are official documents without which the Authority is entitled to refuse to open the application, hence their name. They include:
- The foreigner’s birth certificate
- The foreigner’s certificate of good conduct
- A certificate of personal status (certificate of singleness/certificate of marriage registration in the country of origin, for married individuals)
- A certificate testifying to previous marital status
- Marriage and divorce certificates, if any, including from previous marriages
Center of Life Documents
This is a list of documents designed to prove that the couple’s, or at least the Israeli spouse’s center of life, is in Israel:
- Rental agreement/land registration extract
- Electricity, municipal tax, and water bills for six months
- Pay slips for six months
- Confirmations from National Insurance Institute
- Bank account management certificate
- Bank account statements for the past six months
- Confirmation from the local authority regarding residence
- Driver’s license and vehicle registration
- Confirmation of membership in health fund
Genuineness of Relationship Documents
This is a list of documents designed to prove the relationship between the couple:
- A letter explaining how the couple met
- Joint photos of the couple from when they were dating
- Screenshots of messages and call logs between the couple
- Letters from family and friends testifying to the relationship between the couple
Document Certification
Official documents must be certified so they are acceptable to the Ministry of Interior. This can be done in two different ways. First, in countries that have signed the Hague Convention (Apostille), you can get an apostille stamp on the document itself to certify it. In countries without an apostille, you need to get a stamp from the local Ministry of Interior, the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally from the Israeli embassy in that country.
Document Translation
The translation must be done by a notary public in Israel. Documents in English usually do not need to be translated, but the bureau has the right to request a translation. Importantly, the Ministry of Interior will not accept a translation called a “translator’s declaration,” but rather translation by a notary public fluent in the language is required.