Israeli citizenship by descent

According to the current legislation, the following people have the right to obtain Israeli citizenship by descent:

• children and grandchildren of Jews;
• children adopted by Jews;
• wives of Jews, wives of sons and grandchildren of Jews;
• husbands of Jewish women, husbands of daughters and granddaughters of Jews;
• widows and widowers of Jews who have not remarried.

However, this list has exceptions. If a person who has a direct Jewish affiliation voluntarily changes his religion, then he will not be able to obtain Israeli citizenship. At the same time, the opposite is also true—if a person converted to Judaism, then he is recognized as a Jew and can use the right of repatriation.

But if this is not your case, you have Jewish relatives, and on this basis you want to move to the Jewish state for permanent residence, then the information below will be especially useful for you.
Consider how to apply for citizenship if one of the parents, grandparents is Jewish. Is applying for citizenship conceivable?

If parents are Jewish

Jewish mom

Jewish children are in all cases eligible for Israeli citizenship. The main question is whether they will be recognized as Halachic Jews. A child born of a Jewish mother, according to Halakha, also becomes a Jew and has all the rights to return to Israel. If a child is born from a Jewish man, then he is not recognized as a halachic Jew, but the right to citizenship remains with him one way or another, and the process of repatriation does not change in any way.

Jewish dad

A child born of Jews is entitled to repatriation. If the father is Jewish and the child was born out of wedlock, then additional checks are required. To confirm the relationship, you may be sent for a DNA test. It is needed to confirm paternity, and after receiving a positive result, you can safely continue the standard repatriation process. Documentary proof of paternity will be required during the consular check.
To achieve this, they turn to an Israeli lawyer, who, after reviewing the documents, sends the child and father for DNA analysis, designed to establish kinship. After paternity is confirmed, the test results are considered in an Israeli court, which issues documentary evidence.
If the parents are no longer alive, and it is no longer possible to go through the repatriation procedure together, contact the WRAI. We will help you find all the documents to confirm your Jewishness, pass a consular check and receive the coveted citizenship of the Promised Land.

If your grandparents are Jewish

The answer to the question, if the grandmother is Jewish, is it possible to obtain citizenship of the great Jewish state—yes, of course you can. Use the Law of Return in practice and there will be no special problems. The main thing is to document the fact of ancestry and direct affiliation of the grandmother to the Jewish nation.

But what if the grandfather is a Jew? How to get Israeli citizenship in this case? You can obtain the right to repatriation by contacting the consulate with a request to consider obtaining the right to repatriation and provide strong evidence of the presence of the necessary Jewish roots.

Thus, according to Israeli law, even those people who have Jewish grandparents can apply for Israeli citizenship, although, as practice shows, there are also enough legal and bureaucratic difficulties here.

Citizenship for Israeli children

Citizenship can also be obtained by children whose parents are Israeli citizens. Registration is carried out by appointment at the Embassy at the place of residence. Registration of a child is issued upon personal presentation of the following documents:

• a completed notification of the birth of an Israeli citizen abroad;
• Israeli identity card;
• original birth certificate and a copy*;
• the original certificate from the maternity hospital, or: a birth certificate, a discharge epicrisis or an exchange card (which is put into the children’s card from the clinic). You also need to bring a photocopy of this document!

List of documents

An indicative list of documents for repatriation to Israel by descent includes:

• Color photographs 3×4 cm in size;
• Passports—foreign and domestic;
• Evidence of birth, marriage of parents, birth of parents, marriage of grandparents, birth of grandparents.
• Documents related to labor, military, trade union, party, Komsomol and other areas of activity;
• Documents on education;
• Documents and information about close relatives living in Israel;
• Completed application form “Repatriate visa request”.

Help and advice

Our company is ready to provide you with professional assistance in obtaining Israeli citizenship by descent. We have been working in this area for many years and successfully cope with even the most complex issues. For you, our specialists will do everything quickly and with a positive result, which allows you to significantly save your energy, time, and money.

FAQ