LawImmigration
Citizenship Law, 5712-1952
חוק האזרחות, תשי"ב-1952
Published: 1952-04-08Last amended 2026-06-10✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.
Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.
The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.
This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.
Chapter I: Acquisition of Citizenship
Introduction§
1.
Israeli citizenship is acquired –
by virtue of the Law of Return under section 2,
by virtue of residence in Israel under section 3,
by virtue of birth under section 4,
by virtue of birth and residence in Israel under section 4a,
by virtue of adoption under section 4b,
by virtue of naturalisation under sections 5 to 8,
or by virtue of grant under section 9.
There shall be no Israeli citizenship except under this Law.
Citizenship by Virtue of the Law of Return§
2.
(a)Every immigrant under the Law of Return, 5710-1950, shall become an Israeli citizen by virtue of the Law of Return, unless Israeli citizenship was conferred upon him by virtue of birth under section 4 or by virtue of adoption under section 4b.
(b)Citizenship by virtue of the Law of Return is acquired –
(1)by one who immigrated to the country or was born therein before the establishment of the State – from the day of the establishment of the State;
(2)by one who immigrated to Israel after the establishment of the State – from the day of his immigration;
(3)by one who was born in Israel after the establishment of the State – from the day of his birth;
(4)by one who received an immigrant's certificate under section 3 of the Law of Return, 5710-1950 – from the day of the issue of the certificate.
(c)This section does not apply –
(1)to one who ceased to be a resident of Israel before the commencement of this Law;
(2)to an adult who, on the eve of the day of his immigration or on the eve of the day of the issue of the immigrant's certificate, was a foreign national, and who, on that day, before it or within three months thereafter and while still a foreign national, declared that he did not wish to become an Israeli citizen; an adult as aforesaid may, by written notice to the Minister of the Interior, waive his right to make a declaration under this paragraph;
(3)to a minor who is a foreign national, who was born outside Israel and who immigrated to Israel together with his parents and they made a declaration under paragraph (2) and included him in their declaration; for the purposes of this paragraph, a declaration by one parent suffices if only that parent immigrated to Israel, provided that the consent of the other parent in writing was attached to the declaration or that the declaring parent is entitled to have sole custody of the minor;
(4)to a minor who is a foreign national, who was born outside Israel and who immigrated to Israel without his parents, and whose parents declared in writing, on the eve of his immigration, on the day of immigration, on the day of receipt of the immigrant's certificate or within three months from the day of immigration or from the day of receipt of the immigrant's certificate, that they did not wish him to become an Israeli citizen, provided that on the day of the declaration the parents were not Israeli citizens; for the purposes of this paragraph, a declaration by one parent suffices if that parent is entitled to have sole custody of the minor;
(5)to one who was born in Israel and at the time of his birth neither of his parents was registered in the Population Registry;
(6)to one who was born in Israel after the establishment of the State to a diplomatic or consular representative of a foreign state, excluding an honorary representative.
(d)A resident of Israel to whom Israeli citizenship was not conferred by reason of a declaration under subsection (c)(3) may, during the period between his eighteenth and twenty-second birthdays, or within one year from the end of his regular service under Chapter III of the Defence Service Law, 5719-1959 [Consolidated Version], whichever is the later, notify the Minister of the Interior that he revokes his parents' declaration in respect of him, and he shall become an Israeli citizen by virtue of the Law of Return from the day of the said notice.
(e)The Minister of the Interior may, in his discretion, grant citizenship by virtue of the Law of Return, upon application, to one who has expressed his wish to settle in Israel and has received, or is entitled to receive, an immigrant's visa under the Law of Return, 5710-1950, even before his immigration.
(f)The Minister of the Interior may approve the acceptance of a declaration under paragraphs (2) or (4) of subsection (c) that was made within a period of three months after the expiry of the three months referred to in those paragraphs, if he was satisfied that the delay in making the declaration was due to reasons beyond the control of the declarant.
(g)The Minister of the Interior shall notify a resident of Israel to whom Israeli citizenship was not conferred by reason of a declaration under subsection (c)(3) or (4) of his right to revoke the declaration as provided in subsection (d), but non-receipt of the said notice shall not prejudice the provision of subsection (d); the time and manner of giving the notice shall be prescribed by Regulations.
Citizenship by Virtue of Residence in Israel§
3.
(a)A person who on the eve of the establishment of the State was a Palestinian national and did not become an Israeli citizen under section 2 shall become an Israeli citizen from the day of the establishment of the State if he satisfies the following conditions:
(1)on the 4th Adar 5712 (1 March 1952) he was registered as a resident under the Population Registry Ordinance, 5709-1949;
(2)on the day of the commencement of this Law he was a resident of Israel;
(3)from the day of the establishment of the State until the day of the commencement of this Law he was in Israel or in a territory that became part of Israel after the establishment of the State, or during that period he entered Israel lawfully.
(b)A person who was born after the establishment of the State, who on the day of the commencement of this Law was a resident of Israel, and whose father or mother became Israeli citizens under subsection (a), shall become an Israeli citizen from the day of his birth.
Extension of citizenship by virtue of residence in Israel§
3a.
(a)A person who was born before the establishment of the State and in whom the following conditions are fulfilled shall become an Israeli citizen by virtue of residence in Israel from the day of commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment No. 4) Law, 5740-1980 (hereinafter – the day of the 5740 amendment):
(1)he did not become an Israeli citizen by virtue of another provision of this Law;
(2)on the eve of the establishment of the State he was a Palestinian national;
(3)on the 21st day of Tammuz 5712 (14 July 1952) he was a resident of Israel and was registered in the Residents Registry under the Residents Registry Ordinance, 5709-1949;
(4)on the day of the 5740 amendment he was a resident of Israel and was registered in the Population Registry;
(5)he is not a citizen of one of the States referred to in section 2a of the Prevention of Infiltration (Offences and Jurisdiction) Law, 5714-1954.
(b)A person who was born after the establishment of the State and in whom the following conditions are fulfilled shall become an Israeli citizen by virtue of residence in Israel from the day of the 5740 amendment:
(1)he did not become an Israeli citizen by virtue of another provision of this Law;
(2)on the day of the 5740 amendment he was a resident of Israel and was registered in the Population Registry;
(3)he is a descendant of a person in whom the conditions set out in paragraphs (1) to (3) of subsection (a) were fulfilled.
Citizenship by Virtue of Birth§
4.
(a)The following shall be Israeli citizens by virtue of birth from the day of their birth:
(1)one who was born in Israel when his father or mother was an Israeli citizen;
(2)one who was born outside Israel when his father or mother was an Israeli citizen –
(a)by virtue of the Law of Return;
(b)by virtue of residence in Israel;
(c)by virtue of naturalisation;
(d)under paragraph (1).
(e)by virtue of adoption under section 4b(1).
(b)For the purposes of this section, a person born after the death of one of his parents, it suffices that that parent was an Israeli citizen at the time of his death.
Citizenship by Virtue of Birth and Residence in Israel§
4a.
(a)A person who was born after the establishment of the State in a place that was part of Israel on the day of his birth and who has never had any citizenship shall become an Israeli citizen if he applied therefor during the period between his eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays and if he was a resident of Israel for five consecutive years immediately preceding the day of the submission of his application.
(b)Where a person has submitted an application under subsection (a) and the conditions set out therein are satisfied in respect of him, the Minister of the Interior, or a person authorised by the Minister for that purpose, shall approve his application; however, the Minister may decline to approve the application if the applicant has been convicted of an offence against State security or has been sentenced to imprisonment of five years or more for another offence.
(c)Citizenship under this section is acquired from the day of approval of the application.
Citizenship by Virtue of Adoption§
4b.
A minor shall become an Israeli citizen by virtue of adoption from the day of his adoption if one of the following applies:
(1)he was adopted under the Adoption of Children Law, 5741-1981, when his adopting father or mother was an Israeli citizen;
(2)he was adopted outside Israel when his adopting father or mother was an Israeli citizen under paragraphs (a) to (e) of section 4(a)(2), provided that the adopting parents were not residents of Israel on the day of the adoption and the consent of both adopting parents was given.
Naturalisation§
5.
(a)An adult who is not an Israeli citizen may acquire Israeli citizenship by naturalisation if the following conditions are satisfied:
(1)he is in Israel;
(2)he was in Israel for three years out of the five-year period preceding the day of submission of his application;
(3)he is entitled to reside permanently in Israel;
(4)he has settled in Israel or intends to settle therein;
(5)he has some knowledge of the Hebrew language;
(6)he has renounced his previous citizenship or has proved that he will cease to be a foreign national upon becoming an Israeli citizen.
(b)Where a person has applied for naturalisation and the conditions set out in subsection (a) are satisfied in respect of him, the Minister of the Interior shall, if he thinks fit, grant him Israeli citizenship by issuing a certificate of citizenship.
(c)Before the grant of citizenship, the applicant shall make the following declaration:
"I declare that I will be a faithful citizen of the State of Israel".
(d)Citizenship is acquired from the day of the declaration.
Exemption from Conditions for Naturalisation§
6.
(a)
(1)
(a)One who served regular service in the Israel Defence Forces, or who served, after the 16th Kislev 5708 (29 November 1947), in another service declared by the Minister of Defence, by a declaration published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), to be military service for the purposes of this section, and was lawfully discharged; one who has completed 18 months of regular service under the Defence Service Law [Consolidated Version], 5746-1986, or who served after the 16th Kislev 5708 (29 November 1947) in another service declared by the Minister of Defence, by a declaration published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), to be military service for the purposes of this section;
(b)for the purposes of this paragraph, a person shall be regarded as having completed 18 months of regular service even if he was discharged earlier by reason of illness, aggravation of illness or injury that occurred during and as a result of his service within the meaning of the Disabled Persons (Pensions and Rehabilitation) Law, 5719-1959 [Consolidated Version] (hereinafter – the Disabled Persons Law), or by reason of injury that occurred during his service and to which the Disabled Persons Law applies, provided that it was not caused as a result of his serious misconduct within the meaning of section 9 of the Disabled Persons Law;
(c)notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph, the provisions of sub-paragraph (a) shall not apply to a person in any of the following:
(1)he was discharged from regular service by reason of conviction in legal proceedings or by reason of unsuitability;
(2)the Minister of the Interior determined, generally or for a particular case, that other circumstances exist that justify such a determination;
(2)one who lost a son or daughter in such service,
are exempt from the conditions of section 5(a), except for the condition in section 5(a)(4).
(b)One who applies for naturalisation after having made a declaration under section 2(c)(2) is exempt from the condition in section 5(a)(2).
(c)One who was a Palestinian national on the eve of the establishment of the State is exempt from the condition in section 5(a)(5).
(d)The Minister of the Interior may exempt an applicant from the conditions in section 5(a)(1), (2), (5) and (6), all or some of them, if in his opinion there is a special reason justifying the exemption.
(e)The Minister of the Interior may, in his discretion, grant Israeli citizenship by way of naturalisation to an adult resident of a territory held by the Israel Defence Forces who has applied for naturalisation, even if the conditions of section 5(a) are not satisfied in respect of him, if the Minister is satisfied that the applicant identifies with the State of Israel and its objectives and that he or a member of his family has taken substantial action to promote the security, economy or another important interest of the State, or that the grant of citizenship as aforesaid is in the special interest of the State.
Naturalisation of Husband and Wife§
7.
Where a husband and wife are such that one of them is an Israeli citizen or one of them has applied for naturalisation and the conditions of section 5(a) are satisfied in respect of him or the exemption therefrom applies, the other may acquire Israeli citizenship by naturalisation even if the conditions of section 5(a) are not satisfied in respect of him or her.
Naturalisation of Minors§
8.
(a)The naturalisation of a person also confers citizenship on his minor child who on the day of the naturalisation was a resident of Israel or a resident of a territory held by the Israel Defence Forces and in whose custody the naturalised person was entitled to hold the minor.
(b)Where the minor was a foreign national and both his parents were entitled to have custody of him and only one of them was naturalised, citizenship shall not be conferred on the minor under subsection (a) if one of the parents declared that he did not wish the minor to become an Israeli citizen.
Citizenship by Virtue of Grant§
9.
(a)The Minister of the Interior may grant Israeli citizenship, by issuing a certificate and from the date to be specified in the certificate –
(1)to a minor who is a resident of Israel – upon application by his parents;
(2)to the minor child of an Israeli citizen under section 4(a)(2) – upon application by his parents;
(3)to the child of an Israeli citizen under section 4(a)(2), to one whose Israeli citizenship was revoked under section 10 while he was a minor – upon an application submitted to the Minister during the period between his eighteenth and twenty-second birthdays.
(4)to a resident of Israel who is present in Israel and in respect of whom the Minister is satisfied that he identifies with the State of Israel and its objectives and that he or a member of his family has served on active service in the Israel Defence Forces or has taken substantial action to promote the security, economy or another important interest of the State, or that the grant of citizenship as aforesaid is in the special interest of the State; in this paragraph, "member of his family" means spouse, parent, child and sibling.
(b)For the purposes of paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a), an application by one parent suffices if that parent is entitled to have sole custody of the minor.
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LawImmigration
חוק האזרחות, תשי"ב-1952
Citizenship Law
Israeli Citizenship Law
Law of Citizenship
Citizenship Act
5712-1952
Choq HaAzrachut
nationality law
Israeli nationality
citizenship rights
naturalization law