Israeli Citizenship for Individuals Whose Citizenship Was Canceled When They Were Minors
Israeli citizenship may be granted to individuals whose citizenship was canceled when they were minors, in accordance with a special procedure of the Ministry of Interior, by submitting a citizenship request. The request may be submitted only up to the age of 22. Since most applicants hold a foreign citizenship as well, it is important to make sure that restoring your Israeli citizenship will not cause problems with the foreign citizenship. In this article, advocate Joshua Pex, a partner of our firm who specializes in immigration to Israel, explains about regaining Israeli citizenship after cancellation.
WHAT DOES THE LAW HAVE TO SAY ABOUT GRANTING ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP TO INDIVIDUALS WHOSE CITIZENSHIP WAS CANCELED WHEN THEY WERE MINORS?
According to the Israeli law, anyone born in Israel who had at least one Israeli parent at the time of birth is automatically Israeli. The same applies to a person born outside of Israel who had an Israeli parent at birth (including by eligibility for Aliyah under the Law of Return, by residence in Israel, by naturalization, or by adoption). However, there are cases in which parents of individuals who conform with the above conditions for Israeli citizenship renounce their own citizenship in a letter to the Minister of Interior and include their children in the letter. A person may renounce their Israeli citizenship for various reasons, such as retaining a foreign citizenship in a country that does not permit having dual citizenship. If this is the reason for renouncing the Israeli citizenship, the citizenship may be restored by a special request to the Minister of Interior. Below we explain about the required procedure and for whom it is useful.
WHO MAY RESTORE THEIR CITIZENSHIP AFTER HAVING IT CANCELED IN CHILDHOOD?
The regulations stipulated by the Ministry of Interior’s Population Authority allow individuals whose citizenship was canceled in childhood along with their parents’ citizenship to restore it. The procedure for this is applicable only to a small number of cases, in which the citizenship cannot be granted by eligibility under the Law of Return, since the applicants’ citizenship was renounced by their parents. A major condition for restoring the citizenship is the age of the applicant being between 18 and 22. Therefore, young adults who wish to apply for citizenship via the procedure mentioned above must do so within the required age range. The procedure may also be used by individuals who were born abroad to past or current Israeli parents (second generation) and, for any reason, are not eligible for citizenship according to any of the eligibility conditions mentioned in the Citizenship Law.
WHAT IS REQUIRED WHEN RESTORING CITIZENSHIP THAT WAS CANCELED IN CHILDHOOD?
To restore Israeli citizenship, the applicant must fill out an Israeli citizenship application form. They must arrive in person at a Population Authority branch or at Israel’s Diplomatic Mission (embassy or consulate) abroad. They must attach to the request their passport (the foreign passport and Israeli passport, if they have one), their parents’ ID numbers, and a letter explaining their circumstances and intent. Providing incorrect or incomplete information may put the applicant’s additional (foreign) citizenship at risk. Therefore, the applicant must first turn to the relevant diplomatic mission in the foreign country where they are citizens and inquire into the consequences of acquiring Israeli citizenship. If the applicant does not do so on their own accord, the regulations stipulate that the Population Authority representatives must instruct them to. The applicant will also be required to sign an affidavit in this context.
HOW IS THE APPLICATION PROCESSED?
The application is processed by the Population Authority, which first makes sure that there is no restriction to providing the service. The Authority officials then examine the personal files of the applicant and their parents. The officials make sure that the applicant was actually included in their parents’ citizenship renunciation and is not yet entitled to Israeli citizenship due to being born to two Israelis only one of whom renounced their citizenship. If there is no restriction to providing the service and all the required documents have been submitted, a decision on the matter will be made. If the request is approved, the applicant will receive a citizenship certificate without the need to pledge allegiance to the State of Israel. If the request is denied for any reason, the decision may be challenged through an internal appeal to the Ministry of Interior or through a petition or appeal to the court. To ensure that the application is processed properly and does not endanger the applicant’s foreign citizenship in any way, it is recommended to use the aid of an immigration lawyer with the necessary experience and knowledge to represent you well in the process.
ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP FOR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE CITIZENSHIP WAS CANCELED IN THEIR CHILDHOOD—CONTACT OUR IMMIGRATION TO ISRAEL EXPERTS
For any question you may have or any advice or assistance you may need regarding immigration to Israel, an immigration lawyer from our firm will be glad to help you and provide you with comprehensive professional service. With offices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, we specialize in immigration to Israel. Our lawyers have extensive experience in representing clients in naturalization procedures and Aliyah to Israel vis-à-vis the Ministry of Interior and all the relevant authorities and courts. To contact an expert lawyer from our firm click here.
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