Israel Partner Visa Application – Required Documents
This post is a guide about the documents which must be submitted to Misrad Hapnim during “Step B – Appointment 1: Submission of required documents” for unmarried couples going through Procedure 5.2.0009. If you haven’t read yet, go to my previous post regarding Israel’s Partner Visa process which you can find here.
Below is the general process overview, as a refresher to those who already read my previous post:
List of documents from official Procedure Document
The following items are those listed in the official procedure document for unmarried couples (Procedure 5.2.0009). The first one is the original Hebrew list then followed by the English translation I got using google translate.
Hebrew (original)
ג.2 מסמכי סף לפתיחת תיק להגשת הבקשה: ללא מסמכים אלו לא יתחיל הטיפול בבקשה.
ג.2.א בקשה לקבלת/הארכת רשיון ישיבה – אש/3
ג.2.ב תמונות חזותיות (פספורט) של כל אחד מבני הזוג.
ג.2.ג תעודת זהות של בן הזוג הישראלי, כולל הספח.בקונסוליה בחו”ל- מסמך מזהה ישראלי (דרכון/ אשרת חוזר/ תמי”ל/ת”ז / כרטיס יוצ)
ג.2.ד דרכון זר של המוזמן, בתוקף לשנתיים לפחות
ג.2.ה מכתב הסבר חתום על ידי שני בני הזוג בנוגע לקשר ביניהם, חייהם המשותפים, אופן ומשך היכרותם וכיוב’.
ג.2.ו תצהיר של בני הזוג על אמיתות החומר שהוגש ועל חובת בני הזוג להודיע ללשכת רשות האוכלוסין על כל שינוי בנסיבות. (נספח א – תצהיר)
ג.2.ז הוכחות לכנות קשר ולקיום מרכז חיים משותף לפחות מהשנה האחרונה: תמונות משותפות, חוזה שכירות, חשבונות משותפים, מכתבים והמלצות לגבי היכרות בני הזוג מבני משפחה וחברים (יש לצרף צילום תעודת זהות של כל ממליץ ופרטי התקשרות) וכל מסמך אחר שיידרש, עפ”י שיקול דעת הלשכה, בהתאם לנסיבות המקרה
ג.3 מסמכים נוספים:
ג.3.א הגשת תיעוד עדכני של המוזמן, מקורי מאומת ובמידת הצורך גם מתורגם, כמפורט להלן:
1) תעודת לידה של המוזמן. במידה והוצגה תעודת לידה מקורית – אין צורך באימותה.
2) במידה ובוצעו שינויי שם (פרטי/משפחה) של המוזמן יש להציג תעודה ציבורית המעידה על שינויי שם.
3) תעודה ציבורית עדכנית ממדינתו המעידה על מצב אישי נוכחי וקודם של המוזמן.
4) תעודת יושר ממדינת המוצא (הכוללת גם שינויי שם) של המוזמן מהשנה האחרונה. במידת הצורך תידרש גם תעודת יושר פדראלית או תעודה מן המחוז אליו משתייך המוזמן, לפי העניין.
English (google translate)
C.2. Threshold documents for the opening of a file for submission of the application: Without these documents, the application will not begin.
C.2.a. Application form to receive / extend a residence permit.
C.2.b. Photographs of each spouse (passport size).
C.2.c. Identity card of the Israeli spouse, including the attachment. At the consulate abroad – Israeli ID document (Passport / Return visa / Laissez-passer / Teudat Zehut / Exit card).
C.2.d. Foreign passport of the Invitee, valid for at least two years.
C.2.e. Explanatory letter signed by the two spouses regarding the connection between them, their shared life, manner and duration, and so forth.
C.2.f. Affidavit of the couple about the truthfulness of the material that was submitted and the obligation of the couple to notify the Bureau of Population Authority over any change in circumstances (Appendix A – Affidavit).
C.2.g. Proof of the sincerity of the relationship and the existence of common center of life for at least the past year: shared photos, rental contract, shared accounts, letters and recommendations regarding the acquaintance of the couple from family and friends (a photocopy of each individual’s ID card and contact information will be attached) and any other documents required, at the discretion of the Bureau, in accordance with the circumstances of the case.
C.3. Additional documents:
C.3.a. Updated documentation of the Invitee, authenticated/verified original, and if necessary also translated, as described below:
- Birth certificate of the Invitee. If an original birth certificate is presented – no authentication/verification is required.
- If the name (private / family) of the Invitee has been changed, a public certificate indicating a change of name must be presented.
- An up-to-date public certificate from his country indicating to the current and previous personal status of the Invitee.
- Certificate of integrity from the country of origin (which also includes name changes) of the invitee from the last year. If needed, either a federal integrity certificate or a certificate from the district to which the Invitee belongs will be required, as applicable.
List of documents from Beersheba branch
What you must realize is that the list required by Misrad Hapnim branches can be more than what are listed in the procedure document. Also important to remember – branches have their own set of requirements. For example, Tel Aviv branch asks for a declaration from the couple on existence/nonexistence of kids signed by a lawyer, while Beersheba branch does not have that on its list of requirements.
You can use the documents listed in the procedure document (the ones above) as a guide on what you need to prepare BUT your final checklist should be the list given to you by your branch. Consider the procedure document requirements list as a subset of your branch’s requirements list.
Below is the list of requirements we received from Misrad Hapnim Beersheba branch last October 2018. The first one is the original Hebrew list then followed by the English translation I got using google translate.
Hebrew (original)
1. נוכחות שלי בני הזוג בלשכה חובה.
2. 3 תמונות פספורט של כל אחד מבני הזוג.
3. טופס בקשה אשרת כניסה בצירוף תמונה חזותית עדכנית.
4. צילום תעודת הזהות של בן/בת הזוג הישראלי/ת וצילום דרכון זר של בן/בת הזוג הזר/ה.
5. תעודת לידה של הזר מקורית ,במידה ונופקה אחרי שנת 1990 – יש לאמת בחותמת אפוסטיל.
6. דרכון זר בתוקף לשנתיים מעבר לתוקף הרישיון שיינתן.
7. תעודת יושר של בן הזוג הזר, כולל שמות קודמים, מקורים ומאומתת בחותמת אפוסטיל.
8. תעודת על מצבן האישי של הזר (תעודת גירושין / ת. פטירה של בן/בת זוג). בנוסף אישור עדכני על מצבו האישי של הזר, מתורגם מקורי ומאומת בחותמת אפוסטיל.
9. במידה ובוצע שינוי שם (פרטי / משפחה) של הזר, יש להציג תעודת המעידה על שינוי שם מקורית מאומתת בחותמת אפוסטיל.
10. מכתב הסבר מפורט לכ”א מבני הזוג בנפרד על החיים המשותפים, אופן ומשך ההיכרות.
11. הוכהות לקשר ולחיים משותפים (תמונות משותפות, מכתבים מקרובי משפחה וחברים + צילומי תעודות זהות של ממליצים).
12. מכתבי התכתבות בין בני הזוג, פירוט שיחות טלפון, החכתבות באיבטרנט וכדי.
13. חוזה שכירות / רכישת בית של הישראלי/ת.
14. חשבונות של ארנונה, חשמל, טלפון וכוי עייש הישראלי/ת או בעל הדירה.
15. תלושי משכורת ממקום העבודה של ישראלי/ת / אישור ממקום הלימודים.
16. אגרה עיים 170 ₪
17. יש להמציא תרגום נוטריוני של כל המסמכים + צילומים.
מדינות שאינן כלולות בחותמת אפוסטיל יש לאמתן ע”י השגרירות הישראלית.
English (google translate)
1. Presence of the couple.
2. 3 passport photos of each spouse.
3. Visa application form with recent photo.
4. Photocopy of the Israeli spouse’s Teudat Zehut and photocopy of the foreign spouse’s passport.
5. Original birth certificate of the foreigner. If issued after 1990 – must be verified with an Apostille stamp.
6. Foreign passport valid for two years beyond the validity of license to be granted.
7. Certificate of integrity of the foreign spouse, including previous names, original and verified with an Apostille stamp.
8. Document regarding the foreigner’s personal situation (divorce certificate / death of a spouse). In addition, an up-to-date certification of the foreigner’s personal status, original and verified with an Apostille stamp.
9. If a change has been made to the name (private / family) of the foreigner, a certificate attesting the name change must be presented with an Apostille stamp.
10. A detailed explanatory letter from the couple about their shared life, manner and duration of acquaintance.
11. Proof of relationship and shared life (shared photos, letter from relative and friends with photocopy of their ID)
12. Letters of correspondence between the couple, details of phone calls, online correspondence, etc.
13. Rental/home purchase contract of the Israeli.
14. Bills of arnona, electricity, telephone, etc. of the Israeli or the landlord.
15. Salary slips from the Israeli’s workplace / Certificate from the school.
16. A fee of 170 NIS.
17. A notarized translation of all documents + photocopies must be provided.
Countries not included in the Apostille stamp must be verified by the Israeli embassy.
Grouping the required documents
The list of requirements can be grouped into two.
1. Documents needing verification (authentication or Apostille stamp):
- Birth certificate
- Certificate of Integrity (police clearance)
- Certificate of personal status (single status certificate)
- Certificate of name change
Notice that the above documents which need verification are public documents issued by foreign countries. In case it’s not clear, these four documents are about the foreign partner. Misrad Hapnim has the ability to check information contained by these four documents when it comes to the Israeli partner so the Israeli partner does not need to provide these certificates for the application process.
Note that Misrad Hapnim has an ‘age’ limit on these certificates. Some say that, when submitting these on Appointment 1, each certificate should be not older than 6 months since issuance, some say not older than 3 months. Igal and I did not ask our branch about this. The Philippines has an established turn-around time on issuing such public documents and I can obtain all that I need in less than two weeks. So, we just assumed the shortest validity and made sure that the documents to be submitted were issued in the past 3 months or less on the day of our Appointment 1.
If your public documents were translated and notarized outside Israel, then you also need an Apostille/Legalisation stamp to verify that the notary is legit. However, it’s best to do your translations in Israel unless no notary in Israel is equipped to do the translation.
If you want to be sure about your branch’s requirement regarding the ‘age’ of documents, ask your clerk about it when you first approach Misrad Hapnim to book Appointment 1 (documents submission).
2. Documents NOT needing verification:
All the others go here.
Verification of a public document issued by a foreign country
The kind of verification you need depends on two things:
- Is the ISSUING country a signatory of the Hague Apostille Convention?
- Is the DESTINATION country a signatory of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Apostille
If BOTH issuing and destination countries are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention, then your document will need just the Apostille stamp from the competent authority of the issuing country. In the Philippines, the Apostille Stamp is issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Check this link to see the designated competent authority of your country regarding Apostille issuance.
There is one additional check you’d need to go over when determining if an Apostille applies to your document or not. If country A objects to the accession of country B to the convention, then the Apostille convention will not apply to these two countries. For example – Germany, Finland, Austria and Greece objected to the accession of The Philippines to the Apostille Convention. As such, Philippine public documents would still need to go through Legalisation/Authentication instead of Apostille for use in Germany, Finland, Austria, or Greece.
To know if there are objections to your country’s accession to the convention:
- Go to this link
- See if your country is tagged with ‘A**’ under column ‘Type’
- Click on ‘A**’ and check the discussion.
You can also visit the Apostille section on the website of Hague Conference to learn more about the Apostille Convention.
Legalisation/Authentication
For all other cases where at least one country (either issuing or destination) is NOT a signatory to the Apostille Convention, then your document will need to go through authentication/verification from the competent authority of the issuing country AND the embassy/consulate of destination country in the issuing country. Since more authorities are involved, this type of verification costs more and takes longer.
Why is verification needed for public documents?
You need to verify your public document by Apostille or Legalisation/Authentication in order to make it a legal foreign public document (ie., for it to be recognized legal outside of issuing country). These processes certifies that the signature of the person that signed or the seal of the authority that sealed the public document is authentic. It’s a way for government A to let government B know that the document’s signatory/seal is legit.
The Apostille stamp and Legalisation stamp are separate pieces of paper attached to the public document that has been verified. Reach out to the embassy/consulate of the country where you’ll use your public document if you’re unsure on what kind of verification you need.
My verification experience
I’ll share my experience to help give you a clearer picture. The Philippines became a party (signatory) to the Apostille Convention just last 14 May 2019.
Igal and I had our Appointment 1 at Misrad Hapnim last February 2019. The Philippines was NOT yet signatory to the Apostille Convention at that time. So, all Philippine issued documents that we submitted to Misrad Hapnim were (1) authenticated by Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs, and then (2) authenticated by Israel Embassy in the Philippines. Hence, I had two additional authentication papers attached to each of my PH issued public document.
The PH DFA authentication took 1 day and cost Php 200 per document (~14 NIS / ~4 USD), while the Israeli Embassy authentication took about 2 weeks and cost Php 697 per document (~48 NIS / ~14 USD).
I processed additional Philippine issued documents that I wanted to take with me to Israel last May 2019, after the Philippines became signatory to the Apostille Convention. For these documents, I only had to get Apostille stamp from the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs. I no longer had to do the embassy authentication since Israel (the destination country) is also signatory to the Apostille Convention. So, it was less leg work for me and I spent less money.
The Philippines’ DFA Apostille currently costs the same rate it had for legalisation – Php 200 per document for expedited one-day service (~14 NIS / ~4 USD), and Php 100 per document for regular four-day service (~7 NIS / ~2 USD).
I’d also like to share these two infographics made by Philippines’ Department of Foreign Afffairs when our country was about to switch to the Apostille verification (Note: Step 1 on first infographic is just referring to the relevant government agency that issues the needed public document).
More details on documents submitted to Misrad Hapnim
1. Presence of the couple
Since we strictly followed the by-invitation process of Misrad Hapnim, only my Israeli partner was present during Appointment 1.
2. 3 passport photos of each spouse
Each of us provided passport photos. I included mine (more than 3 copies to be sure) with the documents shipped to my Israeli partner.
3. Visa application form with recent photo
The official procedure documents mentions אש/3 as the form to be filled-up. However, this document is entitled “Application for the extension of permit of residence/change of visa category“. Since I was not in Israel yet, I wondered if it’s really the form I should fill-up. I found another form (אש/1) entitled “Application for entry visa to Israel category of…” which seems to be more appropriate for my case. Just to be sure, I decided to fill-up and sign both forms and then shipped them to my Israeli partner.
The two forms are available here. Form אש/1 is the first two pages while Form אש/3 is the last two pages.
Form אש/3 is also attached as appendix to the official Procedure 5.2.0009 document from Misrad Hapnim.
4. Photocopy of the Israeli spouse's Teudat Zehut and photocopy of the foreign spouse's passport.
This is self-explanatory. To add, the Israeli Partner should always bring his/her actual TZ when visiting Misrad Hapnim.
5. Original birth certificate of the foreigner. If issued after 1990 - must be verified with an Apostille stamp.
We submitted my legalised/authenticated birth certificate.
Original and photocopy were brought. The photocopy was compared by the clerk versus the original. The original was returned to my partner while the clerk kept the photocopy on file.
The Philippines only has one kind of birth certificate. I was advised that other countries may have different types of birth certificate. In such case, the one that must be submitted is the long-form birth certificate which contains both parents’ names. It can also be called as the “unabridged birth certificate”.
6. Foreign passport valid for two years beyond the validity of license to be granted.
If foreign partner is NOT is Israel, then only the photocopy of details page (requirement #4) is needed. If foreign partner is in Israel, then bring your passport when both of you (as a couple) go to Misrad Hapnim to submit the documents.
7. Certificate of integrity of the foreign spouse, including previous names, original and verified with an Apostille stamp.
I submitted two documents – (1) legalised/authenticated Philippine National Police (PNP) Clearance Certificate, and (2) legalised/authenticated Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance Certificate. Based on what other Filipinos submitted, the PNP clearance certificate is not necessary. Just the NBI clearance certificate will suffice.
Original and photocopy were brought. The photocopy was compared by the clerk versus the original. The original was returned to my partner while the clerk kept the photocopy on file.
8. Document regarding the foreigner's personal situation (divorce certificate / death of a spouse). In addition, an up-to-date certification of the foreigner's personal status, original and verified with an Apostille stamp.
We submitted my legalised/authenticated Philippines’ Certificate of No Marriage (Cenomar).
Original and photocopy were brought. The photocopy was compared by the clerk versus the original. The original was returned to my partner while the clerk kept the photocopy on file.
9. If a change has been made to the name (private / family) of the foreigner, a certificate attesting the name change must be presented with an Apostille stamp.
Does not apply to me. Nothing was submitted.
10. A detailed explanatory letter from the couple about their shared life, manner and duration of acquaintance.
Igal and I wrote a letter in English which he then translated to Hebrew. The two of us signed both versions. Details we included in the letter are – how we met, how our relationship progressed, trips we had together and how these helped our relationship, how we maintained the relationship despite being long-distance, and what we want for our future as a couple. Both English and Hebrew versions were submitted to Misrad Hapnim.
11. Proof of relationship and shared life (shared photos, letter from relative and friends with photocopy of their ID)
We submitted photos that supports the list of trips we mentioned in our explanatory letter. Most of the photos were just the two of us but we also included group photos we had with his friends and my friends/relatives. Majority of the photos were screenshots from Google Photos (the photo plus the location and date details). For those not from Google Photos, we specified the location and date taken. The photos were printed on A4 paper, four photos per page, black and white. It was accepted by Misrad Hapnim with a reminder to print in color next time. We submitted about 40 photos in total.
We also printed copies of documents from all our trips together (plane/train/ferry tickets). My partner said the clerk looked worried when she saw it. It was a thick set of print-outs, about 40 pages. The clerk said she doesn’t need it.
For letters from friends, we had three from Igal’s side (made by Israelis) and then one from my side (made by non-Israelis). Misrad Hapnim took only the letters from Israelis. Included in each letter is the referrer’s contact number and copy of ID. For letters made by a couple, both of their IDs and contact numbers were provided. The letters were brief – saying how they know us as a couple, how they think of us a couple, etc.
12. Letters of correspondence between the couple, details of phone calls, online correspondence, etc.
- Screenshots of WhatsApp conversations – 2 screenshots for each month since we met. The screenshots were put in A4 sized paper, formatted into two columns per page, then printed. Total 12 pages of screenshots (snippets of conversation over 3 years).
- Screenshots of WhatApp calls – screenshot of the call info showing call duration, date of call, time of call, outgoing/incoming tag. The screenshots were put in A4 sized paper, formatted into three columns per page, then printed. Total 10 pages of screenshots (snippets of calls over 3 years).
13. Rental/home purchase contract of the Israeli.
My Israeli partner brought his rental contract and a photocopy of it. The clerk kept the photocopy on file.
14. Bills of arnona, electricity, telephone, etc. of the Israeli or the landlord.
My Israeli partner is paying all utilities to his landlord. So, he just brought a letter from his landlord saying this.
15. Salary slips from the Israeli's workplace / Certificate from the school.
My Israeli partner brought copies of his salary slips from work for the past 3 months.
16. A fee of 170 NIS.
My Israeli partner was not made to pay anything during Appointment 1. The clerk told him that we’ll pay at a later time (I think on interview date).
I’m a Philippine passport holder and I’m entitled to free Israel tourist visa-on-arrival, for maximum validity of 90 days. If needed, each extension of the tourist visa at Misrad Hapnim costs 175 NIS. Additionally, other couples who recently received the B/1 Partner Work Visa said that the B/1 costs 175 NIS. So, the 170 NIS mentioned in our list is possibly an outdated rate. If you plan to occasionally travel outside Israel, a multi-entry visa sticker is also needed which will cost you another 175 NIS. B/1 Visa is not multi-entry so the separate Multi-entry Visa is needed to accompany your B/1 so you can re-enter Israel. You can see the fees table here.
When we visited Misrad Hapnim Beersheba last August 2019, there’s an announcement posted on the walls saying that payments can only be made by card since July 2019. I’m not sure if that’s for all branches or just Beersheba.
17. A notarized translation of all documents + photocopies must be provided.
If your public documents issued by a foreign country are in English, then there’s a possibility that you won’t need to do this. It all depends on whether your branch will request for a Hebrew translation or not. Some couples with English documents said they were asked for Hebrew translation, some said their English documents were accepted without the need for Hebrew translation.
My partner and I decided not to do the translation unless Misrad Hapnim specifically say during Appointment 1 that it’s needed. We decided to do this approach because:
- It’s easy to process a notarized English-to-Hebrew translation. It will, most likely, take less than a week to take care of it.
- Per official procedure document, if we have missing requirements during Appointment 1, then we have max 45 days to submit them. Otherwise, our case will automatically be closed (ie., rejected application).
- Given #1 and #2, doing the translation ahead of time “just in case” it’s needed is an unnecessary task and an unnecessary expense for us. Turned-out that we decided well because Misrad Hapnim accepted my English documents without the need for Hebrew translation.
If a Hebrew translation is needed, it’s recommended to do the translation in Israel. If the translation is done outside Israel, then you would also need to verify the translation’s notarial stamp to certify that the notary really has the capacity to issue a notarial stamp (either by Apostille Stamp or Legalisation/Authentication, whichever applies). If you do it in Israel, Misrad Hapnim has the ability to check if the Israeli notary who did the translation really has the capacity to do it.
For languages which may be very uncommon and your only option is to do the translation at issuing country, try to check first with the Israeli Embassy in your country if it has recommended/accredited translators, but don’t ever forget the Apostille/Legalisation stamp to legalize the notarial stamp.
When translating in Israel, it is required that the documents are translated and notarized by a notary who speaks both the original and translation languages. For example – if translating French to Hebrew, the notary must be someone who speaks both French and Hebrew. If Misrad Hapnim finds out that your translated document was notarized by a notary who speaks Hebrew but is NOT a French speaker, you’ll be required to redo the notarized translation. I also heard that a notarized third-party translation is not accepted (ie., translated by A then notarized by B).
Try to see if this notary database from the Israel Bar Association’s website can help you find someone to do a notarized translation of your documents. The database has a language filter. There’s also this translation service that’s recommended by a number of mixed couples who are going through the partner visa process.
Here’s a summary of what you need in total for each public document that needs translation:
- Translated outside Israel
- Original public document
- Apostille/Legalisation stamp certifying authenticity of signatory/seal on the public document
- Translation of the public document with notarial stamp
- Apostille/Legalisation stamp certifying authenticity of the notary/notarial stamp
- Translated in Israel
- Original public document
- Apostille/Legalisation stamp certifying authenticity of signatory/seal on the public document
- Translation with notarial stamp
The notarized translation requirement only applies to the required public documents issued by a foreign country.
Note: Countries not included in the Apostille stamp must be verified by the Israeli embassy.
This is just what we talked about earlier – Apostille Stamp vs. Legalisation/Authentication.
This is needed for the required public documents issued by a foreign country.
Other things worth noting
1. Be organized
Your clerk will appreciate it if you come with all your documents organized.
2. Don't forget to bring photocopies
Bring photocopies of:
- The public documents issued by a foreign country (including the Apostille/Legalisation stamp)
- All other requirements where you can’t surrender the original copy
Misrad Hapnim will not photocopy the documents for you. You must take care of this before going to MH. Otherwise, you’ll encounter some delay.
3. Don't be a smartass
I saw one person mocking Misrad Hapnim’s requirement regarding correspondence. This person decided to print their entire conversation as a couple which were thousands of pages. Smartass spotted! Also, precious papers were wasted. Don’t be this person.
4. Israeli partner, always, always, ALWAYS bring your T.Z.
When my boyfriend went to Misrad Hapnim to submit our documents, he forgot to bring his TZ. On his turn, the clerk immediately told him that he’ll have to come back and bring his TZ when she’s done checking all the documents. Thankfully, my boyfriend was able to build a rapport with the clerk while our documents were being checked and the clerk eventually said that my boyfriend won’t have to come back to show his TZ; but, he was reminded to bring it every time he visits Misrad Hapnim.
For the foreign partner, ALWAYS bring your passport.
5. Being friendly helps
Case in point – see #4 😊
6. DON'T ship your documents using regular post
Service of regular post is not efficient. Ship your documents using FedEx, DHL, and the likes.
I shipped my documents from the Philippines to Israel via FedEx and my partner received the package after 3 calendar days.
7. Get your list of requirements from your Misrad Hapnim branch
You can use this blog post as a guide, but the final list of requirements you need to submit will come from your Misrad Hapnim branch. Once you approach your branch and schedule your Appointment, the branch will give you the list. Click here to see the list of Misrad Hapnim branches prepared by Nefesh B’Nefesh.
As mentioned earlier, branches have some differences on list of requirements. A list from Tel Aviv branch may not be the same with the list from Rishon Lezion branch.
8. Go to the local magistrate court for a lawyer's signature
If you need a lawyer to sign as a witness to some form for submission to Misrad Hapnim, the cheapest option is to go to your local magistrate court (Beit Mishpat HaShalom) and the lawyer on duty will sign it for a set fee.
According to this court fees table (אגרות בבתי המשפט), an affidavit costs 48 NIS.
עריפי אגרות – כללי
32. עשיית תצהיר – 48 ₪
9. Possible helpful link on where to get foreign public documents
Your partner should be the best person to know where the required public documents can be obtained from his/her country. However, if you hit a brick wall, this page MIGHT help point you to the right direction. Just select your foreign partner’s country and go over the discussion about civil documents at the bottom part.
10. The single status certificate
This document is common in the Philippines as it’s required for those getting a marriage license. Learning about the experience of other mixed couples going through the partner visa, I realized that it’s not so common in other countries.
Below are some guidance shared by other nationalities applying for the Israel Partner Visa:
- Canada – single status certificate does not exist. Go to Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv and ask for a “Statement in Lieu of Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage”. This should be stamped and signed by the Canadian Embassy.
- USA
- If you are in the US, you can get it from your home state.
- If you are in Israel – fill-up single status affidavit form online and print it. Go to US Embassy in Tel Aviv to get embassy stamp on the print-out. Then mail it to the US State Department for Apostille.
- Germany – single status is part of the “Meldebescheinigung” which is issued at “Einwohnermeldeamt” in the city where foreign partner is registered.
- United Kingdom – If you are in Israel, go to the UK Embassy in Tel Aviv, have the embassy sign and stamp a letter stating that you are single.
Most of the advise regarding countries which don’t have the single status certificate is to visit the country’s embassy in Israel and have a letter stating your single status signed and stamped by the embassy. I’m not sure how it goes if the foreign partner is still at his/her home country. But, for UK residents, I found this page which discusses how to obtain it. For Canadians, try to check this out.
Other possible names of single status certificate are:
- Certificate of No Impediment
- Certificate of No Marriage
- Certificate of Freedom to Marry
- Certificate of Unmarried Status
That's all for now. Goodluck on your application! I hope this post helps you. Yom nifla (יום נפלא)! -janet
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