Ways to obtain Israeli citizenship

What is dual citizenship?

This is when a person simultaneously has citizenship of Russia and another state with which Russia has concluded an agreement on dual citizenship. A citizen has equal rights of both countries.

The Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” dated May 31, 2002 No. 62-FZ states that a citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to accept the citizenship of other states an unlimited number of times, while he will remain a citizen of the Russian Federation until he formalizes the termination of Russian citizenship at his own request . This citizenship will not be called dual, it will be called second (when there are several foreign passports).

How to obtain citizenship through a consulate for a former citizen of the USSR

Some stateless persons can also register through the consulate.
For this reason, three points are important:

1. The fact of having Soviet citizenship in the past.
2. The fact of residence in one of the countries that were part of the Soviet Union.
3. Lack of any citizenship.

Documents for LGB

It is important to prove your former Soviet citizenship. Suitable for this:

• birth certificate (issued both in the Soviet Union and in a foreign country - by a consular office or diplomatic mission of the USSR);
• Soviet passport;
• a certificate issued in a foreign country (former Soviet republic) confirming the fact of exchange of a USSR passport for an LBG certificate.

You will also need to present:

• identification document of a stateless person;
• a document that confirms that the applicant has the right to permanent residence; residence in the country in which he is applying for citizenship, for example, a residence permit.

You will find complete lists of papers for LBG by country at the links above.

Russia's position on dual citizenship

The next one is that a citizen of the Russian Federation cannot have another nationality, i.e. When receiving a Russian passport, you must renounce your previous citizenship.

Citizens of the Russian Federation, acquiring the status of resident of another country, have no restrictions, i.e. there is no need to renounce Russian citizenship . But a mandatory condition is that a person who has received a passport from another country must notify the Main Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs about this within 60 days from the date of entry into the Russian Federation.

The Russian authorities treat citizens of their country who have become subjects of another country with loyalty. But they must inform the migration service about this. In case of failure to notify the migration service or provision of false information, citizens are subject to administrative liability.

Dual citizenship Russia - Israel in 2021: pros and cons, how to get it?

Holders of passports from both countries have a number of advantages and can take advantage of the opportunities provided in both countries. Despite the fact that this phenomenon is becoming increasingly common in the world, not all states encourage their citizens to have other passports. In this article we will tell you who has the opportunity to have dual citizenship of Russia and Israel in 2020 and look into the details to understand how this can be done.

Approaches to the issue of dual citizenship in Russia and Israel.

Is dual citizenship legal in Israel?

Dual citizenship is prohibited in Israel. But, at the same time, in this country you can have 2 or even 3, and in some cases 4 citizenships.

What is the difference between such citizenship? For example, if an Israeli has Russian citizenship as a second citizenship, then upon arriving in Russia, all his problems will be solved only by Russia. The Israeli consulate in this case will no longer be able to help.

You can obtain a second citizenship in Israel right at the airport upon arrival in the country. The procedure takes only a few minutes, and no oath or oath is required. However, this is only if you arrived in the country after falling under the Law of Return, that is, you are a repatriate.

You can often see advertisements on the Internet that Israeli citizenship is for sale. In fact, these actions are illegal, since citizenship in Israel can only be obtained through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and one of its branches is located at the airport.

This provision is enshrined in the Russian Federation Law on Citizenship.

How to become the owner of two passports at once

The simplest procedure for obtaining an Israeli passport is provided for Jews and persons with Jewish roots up to the third generation. Even the fact of the death of a Jewish relative or his permanent residence in another country does not play a role. Widowed spouses of Jews, spouses (including widowed ones) of children and grandchildren of Jews, as well as a child adopted by Jews (as well as their children and grandchildren) can also apply for citizenship.

From the point of view of Israeli laws, Jews are recognized as citizens whose mother is Jewish, or those who agree to accept Judaism and renounce any other religions and atheistic views.

The question arises of how to obtain dual Israeli-Russian citizenship for a citizen who does not meet the conditions of the repatriation program. If an applicant for an Israeli passport is not Jewish, he has a chance to receive the document if he meets at least one of the requirements:

• he entered into a marriage relationship with an Israeli citizen;
• he was born in Israel to parents who were Israeli citizens at that time;
• he was born in another country, but his parents are Israelis,
• he was born after the death of his mother or father, who were Israeli citizens;
• he was born in Israel and was stateless;
• he was naturalized.

Going through the repatriation procedure does not seem difficult: the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs or the embassy needs to collect a package of documents, which usually includes:

• passport;
• photo;
• certificate of no criminal record;
• certificate or diploma;
• birth or marriage certificate proving Jewish kinship.

The papers will need to be translated into Hebrew, the translation notarized and apostilled. If there are no problems establishing the applicant’s relationship with Israelis, the decision is made in favor of the citizen and he receives a repatriation visa, valid for six months. The flight is paid for by the Israeli side, and upon arrival the citizen will be given medical insurance, SIM cards for mobile communications and pocket money.

Naturalization is a more difficult and lengthy process. It requires reaching the age of 18, first obtaining a residence permit valid for at least a year, confirming the ability to support oneself financially, presenting a certificate of completion of a Hebrew language course, renouncing previous citizenship and living in Israel for a certain time:

• five years - for great-grandchildren of Jews;
• three years - for others wishing to obtain a country passport;
• from two to five years - for those who became the spouse of a Jew;
• one year for conscript soldiers in the IDF.

he was born in Israel and was stateless;.

Pros and cons of living in Israel

Many foreigners seek to move to this country for permanent residence. The passport of this country gives foreigners many advantages:

• the opportunity to open a business that will reach a high level in a short time;
• give birth to children in a developed country and give them a decent education;
• use the services of highly qualified doctors;
• travel without visas to the USA, Spain, Japan and other countries;
• receive a decent salary (the average salary is $2,500).

This is just a small part of the benefits available to Israelis. As a tourist and medical-prophylactic zone, the state is accessible to everyone, but obtaining citizenship is much more difficult. This is one of the main disadvantages of living in the country.

The disadvantages include the following:

• if you are employed, you will have to renew your visa every 1-3 years;
• high real estate prices;
• unstable military-political situation;
• significant influence of religion on public life.

The state has created comfortable conditions for people to live: accessible education, quality medicine and employment prospects. Israelis travel freely to Spain and other countries without visas.

In the legislation of the Russian Federation, second and dual citizenship are one and the same.

An additional advantage is fluency in Hebrew, financial stability and ownership of real estate.

How to obtain second citizenship Russia - Israel

Obtaining Israeli citizenship for a citizen of the Russian Federation is not a difficult procedure, thanks to the friendly relations between society and the authorities of these countries. If you meet certain requirements, you can obtain Israeli citizenship in a few months.

If you do not intend to permanently reside in Israel, then the only way to obtain a document as a citizen of this country is repatriation. The specifics of obtaining it should be discussed in consultation with a lawyer. According to Israeli law, obtaining a basic citizen’s passport is possible in three stages:

• The beginning of repatriation is receiving a “teudat zehut”, a standard analogue of a passport of the Russian Federation;
• 3 months after the start of repatriation - obtaining a “teudat maavar”, an expanded analogue of a passport of the Russian Federation, with the possibility of visa-free visits to a wide list of countries;
• A year after receiving the “teudat maavar”, you can apply for a “darkon”, an analogue of the passport of the Russian Federation with the opportunity to travel without visas to 150 countries of the world.

Another way to obtain a “darkon” is to naturalize an individual by passing a test of language proficiency, having his own home and permanent residence in the territory of the state. The property must be of your own acquisition, so simplify the naturalization procedure. Naturalization obliges the new citizen to renounce his previous citizenship, including Russian. If you are not going to lose your Russian citizenship, you will have to abandon the naturalization procedure and acquire “Darkon” in other ways.

Obtaining citizenship is also possible through a gift from a government representative - usually the gift takes place subject to significant merit to the country, in this case there is no need for permanent residence.

Another way is to marry a representative of an eastern country; if the marriage turns out to be fictitious, then legal sanctions may be applied to you.

Naturalization obliges the new citizen to renounce his previous citizenship, including Russian.

How to get an Israeli passport

According to Chapter 1 of the law, an Israeli passport is granted to:

• On repatriation. According to the Law of Return, adopted by the Knesset on July 5, 1950, all returnees are recognized as Israeli citizens if they repatriated after the formation of the state. All Jews who are Jewish by birth from a Jewish mother and have not changed their religion or converted to Judaism can repatriate to the country. That is, the right to repatriation only for origin from a Jewish mother and belonging to the Jewish people is not granted - an important condition is the confession of Judaism. By the way, Germany also has a Jewish immigration program.
• According to accommodation. All those who lived in Israel before the creation of such a state were recognized as citizens.
• By birth. Citizens of Israel become all children born in the country, if at least one of his parents is a citizen of the country, or born outside it, if one of the parents acquired citizenship by virtue of repatriation, residence in Israel or the provision of a passport.
• By naturalization. Naturalize in Israel, according to Art. of the above 5 law, it is possible subject to: permanent residence in the country for three out of five years preceding the submission of the petition;
• having the right to permanent residence;
• desire to settle in the country (presence of property, business, work on its territory);
• possessing “some knowledge of Hebrew” – a specific amount has not been established, but the amount that can be obtained in ulpan seems sufficient;
• renouncing past citizenship or providing evidence that it has ceased.

By naturalization.

How to obtain second Israeli citizenship for a Russian citizen

At the legislative level in Israel, obtaining citizenship status is regulated by two laws:

• “On Return” – determines how to obtain citizenship under the repatriation program;
• “On Citizenship” – allows individuals who meet the established requirements to become citizens;

Israel's Nationality Law defines the rules for obtaining a passport from that country through the process of naturalization or marriage to an Israeli citizen. In both cases, we are not talking about dual or second citizenship—Russian citizenship will have to be renounced.

Only the Law of Return allows a Russian to obtain Israeli citizenship without renouncing his existing one.

After collecting the documents, you will have an interview with the consul.

Repatriation

The repatriation process begins with the collection of documents that must be submitted to the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs or the consulate in the Russian Federation. Next, there will be an interview with the consul, and all family members must be present in person. If the outcome is positive, a repatriation visa is issued the next day, which entitles you to a free flight to the destination country.

Upon arrival, new arrivals are given repatriation certificates, telephone SIM cards, medical insurance and pocket money.

If the outcome is positive, a repatriation visa is issued the next day, which entitles you to a free flight to the destination country.

What is Israel's position on dual citizenship?

Only a Jew can become a citizen of Israel (either at birth or upon adoption of religion - Judaism), and also those who have Jewish roots (according to the Law of Return) on the maternal side, because belonging to a given nation is transmitted through the mother.

An important condition for obtaining Israeli citizenship is adherence to the canons of Judaism , i.e. a person who renounces this religion will not be able to move to Israel.

According to Israeli law, only Jews can have dual citizenship, and naturalized citizens must renounce their previous citizenship.

Ways to obtain a passport:

– providing a statement of belonging to the category of persons, according to the Law on Citizenship, who have the right to be citizens of Israel,

– register a marriage with a Jew,

– undergo the repatriation procedure in accordance with the Law on Return,

– naturalization.

Israel allows dual citizenship without renouncing the citizenship of another country. The exception is naturalization when obtaining an Israeli passport.
For example, a Russian citizen who has lived in Israel for about three years, speaking Hebrew, decides to stay in the country, in which case he has the right to apply for Israeli citizenship by renouncing citizenship of another country.

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. 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.

Methods of immigration to Israel

Documents for repatriation

There are two options for authorities to which you need to provide a package of documents. This is the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the country's consulate located on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The video describes the experience of repatriation to Israel.

The set of papers must include:

• identification documents, all available passports should be presented to the authorities.
• a photograph measuring 3 × 4 cm. It is important that the photograph is in color. You need to include one photo for each family member, including babies.

• all birth certificates: both adult and minor family members.
• work book (original).
• Birth certificates of Israeli grandparents, fathers or mothers, whose relationship entitles you to an Israeli passport.
• certificate stating that the applicant has not been convicted. In addition to the original, it is necessary to provide notarized translations into English and Hebrew.

Example of a certificate of no criminal record

• any information about relatives living in Israel, their personal data, addresses, telephone numbers, etc.

It is mandatory to provide originals of all documents. All persons who have chosen the path of repatriates (as well as infants) must be present at the reception with the consul.

It is important to pre-register for a consular interview. While this is happening, the documents of the applicant and his family members are simultaneously checked. If a positive decision is made, a repatriation visa is issued the very next day. Its validity period is six months. If necessary, the permit can be extended.

We recommend watching the video: stages of repatriation to Israel.

What is the registration procedure?

A person who decides to become an Israeli citizen must do the following:

1. Choose a program that suits him and prepare the appropriate package of documents.
2. Make an appointment at the consulate, where an interview and document verification will take place.
3. Wait for a decision. If the decision is positive, you can apply for a visa. Valid for 6 months (can be extended).
4. Arriving in Israel, obtain documents. A month after entering Israel, a passport is issued.

This is a scheme for persons obtaining citizenship under a simplified scheme. If the action is carried out through naturalization, then you must contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It is necessary to prepare documents in advance, because...
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