Shared life and common-law couples: the Gradual Process

If you live together as a couple and one of you is an Israeli citizen, but you are not married, the foreign partner can apply for status in Israel through the Gradual Process for common-law partners (procedure 5.2.0009), which also covers couples in a shared life who have not formalised the common-law status. It is longer than the married track and ends in permanent residency rather than citizenship. Most couples file on their own, and the portal helps you prepare every document. This guide explains who the track is for, how long it takes and what happens at each stage.

Shared life and common-law partners: two different things

Every unmarried couple starts the same way: you live together and build a shared life. At that point you are not registered anywhere, and the foreign partner is usually in Israel as a visitor on a B/2 visa. This is the stage most new couples are in, and the stage from which the application is filed; what counts is the proof of your life together, from the day you moved in.

Common-law partners (ידועים בציבור) is a recognised status, not just a description. Couples formalise it with declarations and a registration, for example with the National Insurance Institute, and receive confirmation of the status, which carries rights at various institutions. The Authority's track for unmarried couples is named after this status, but you do not have to have formalised it before you start building your file. If you are unsure whether to formalise the status before filing, that is a question for a lawyer.

The shared-life stage: the invitation, the B/2 visa and the first interview

Couples who are not married, and not yet registered as common-law partners, begin in the shared-life stage. It is a stage of the process in its own right, with its own steps, and it is where most new couples are.

1. The invitation. In most cases the Israeli partner starts by filing an invitation for the foreign partner with the Population and Immigration Authority, with the couple's documents and proof of the relationship. The Authority reviews it and decides whether to approve the entry.
2. The B/2 visa. On approval the foreign partner enters Israel as a visitor on a B/2 visa. The B/2 does not allow work; it is the status in which the couple lives together in Israel and builds the proof of a shared life.
3. The first interview. Already at this stage the Authority interviews you, usually together and sometimes separately, and expects proof of the relationship from before you lived together: messages and calls over time, photographs, letters, visits, and the documents you have collected. Bring it organised; this interview is where the file is first judged.

From the shared-life stage the couple files the application for status; when the Authority approves it, the clock of the common-law track starts and the foreign partner moves to a B/1 stay-and-work visa. Couples who formalise the common-law status along the way do so in addition, not instead; the Authority's track is the same.

Who this track is for

• You live together as a couple and share a household, and you can show it.
• One of you is an Israeli citizen and the other is a foreign national.
• Your centre of life is in Israel, or you are moving it here.

This is also the track for same-sex couples, married abroad or not; see the guide for same-sex couples. If either of you is still married to someone else, the Authority will ask about it, and this is a case to take to a lawyer before you file. If the Israeli partner is a permanent resident rather than a citizen, the same procedure applies and the process is longer (see below).

The stages and how long they take

The clock starts on the day the Authority approves the application, not the day you file. From approval, the process for common-law partners takes about seven years: three on B/1 and four on A/5. If the Israeli partner is a permanent resident rather than a citizen, it takes nine years: four on B/1 and five on A/5.

Before approval, the foreign partner is usually in Israel as a visitor on a B/2 visa while you file and build the proof of your shared life.

1. The shared-life stage: the invitation, the B/2 visitor visa and the first interview (above).
2. A B/1 stay-and-work permit for the first three years: one year at first, then extensions of up to two years.
3. A/5 temporary residence for four years, in extensions of up to two years.
4. At the end, permanent residency. Citizenship is not part of this track; it can be applied for later under the naturalisation rules.

Filing the application

You both come to the appointment at the Authority office near your home, with the full set of documents (see the documents guide). For common-law partners, the proof of a shared life carries more weight than on the married track, because there is no marriage certificate: a lease or ownership in both names, joint accounts and bills, photographs over time, and letters from people who know you as a couple. At the appointment, and throughout the process, the Authority checks four things:

• That the relationship is genuine.
• That your centre of life is in Israel.
• That there is no criminal or security impediment.
• The foreign partner's legal status on the day you file.

The Authority may interview each of you separately. Answer for yourselves, honestly and consistently. Nobody expects rehearsed answers.

At every renewal

Each stage ends with a renewal or a move to the next stage, and each time you show again that you are still together and still living in Israel.

• Up-to-date proof that you live together: a lease, bills, a joint bank account.
• Proof of life in Israel: work, health insurance, your children's schooling if you have children.
• Fresh documents when the Authority asks for them. Older ones are treated as expiring within months.

Apply for renewal online three months before your current permit expires. Before every renewal the Authority interviews you both.

Doing it yourselves, and when a lawyer helps

You do not need a lawyer to file. The portal takes you through the documents one by one and helps you prepare and organise the file you submit.

A lawyer is optional. Some couples consult one when something is unusual: a past refusal, a criminal record, or a partner who is still married to someone else. If the foreign partner has no valid status in Israel on the day you file, involve a lawyer before filing. If you want one, you can find independent lawyers through IsraelVisa.

IsraelVisa does not give legal advice and does not represent you before the Authority. Most couples file on their own. Consulting one of the lawyers you can find here is optional; they are independent and are not employed by IsraelVisa.