The interview record and the interpreter at the Population Authority

Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority

Published: 6 November 2026

The short answer

The couple's interview in the Gradual Process is held under the Authority's interview procedure, 5.1.0013 (edition 2, 31.8.2016), which the three partner procedures refer to. It says the interview is held in a language you speak and understand, with an interpreter from the Authority when needed; that the clerk writes a record in Hebrew; that at the end you read it, or have it translated to you, and sign it; and that a copy can be requested once the application has been finally decided.

How to prepare for the interview is a separate article. This one is about what is written down in the room.

The interview at the Population Authority: how to prepare

The language, the interpreter and a companion

The procedure describes the interview as a personal conversation of questions and answers with an Authority employee, in which you are given a fair opportunity to state your case. It is held in the language the interviewee speaks and understands; if no interviewer who speaks that language is available, the interview is translated by an interpreter on behalf of the Authority. The interpreter is the Authority's: the procedure does not provide for one the couple brings.

You may bring a companion, who may not intervene: this is explained at the start, any intervention is written into the record, and the employee may remove the companion. So say at the start which language you want, tell the office in advance which language the foreign partner needs, and if you asked for an interpreter and none came, ask that this be noted.

What the clerk writes down

The record is written in Hebrew, legibly, on the Authority's interview form, with numbered pages. It holds the main points of what was said, with emphasis on the basis of the application and the claims on which eligibility rests; it is not a word-for-word transcript.

Contradictions are written down in detail: between what you say and the documents you filed, between your answers in different interviews, and between the answers of the two of you.
Any unusual event during the interview, on your part or the companion's, is recorded.
You may hand in documents and evidence to support what you say, and the clerk may ask for them.

What the Authority examines at the couple's interview

Reading back, signing, and a wrong line

At the end you are asked to read the record and confirm it with your signature. An interviewee who does not speak Hebrew, or cannot read, has it translated first and is then asked to sign. Someone who cannot write signs with a fingerprint. If you refuse to sign, the interviewer notes that.

Separately, the interviewer fills in an interview summary form, with the findings and the conclusions and recommendations for the decision on the points examined, such as the centre of life and the genuineness of the marriage. That summary is internal and is not given to you.

Read before you sign, page by page, and have each page translated rather than summarised. If a line misstates what you said, say so before signing and ask for the correction to be written in. If the clerk will not change it, ask that your remark be written next to your signature, or decline to sign; the refusal is then noted. Either way, write down the same day what was said and what was recorded, and send the office a short letter stating the correction.

Getting a copy of the record

The interview procedure sets its own route: on request only, and only after a final decision on the application, a copy of the interview form may be given to the interviewee. What is handed over is the record of the interview alone, not the summary, the conclusions or any internal note. After the decision, write to the office that handled the file.

The general route to documents a public authority holds about you is a request under the Freedom of Information Law to the Authority's freedom of information officer, by the online form, by email (Hofesh.Meida@piba.gov.il) or by post. According to Kol Zchut, a request for information about the applicant's own affairs and rights is exempt from the request fee, and the authority must answer within 30 days, a period it may extend with written reasons.

Kol Zchut: filing a request under the Freedom of Information Law

Why the record matters later

When a refusal rests on the findings of the interview, the partner procedures say both partners are invited to the office and handed a reasoned written refusal, with a demand that the foreign partner leave within 30 days and a note of the appeal route. Those reasons are built on the record and the summary. In an internal appeal, and before the Appeals Tribunal, the record is the evidence of what you said; a line you confirmed with your signature will be read as your answer.

The record also lives on inside the process: before every extension of the licence another interview is held, and the interviewer is told to note contradictions between your answers in different interviews. Keep your own dated note of each interview.

Application refused: what are the options

How IsraelVisa helps

IsraelVisa helps you keep the dates of each interview, your own notes of what was asked and answered, and your letters to the office in one place, yourselves and at your own pace. IsraelVisa does not give legal advice; if you wish, you can find independent lawyers through it.

Frequently asked questions

Can we bring our own interpreter to the interview?

The procedure places the interpreter on the Authority's side: when no interviewer speaks your language, the Authority provides one. A companion may sit in but may not intervene, and translating counts as intervening. Ask for the Authority's interpreter in advance.

Must the foreign partner sign a record written in Hebrew?

The record is translated for an interviewee who does not speak Hebrew or cannot read, and only then is a signature asked for. If you do not agree with what is written, say so before signing; a refusal to sign is noted by the interviewer.

Can we get the record straight after the interview?

No. The procedure allows a copy of the interview form on request and only after a final decision on the application, and only the record of the interview itself, not the summary or the conclusions.

Is the Israeli partner's interview recorded in the same way?

Yes. The interview procedure applies to every interviewee at the Authority, and the partner procedures call both of you to interviews, including before every extension of the licence.

Sources

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The information in this article is general and does not constitute legal advice. The procedures are updated from time to time; check the current version on the website of the Population and Immigration Authority.