The end of the Gradual Process
Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority
The Gradual Process ends in a new status. For a foreign partner married to an Israeli citizen the end comes after four years on the A/5 licence, and it is a choice: Israeli citizenship or permanent residency. Three months before the four years end, the foreign partner tells the office which status is requested, after checking with the home country's representation what Israeli citizenship would mean for the citizenship held now. Both partners attend, at the office that handled the file.
Citizenship has its own conditions. The foreign partner must have lived in Israel for three of the four years, the last two continuously apart from short holidays, and must meet the Citizenship Law's conditions, with two exemptions the procedure gives: no renunciation of a previous citizenship and no Hebrew requirement. All the documents the procedure requires, from start to end, must be in the file, and an up-to-date certificate of personal status is asked for again. Before deciding, the Authority checks the relationship and the centre of life again in depth. Where a doubt remains, the office manager may extend the A/5 licence by one more year. When citizenship is approved, both attend the oath of allegiance.
In the other tracks the process ends in permanent residency: shared-life couples after three years on B/1 and four on A/5, married same-sex couples after four years on A/5, and spouses of permanent residents after their B/1 and A/5 stages. A common-law partner of an Israeli citizen who receives permanent residency may apply for naturalisation at once, without the waiting year other permanent residents need. How long the road takes depends on the track; the review before approval is not counted, a late renewal or a refusal lengthens it, and in special, recorded circumstances a period may be shortened.
The articles below set out the end of the process stage by stage and the length of each track side by side.
The end of the Gradual Process: citizenship or permanent residency
What happens at the end of the Gradual Process for the spouse of an Israeli citizen: the notice three months before, the choice between citizenship and permanent residency, the rule of three years out of four in Israel, the exemptions and the oath, under procedure 5.2.0008.
Published: 20 October 2026
How long the Gradual Process takes
How many years the Gradual Process takes for a foreign partner: married to a citizen, married to a permanent resident, shared life and same-sex couples, in one table based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority, and what can lengthen or shorten the road.
Published: 20 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
When do we tell the office which status we want?
Three months before the end of the four years on the A/5 licence, for a spouse of an Israeli citizen; the application is made with both partners present, at the office that handled the file.
Do we have to give up the previous citizenship or know Hebrew?
No. Procedure 5.2.0008 exempts the foreign partner from both at the end of the process. Whether the home country allows dual citizenship is a question for that country.
How does the process end for unmarried and same-sex couples?
In permanent residency: shared-life couples with an Israeli citizen after three years on B/1 and four on A/5, married same-sex couples after four years on A/5. A common-law partner of a citizen may then apply for naturalisation at once, without the waiting year other permanent residents need.