The interview at the Population Authority
Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority
The interview is the point at which the Authority meets you as a couple. Once all the documents are in, the procedures invite both partners to the office of the Population and Immigration Authority to present the originals, and where possible the interview is held at the same appointment. The office may also call either of you to an interview at any stage, and before every extension of a licence both partners are interviewed again. When the foreign partner is still abroad, the Israeli partner is interviewed at the office in Israel and the foreign partner at the Israeli representation.
What is examined is the same three things as throughout the process: the sincerity of the relationship, a shared centre of life in Israel, and the absence of a criminal or security impediment. For unmarried couples the interview also looks at whether the relationship is exclusive. Expect questions about everyday life: how you met, who does what at home, your families, your plans. There is no script to learn; the interviewers compare your answers with each other and with the documents in the file, and contradictions are written down.
The interview is held under the Authority's interview procedure, 5.1.0013. It takes place in a language you speak and understand, with an interpreter from the Authority when needed. The clerk writes a record in Hebrew; at the end you are asked to read it, or have it translated to you, and sign it. A copy can be requested once the application is finally decided. The decision itself is given in writing with reasons. A refusal cancels a licence given under the process and opens the appeal routes: an internal appeal within 21 days of receiving the decision and an appeal to the Appeals Tribunal within 30 days.
The articles below cover how to prepare, what the interviewers examine, the record and the interpreter, and what happens after the interview.
The interview at the Population Authority: how to prepare
When the interview in the Gradual Process for foreign partners takes place, what it checks under the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority, and how to prepare for it in an orderly way.
Published: 18 October 2026
What the couple's interview examines: the themes the procedures name
What the Population and Immigration Authority examines at the couple's interview in the Gradual Process under procedures 5.2.0008, 5.2.0009, 5.2.0011 and the interview procedure 5.1.0013: the themes, the evidence that answers each one, and what a doubt or a contradiction leads to.
Published: 6 November 2026
The interview record and the interpreter at the Population Authority
The language of the couple's interview at the Population and Immigration Authority, when an interpreter is brought, what the clerk writes down, reading and signing the record, asking for a copy, and why it matters later, under interview procedure 5.1.0013 and the partner procedures.
Published: 6 November 2026
After the interview: what happens next
What happens after the couple's interview at the Population and Immigration Authority: who decides, the time frames the procedures set, the interim licence, approval, a refusal and the two appeal routes, and how to follow up a silent file, under procedures 5.2.0008, 5.2.0009 and 5.2.0011.
Published: 6 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
Are both partners interviewed?
Yes. Both present the originals and are interviewed, where possible at the same appointment, and both are interviewed again before every extension. When the foreign partner is abroad, that interview is held at the Israeli representation.
Can we bring our own interpreter?
The interview is held in a language you speak and understand; when needed the Authority brings its own interpreter. A companion may be present but may not intervene, and translating counts as intervening.
Do we receive the interview record?
A copy of the record of the course of the interview can be requested after the application has been finally decided; the interviewer's summary and recommendations are internal and are not handed over.