Urgent repatriation (Aliyah) to Israel and Israeli citizenship
Instructions for individuals arriving or planning to travel to Israel without a repatriation visa.
(For those who are eligible for repatriation but are unable to pass the border check, or who failed the consular examination in their country of origin)
We urge you to read the guidelines carefully.
Previously, it was possible to fly to Israel without a visa and repatriate inside Israel.Emergency repatriation, however, has accelerated the repatriation process and made citizenship more challenging. If you are a Jew from RU or UA, don’t rush through passport control; instead, follow the instructions. These instructions may save you from being deported.
What must I bring with me on my trip to Israel?
To repatriate to Israel, you must have a repatriation package and personal documents, such as,
- 6 passport-size photos for each of the applicants
- A passport valid for at least 1 year
- Original birth certificate (if the birth certificate is issued more than once, then the birth certificate (extract) will be required from the state register)
- Birth certificates for Jewish family members (father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, and great-grandparents), including siblings, qualify for repatriation under the Law of Return. If the birth certificate is issued more than once, then the birth certificate (extract) will be required from the state register.
- Marital documents (Marriage certificate or registration) (if applicable)
- Certificates of marriage and divorce from previous marriages (If only a divorce certificate is available, then a marriage certificate (extract) will be required with a note of dissolution from the state registry.)
- Birth certificates of the parents of the applicant
- Certificate of paternity/adoption (if applicable)
- Certificate of change of name and/or surname if the applicant or a member of his/her family has changed
- Marriage certificate of the parents (if parents are divorced, only a Jewish parent divorce certificate is required).
- Marriage and divorce certificates of the grandparents of the applicant, eligible for repatriation
- Internal passports of the applicants and copies of their parent and grandparent’s passports (if applicable)
- Education-related documents of family members
- Proof of Jewish roots: Household Register extracts from their parents and grandparents.
- Death certificates of grandparents and parents, as well as death certificates (extracts) indicating nationality from the national registry.
- Documents on labor activity (employment records, personal files)
- Photographs with relatives in the Jewish line, as well as photographs of the graves of deceased relatives.
- Copies of family members’ Israeli citizenship, residency documents, home addresses, phone numbers, and the year they returned to Israel. (if applicable)
Note: All submissions must be in their original form (any missing originals should be discussed with your counsellor)
How to pass border control at Ben Gurion Airport?
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, you must scan your passport before proceeding to border control and then print your entry visa (a personalized blue card with the data). (If your passport is not biometric or does not scan, go to the red desk next door. After that, you need to find a Nativ consular officer)
“If you do not have a repatriation visa” The next step is to approach the OLIM, Repatriation, Sohnut, or Aliyah department and ask where the Nativ desk is and tell the officer that you do not have a repatriation visa.
At border control, an immigration officer will conduct an interview and do the initial document check. (If you do not have any original documents for repatriation with you, you must inform the officer that the documents are already in Israel or will arrive after you and present copies of the required documents.)
“Make sure you carry documents in your hand baggage.”
You’ll receive a few forms, be issued paper bracelets, and be listed on the registry as potential returnees. Nothing further will be provided to you at the airport. You depart from the airport as visitors, not as citizens or repatriates, but as visitors to Israel, for only three months.
You will need to enroll in one of the repatriation centers for the consular check and the subsequent check by the Ministry of Interior. (Visit my website at www.efraimlaw.com for further details.)You will receive Teudat Zeut, a temporary Israeli identification card, and Teudat Ole, a certificate of new repatriation (one per family), upon the successful completion of their passage.
How to check eligibility for repatriation and get your paperwork ready before you leave your country of origin?
The best approach to checking whether an individual is eligible to be repatriated to Israel is to visit my page, www.lawyerisrael.org.il/eligibility-repatriation. Or contact the Israeli consulate or embassy in your country of origin.
Or go to the Israeli Ministry of Affairs website (Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, www.gov.il) and fill out the “Go or No Go” form. After submitting the form. The Israeli Ministry will assist you with the necessary papers and get your affairs in order before you leave.
It’s important to keep in mind that the Israeli government will only grant your appeal if the paperwork is over 80% complete.
You may still be required to present additional documentation at the border control in Israel even after completing the Go/No-Go form and even the earlier screening in the country of origin.