How can a Russian citizen obtain Israeli citizenship?

There are many people who, for whatever reason, want to have dual citizenship of Russia and Israel and enjoy the benefits of owning passports from both countries. Russian migrants are attracted to Israel by its high level of social protection for citizens and the development of medicine; in addition, having an Israeli passport gives its holder the right to visa-free visits to a large number of countries.

The concept of dual citizenship

Even if a person has two or in another state, in this case we cannot talk about dual citizenship. The legislation of our country will officially recognize you as a citizen exclusively of the Russian Federation with all the ensuing consequences.

Dual citizenship is the simultaneous presence of a person of citizenship (citizenship) of the Russian Federation and another state with which Russia has concluded an agreement on dual citizenship, while he has equal rights in both powers.

According to the Law “”, a citizen of Russia has the right to accept the citizenship of other states an unlimited number of times and will not be required to terminate Russian citizenship - he will remain a citizen of Russia until, at his own request, he formalizes his renunciation of Russian citizenship in the manner prescribed by law. However, such citizenship will be called second (or multiple, if the person has several foreign passports), but not double.

Dual citizenship: questions and answers that interest you

You need to sign the declaration “Arlie”. This is a declaration of unwillingness to obtain Israeli citizenship. A person who has the right to repatriation by virtue of the Law of Return, but is not interested in obtaining Israeli citizenship, must, within 3 months from the date of entry into Israel, sign a declaration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that he does not wish to be an Israeli citizen. Once such a request is granted, the repatriate becomes a “permanent resident” rather than a citizen, with all the rights and restrictions that come with that status.

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Depending on the laws of the state whose citizenship the person already has. Most countries allow their citizens to have dual citizenship, but there are countries (such as India, Denmark, etc.) that automatically revoke their citizenship from those who acquire the citizenship of a foreign country.

Israeli attitude towards dual citizenship

The answer of Israeli legislation to the question of the possibility of obtaining Israeli citizenship is as follows: only a Jew has the right to become a citizen of Israel, that is, a person who was either born a Jew or accepted Judaism as the only true religion. Dual citizenship can be acquired by following the instructions of the Law of Return, according to which a person with Jewish roots, not necessarily a purebred Jew, can become an Israeli citizen. According to the Talmud, belonging to the Jewish people is transmitted exclusively through the maternal line.

Great-grandchildren of a Jew cannot obtain an Israeli passport through repatriation, however, they also have the right, after receiving a residence permit, to apply for citizenship. Another important condition for obtaining an Israeli passport through repatriation is adherence to the canons of Judaism: the text of the law directly states that if a person consciously renounces the religion of his ancestors, he loses the right to move.

From the above, we can draw the following conclusion: the reason why Israel allows second citizenship is the desire to accommodate ethnic Jews so that they can maintain their previous status.

Israeli laws do not prohibit dual citizenship, but in fact, only Jews can hold two passports at the same time, and naturalized citizens must renounce their previous citizenship.

Israeli citizenship law provides four ways to obtain a passport:

• through a declaration of belonging to the categories of persons mentioned in the text of the Law “On Citizenship” and having the right to become a citizen of Israel;
• through the repatriation procedure in accordance with the Law on Return;
• through marriage to a Jew;
• through naturalization.

Dual citizenship in Israel is allowed and does not require renunciation of citizenship of another country. The only exception here is the receipt of an Israeli passport by citizens who choose to undergo naturalization. That is, if a Russian citizen has lived in Israel for a total of 3 years, made an informed decision to stay in the country on a permanent basis and speaks Hebrew at least at a conversational level, he has the right to apply for Israeli citizenship with the condition that he renounces citizenship of another country.

Dual citizenship with Israel

If a Russian citizen interested in the issue of obtaining dual citizenship has not confused the concepts of dual and second citizenship and expresses a desire to obtain dual citizenship with Israel, then this is not possible. The reason for this is the absence of an agreement between our country and Israel on obtaining dual citizenship by residents of both powers.

Both Russia and Israel require dual passport holders to perform duties in relation to the country of which they are citizens, regardless of whether they performed similar duties in the second state.

This applies to paying taxes, performing military service and any other obligations imposed by the legislation of the country.

Russia's position

Russia holds similar views regarding bipatrism, explicitly providing for the possibility of obtaining a second passport in Art. 62 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, while simultaneously clarifying that Russian citizenship continues to be valid. Article 6 of Federal Law No. 62 of May 31, 2002, the Russian legislator distinguishes between the concepts of multiple and dual citizenship. Thus, he considers as Russians all bipatrids who simultaneously have Russian passports, unless otherwise provided by the contractual framework between countries. That is, dual citizenship is possible only if there is an agreement. And since such a document is valid only with Tajikistan, obtaining dual Israeli-Russian citizenship is impossible even theoretically.

This, however, does not deprive citizens of these states of the opportunity to possess both Israeli and Russian documents. A striking example is the over 300 thousand Jews who left Russia and obtained an Israeli passport in the process of repatriation. All of them had the right to retain Russian citizenship, and since then most of them have been binational.

How to become the owner of two passports at once

The simplest procedure for obtaining an Israeli passport is provided for Jews and persons with Jewish roots up to the third generation. Even the fact of the death of a Jewish relative or his permanent residence in another country does not play a role. Widowed spouses of Jews, spouses (including widowed ones) of children and grandchildren of Jews, as well as a child adopted by Jews (as well as their children and grandchildren) can also apply for citizenship.

From the point of view of Israeli laws, Jews are recognized as citizens whose mother is Jewish, or those who agree to accept Judaism and renounce any other religions and atheistic views.

The question arises of how to obtain dual Israeli-Russian citizenship for a citizen who does not meet the conditions of the repatriation program. If an applicant for an Israeli passport is not Jewish, he has a chance to receive the document if he meets at least one of the requirements:

• he entered into a marriage relationship with an Israeli citizen;
• he was born in Israel to parents who were Israeli citizens at that time;
• he was born in another country, but his parents are Israelis,
• he was born after the death of his mother or father, who were Israeli citizens;
• he was born in Israel and was stateless;
• he was naturalized.

Going through the repatriation procedure does not seem difficult: the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs or the embassy needs to collect a package of documents, which usually includes:

• passport;
• photo;
• certificate of no criminal record;
• certificate or diploma;
• or marriage, proving kinship with Jews.

The papers will need to be translated into Hebrew, the translation notarized and apostilled. If there are no problems establishing the applicant’s relationship with Israelis, the decision is made in favor of the citizen and he receives a repatriation visa, valid for six months. The flight is paid for by the Israeli side, and upon arrival the citizen will be given medical insurance, SIM cards for mobile communications and pocket money.

Naturalization is a more difficult and lengthy process. It requires reaching the age of 18, first obtaining a residence permit valid for at least a year, confirming the ability to support oneself financially, presenting a certificate of completion of a Hebrew language course, renouncing previous citizenship and living in Israel for a certain time:

• five years - for great-grandchildren of Jews;
• three years - for others wishing to obtain a country passport;
• from two to five years - for those who became the spouse of a Jew;
• one year for conscript soldiers in the IDF.

Israeli citizenship: advantages, conditions, methods and procedure for obtaining

1. Photo (color, 3x4 cm, provided for each family member, including the baby).
2. Passports, all available.
3. Birth and marriage certificates.
4. Birth and marriage certificates of relatives (father, mother, grandmother).
5. Diploma, certificate of education.
6. Employment history.
7. Certificate of no criminal record (it will need to be translated into Hebrew and English and certified by a notary).
8. Information about close relatives in Israel, addresses, telephone numbers, and so on.

After you have collected all the required documentation, you need to make an appointment with the consul. The meeting takes place in the form of an interview and at the same time the submitted documents will be checked. If the consul makes a positive decision, you will be able to receive a repatriation visa the very next day. It is valid for 6 months, but there is a possibility of its extension.

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Pros and cons of holding an Israeli passport

When wondering what dual citizenship of Russia and Israel gives, you can find that its registration will have both positive and negative consequences.

Citizens of Israel undoubtedly enjoy a number of advantages, awareness of which encourages Russians to obtain a passport from this country. Among them are:

1. Obtaining the right to a “lesse pass” (no earlier than 3 months after receiving a passport) is a travel document that allows you to enter the territory of more than 50 countries without a visa.
2. Obtaining an international Israeli passport (“Darkon”), which allows you to visit 91 countries visa-free.
3. The acquisition of all kinds of social benefits available to Israelis - the standard of living of Jews is considered to be quite high.
4. Participation in the health insurance program, which is important given that Israel is a leader in the field of medicine.
5. Access to tourist sites and the four seas - Dead, Red, Mediterranean and Galilee.

Dual citizenship in Russia and Israel also has its disadvantages:

1. Living in extremely densely populated areas: Israel's population density is 300 people per square kilometer.
2. Moving to a country with an unfavorable environmental situation.
3. We are in an alarming state regarding the country being in martial law: military clashes are occurring in various regions.
4. The need to incur significant expenses for food and drinking water.
5. The appearance of discomfort due to the hot climate and monotony of the desert landscape.
6. Lack of fresh water.

Russian approach to dual citizenship

The position of the Russian government is this: a citizen of Russia cannot be recognized as having another nationality. This means that those wishing to obtain a Russian passport must certainly formalize a renunciation of previous citizenship in favor of Russian citizenship.

As for Russian citizens, there are no special requirements for acquiring the status of a resident of another state; there are no restrictions here. There is no need to renounce Russian citizenship; the law does not force you to do so.

There is only one mandatory condition: a person who has received a passport from another country must notify the Main Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs about this within 60 days from the date of entry into our country.

And in the case of continuous residence abroad on the basis of a foreign passport, the obligation to notify the migration service is removed from the citizen.

Is dual citizenship possible in Russia?

To date, the agreement on dual citizenship is valid only with one state - with Tajikistan; the document was signed in 1995.

Find out in more detail whether it is allowed.

Notice of Second Citizenship

The Russian authorities are loyal to citizens of their country who have become subjects of another state. But the migration service must certainly be aware of this fact.

Read more about how to submit.

Fine for concealing dual citizenship in Russia

According to the amendments to the text, everyone who has a passport of another country and who has not previously reported this to the migration service was required to do so before October 2, 2014. Persons who violated the requirements regarding the deadlines for notifying the migration service or provided false information will have to bear an administrative penalty in the form of a fine.

Find out more about whether it exists.

Change of citizenship

For some Russian citizens, becoming a resident of another country is a desirable way to sever existing ties with their homeland; others, on the contrary, want to keep it, and therefore, if they want to move for permanent residence to a state that requires them to give up their previous one in exchange for their passport, they only apply for a residence permit there. For example, Russian citizenship and Israeli citizenship are incompatible if a citizen wishes to obtain an Israeli passport through naturalization.

It is possible to change Russian citizenship in the following ways:

1. Filiation (by birth):
   by right of blood - due to birth from parents (parents) who are citizens of the country;
2. by right of land - due to birth on the territory of the country.
3. Naturalization (rooting), including obtaining citizenship for special services to the state.
4. Marrying a citizen of the country.
5. Investing funds in the state economy.

Renunciation of Russian citizenship

To obtain an Israeli passport through naturalization, it is necessary to renounce the Russian one in accordance with the procedure established by law. This procedure may also be needed in a situation where a person lives abroad on a permanent basis and is a citizen in the country of residence, and his only connection with Russia is the need to periodically change his passport.