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Marriage Age Law, 5710-1950

חוק גיל הנישואין, תש"י-1950

Published: 1950-08-09Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2023-11-02 · Last amended 2013-12-02✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-07
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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.

Interpretation§

1.

In this Law –

"youth" – (Repealed)

"girl" – (Repealed)

"marriage" – includes betrothal; and the verb "to marry", in all its conjugations, shall be interpreted accordingly;

"social worker under the Marriage Age Law" – a social worker appointed by the Minister of Welfare and Social Services for the purposes of this Law.

"minor" – as defined in section 3 of the Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law, 5722-1962.

Offences§

2.

Whoever does one of the following –

(a)marries a minor female, or a minor male marries a female;
(b)performs a marriage, or assists in any capacity in the performance of a marriage, or in connection with the performance of a marriage, of a minor female or a minor male;
(c)gives in marriage a minor female or a minor male who are his daughter or son and who are under his guardianship –

shall be liable to imprisonment for two years or a fine as referred to in section 61(a)(3) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977.

Cause of Action for Dissolution of Marriage§

3.
(a)Where a marriage was conducted in contravention of section 2 and is valid under the law applicable to the personal status matters of the parties – the fact that the marriage was conducted in contravention of section 2 shall constitute a cause of action for its dissolution by way of a get, or by way of dissolution of the marriage bond, or by another means, all in accordance with the provisions of the law applicable to the personal status matters of the parties.
(b)An action for dissolution of a marriage bond on the basis of the cause of action referred to in subsection (a) may be brought by a person who married whilst being a minor female or by a person who married whilst being a minor male, or by one of their parents or guardians, or by a social worker under the Marriage Age Law.
(c)Where an action for dissolution of a marriage bond on the basis of the cause of action referred to in subsection (a) has been brought otherwise than by a social worker under the Marriage Age Law, and at the time of bringing the action the person who married whilst being a minor female or the person who married whilst being a minor male has not yet attained the age of eighteen complete years, and a social worker under the Marriage Age Law is of the opinion that the hearing of the action is in the public interest – the social worker may appear in the hearing and present arguments therein.
(d)An action for dissolution of a marriage bond on the basis of the cause of action referred to in subsection (a) shall not be entertained unless –
(1)the action was brought by the person who married whilst being a minor female or the person who married whilst being a minor male before they attained the age of nineteen complete years; or
(2)the action was brought by one of the parents or guardians of the person who married whilst being a minor female or the person who married whilst being a minor male, or by a social worker under the Marriage Age Law, before they attained the age of eighteen complete years.

Mitigating Circumstances§

4.

In determining the sentence of a person convicted of an offence under paragraph (a) of section 2, the court shall take into account, as a mitigating factor, the following facts:

(a)that person permitted or agreed to permit the dissolution of the marriage bond, at the request of his or her spouse, in accordance with the provisions of the law applicable to the personal status matters of the parties;
(b)that person complied with a judgment for the dissolution of the marriage bond, given by a competent court or tribunal.

Permit for Marriage of a Minor Male or Minor Female§

5.
(a)Notwithstanding the provisions of this Law, the Family Court may grant a permit for the marriage of a minor male or minor female who has attained the age of sixteen years, if in the court's opinion there exist special circumstances relating to the welfare of the minor male or minor female, as the case may be, that justify the granting of such permit; the Family Court shall determine an application for the granting of a permit after having heard the minor male or minor female, as the case may be.
(b)The Family Court shall not determine an application for a marriage permit for a minor male or minor female who has attained the age of sixteen years but has not yet attained the age of seventeen years, except after having received a report from a social worker under the Marriage Age Law.

Application for a Marriage Permit§

5a.

An application for a marriage permit under section 5 shall be submitted by the minor female or the minor male or by one of their parents or guardians or by the person requesting to marry them.

Marriage under a Permit§

5b.

Section 2 shall not apply to a marriage conducted under a permit granted pursuant to section 5.

Amendment of the Criminal Code Ordinance, 1936§

6.

The Criminal Code Ordinance, 1936, shall be amended as follows:

(a)In section 182 –
(1)the colon and dash after the words "any person" – shall be deleted;
(2)the marker "(a)" at the beginning of paragraph (a) – shall be deleted;
(3)in place of the semicolon and the word "or" at the end of paragraph (a), a comma shall appear;
(4)paragraphs (b) and (c) – are repealed;
(b)section 183 – is repealed.

Implementation§

7.

The Minister of Justice is charged with the implementation of this Law.

Reporting to the Knesset§

8.
(a)Each year, on 1 March, a written report, as detailed in subsections (b) to (f), on the implementation of the provisions of this Law during the calendar year preceding the reporting date, shall be submitted to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset (in this section – the Committee).
(b)The Minister of Justice shall report to the Committee on the following:
(1)the number of applications submitted to the Family Courts for the granting of a marriage permit;
(2)the number of minor males and minor females who received a marriage permit from the Family Courts, broken down by age;
(3)the circumstances on the basis of which marriage permits were granted under section 5;
(4)the number of indictments filed in each district for offences under section 2;
(5)the number of judgments given in proceedings under section 2, and the rates of conviction and acquittal amongst them;
(6)the sentences imposed in proceedings under section 2;
(7)the number of minor males and minor females who married and whose marriage was requested to be conducted or registered by marriage registrars or religious courts, broken down by age – with respect to marriage registrars and religious courts within the area of operation of the Ministry of Justice; in this section, "marriage registrar" – the registering authority as defined in the Marriage and Divorce Registration Ordinance.
(c)The Minister for Religious Services shall report to the Committee on the number of minor males and minor females who married and whose marriage was requested to be conducted or registered by marriage registrars, broken down by age – with respect to marriage registrars and religious courts within the area of operation of the Ministry for Religious Services.
(d)The Minister of the Interior shall report to the Committee on the following:
(1)the number of minor males and minor females who married and whose marriage was requested to be registered in that year by the registration officer as defined in the Population Registry Law, 5725-1965, broken down by age, by offices of the Population and Immigration Authority, and by marriages with and without a Family Court permit;
(2)the number of complaints submitted by the Ministry of the Interior to the police for offences under section 2, broken down by offices of the Population and Immigration Authority.
(e)The Minister of Welfare and Social Services shall report to the Committee on the number of reports submitted to the Family Courts in proceedings under this Law.
(f)The Minister for Internal Security shall report to the Committee on the following:
(1)the number of complaints submitted to the police for offences under section 2, and the number of those complaints submitted by the Ministry of the Interior;
(2)the number of investigations conducted for offences under section 2;
(3)the number of files for offences under section 2 that were transferred to the State Attorney for the purpose of filing an indictment.

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