Reaching the visa desk of the Population Authority

Two ways in

Two channels lead to the visa desk of the Population and Immigration Authority. The application itself, first application or renewal, is filed online, and the office calls you in. Everything else, from a question on a pending file to a re-entry visa or an appointment at the end of the Gradual Process, goes through an appointment request or the call centre. The office pages on gov.il say visa and status service is by prior arrangement only. The facts come from procedures 5.2.0008 and 5.2.0009 (July 2026) and gov.il.

The application is filed online

Both procedures say that when the foreign partner is in Israel the couple, or the Israeli partner, files an online application; when the foreign partner is still abroad, the Israeli partner files before the arrival. The filing goes through the Israeli partner's government login, and the Israeli partner's details come from the Population Registry. Before filing, make sure your registered address is current; if not, file a change of address first. If you cannot file online, the procedures send the Israeli partner to the information desk of the office nearest your area of residence.

After filing, the Israeli partner is invited to the office. A request for missing documents comes through the same online system, with 45 days to supply them, extendable by the head of the visa team by up to 45 more. Once everything is in, you are invited to identify yourselves and present the originals, and where possible the interview is held at that visit.

The Gradual Process: the guide

Renewing the licence: online, then a meeting

A renewal goes through the same system, filed online three months before the licence expires. Once 180 days have passed since expiry no extension can be filed: it is closed automatically, without notice, and only a new application remains.

The office then sets a meeting at the visa department no later than three months from the day you applied. Both partners are interviewed before every extension, and the foreign partner must show a passport valid for at least two years from the extension date. If no decision can be made at that meeting although you did what the procedure requires, the licence is extended by six months, absent objections from the consulted authorities.

Renewing the licence during the Gradual Process

Everything else: the appointment form

For anything that is not the application itself, gov.il offers one online form, to book a meeting with the visa desk or to ask about visas and status. It is not for passports or identity cards. You state the subject, choose the office and tick the channels for a call back. Booking is free; the service carries a fee.

The page states the Authority's timetable: representatives contact you to set a date at the office you chose, and an answer is given within 30 working days. After that you may come to the office: one with a visa information desk sets the appointment on the spot, any other within two working days.

Scheduling a meeting with the visa desk (gov.il, Hebrew)

The call centre, GoVisit and the office pages

• The national call centre, *3450 (+972-74-7083450 from abroad), answers Sunday to Thursday, 08:00 to 16:00, in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian. Visa enquiries are answered by a person, who can also book the appointment for you; personal information is given only there, by phone.
• GoVisit, the government booking site, lists the Authority's registry services: passports, identity cards, registry changes and certificates. Visa and status matters are not booked there.
• Each office has a page on gov.il with its address and reception hours; the pages we checked say visa service is by prior arrangement only.

The national call centre *3450 (gov.il, Hebrew)

Who comes, what to bring, and the fee

Appointments at the visa desk are for both of you: the summons to present originals and the interview before each extension address both partners. Bring an identity card too; a driving licence is not accepted.

The Authority's fee page lists family reunification at two points, filing and receipt of the licence, plus the extension of a residence licence and a re-entry visa; at the time of writing: 1,085 shekels at filing, 830 on receipt, 205 for an extension, 105 for a re-entry visa. Check the page before you pay; payment is by credit card only. A fee exemption request under procedure 5.1.0003 goes to the office's information desk.

• Form Ash/6 (and entry visa form Ash/1 if the foreign partner is still abroad).
• Two recent passport photographs of each partner.
• The Israeli partner's identity card with its appendix.
• The foreign partner's passport, valid for at least two years.
• The foreign partner's birth certificate, a certificate of personal status from the last six months, the marriage certificate and a certificate of good conduct: original, authenticated, translated.
• A signed letter about the relationship, the affidavit on page 3 of form Ash/6, and evidence of a shared centre of life over the last year.

Fee table: registry, travel documents, visas and citizenship (gov.il, Hebrew)

When there is no reply

The Authority's pages set the only timetable there is: an answer within 30 working days, a reminder from the call centre to the office once 14 working days have passed without reply, and an appointment on the spot or within two working days when you come to the office after 30 working days. Keep the date of the form, the office chosen and any reference you received. For a pending application, watch the email address you gave when filing: document requests and refusals go there.

How IsraelVisa helps

IsraelVisa helps you keep the application, the documents and the licence dates in one place, prepare the list above before each visit, and note what you sent and when, yourselves and at your own pace. IsraelVisa does not give legal advice; if you wish, you can find independent lawyers through IsraelVisa.

Frequently asked questions

Can we file the first application at the office instead of online?

As a rule no. The procedures and the service page say the application is filed online by the Israeli partner. Only if you cannot file online do you go to the information desk of the office nearest your area of residence, where you may receive the document list and an appointment to file.

When do we file the renewal, and when do we see the office?

Three months before the licence expires, online. The office then sets a meeting at the visa department no later than three months from the day you applied, and both of you are interviewed before the extension.

Can we book a visa appointment on GoVisit or MyVisit?

GoVisit lists the Authority's registry services, such as passports, identity cards and name changes, not visa or status matters. For those you use the appointment form on gov.il or a representative at *3450.

We sent the appointment form and nothing happened. What now?

After 14 working days, call *3450 and ask for the reminder to the office; the answer is due within 30 working days. After 30 working days, come to the office: one with a visa information desk sets the appointment on the spot, any other within two working days.

Related guides

• The Gradual Process: how a foreign partner gets status in Israel
• /articles/licence-renewal/
• Documents for the Gradual Process: what to collect, and in what form

Sources

• Procedure 5.2.0008 - status for a foreign spouse married to an Israeli citizen (edition 16, 20.07.2026), sections C.5, C.9, C.18, C.19, D.1, D.2, D.5, E.2(8), E.2(10), G.8-G.10 (Hebrew)
• Procedure 5.2.0009 - applications for status on the basis of a shared life (edition 17, 16.07.2026), sections C.5, C.6, C.13, C.14, D.1, D.2, D.5, E.2(8), G.3-G.5 (Hebrew)
• Application for status in Israel for the partner of an Israeli citizen or permanent resident - gov.il service page (Hebrew)
• Scheduling a meeting with the visa desk - gov.il service page, updated 01.07.2026 (Hebrew)
• National call centre *3450 - contact page of the Population and Immigration Authority (Hebrew)