Status in Israel for Foreign Spouses

Who are accompanying minors? A joint life application is opened at the Ministry of the Interior when one partner is Israeli and the other is a foreign national. The spouses often meet each other after they have had additional relationships in the past and had children with the former partner. When the foreign spouse is…

What can be done if a foreign citizen seeks Israeli legal status on the basis of a relationship with an Israeli, but was married in the country of origin and has not yet obtained a divorce? Clearly, if the foreign partner is still legally married, this will cause problems in obtaining legal status in Israel.…

If the foreign partner of an Israeli has a criminal record, this may be a barrier to arranging legal status in Israel. A spouse’s criminal is a complex issue which has been brought up more than once in Israeli courts. In this article, attorney Michael Decker discusses the subject in detail, describing the couple’s legal…

A joint life application is the first stage in obtaining legal status for a foreign spouse of an Israeli citizen. At this stage the couple is required to present various documents which must be obtained ahead of time. In this article we have collected information on the required documents for foreign partners seeking to obtain…

Within the borders of Israel, marriage is only possible between two members of the same religion, according to religious law. Couples who cannot get married in a religious ceremony, whether due to being members of different religions or other reasons, must marry abroad. As a result, many Israelis choose to conduct their civil marriage in the…

The relationship sincerity interview is a critical stage in the procedure of obtaining legal status for foreign partners in Israel. What do you need to know and how can you prepare for the interview? In this article, attorney Michael Decker, an expert in Israeli immigration law, answers these questions. Our law offices specialize in immigration…

There are now more common-law couples in Israel than ever before. For many of these couples, one of the partners is a foreign citizen. If the couple wants to live together in Israel, the foreign partner must obtain legal status. To arrange legal status, the first stage is filing a joint life application in the…

Israeli law does not allow for interfaith marriages. Thus, many Israelis who wish to marry foreign partners conduct their marriage in a foreign country which allows such unions, such as Cyprus; or marriage in the presence of only one spouse in countries such as Paraguay. In this article we call your attention to a seemingly…

Can a couple obtain legal status when one partner is a foreign citizen who is residing in Israel illegally? Such couples must undergo a protracted process which eventually results in citizenship for the foreign spouse illegal resident in Israel. But first, they must prove the sincerity of their relationship and meet all Interior Ministry requirements.…

If an Israeli has a criminal record, that doesn’t mean they can’t arrange legal status for their foreign spouse. It is a truism that love does not recognize borders; there are always couples who want to institutionalize their relationship despite problems experienced by one of the partners. Such problems may include the criminal record of…