Married couples: the Gradual Process

If you are married and one of you is an Israeli citizen, the foreign partner can apply for status in Israel through the Gradual Process for married couples (procedure 5.2.0008). Most couples file on their own. The process is designed for the couple to submit, 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.

Who this track is for

• You are legally married, including a marriage performed online (for example a Utah marriage), and the marriage is registered with the Population and Immigration Authority or can be registered there.
• One of you is an Israeli citizen and the other is a foreign national.
• You live together in Israel, or plan to.

If you are not married, your track is the common-law track, covered in the next guide. Same-sex couples, married or not, are handled under the common-law procedure; see the guide for same-sex couples. If the Israeli partner is a permanent resident rather than a citizen, a separate track applies, and it is not covered here.

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 married couples takes four years. Before approval, during the review, there are up to six months on B/1 that do not count.

1. While the application is reviewed: a B/1 stay-and-work permit, for up to six months that do not count toward the process.
2. Once the application is approved: A/5 temporary residence for one year, then extensions of up to two years, four years in total.
3. At the end, the foreign partner chooses between Israeli citizenship and permanent residency, and gives notice of the choice three months before the four years end.

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). 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 an earlier marriage that was never formally ended. 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.