Your asylum request was rejected? Guide to appeal procedures, administrative petition to Court for Administrative Matters, critical deadlines, and proper procedures.
Receiving a rejection letter on an asylum application is a difficult moment for anyone who turned to Israeli authorities seeking protection. It is important to understand that rejection of the request is not necessarily the end of the road — there are legal and administrative proceedings that can be undertaken to seek re-examination of the decision. Our office assists individuals grappling with asylum request rejection and explains in this article, in general terms, how the procedure is structured, what steps are possible after rejection, and why it is important to act promptly and without delay.
Processing of asylum applications in Israel is conducted by the Population and Immigration Authority, through a dedicated unit dealing with determination of refugee status (RSD — Refugee Status Determination). This process is governed by the Procedure for Handling Applicants for Political Asylum in Israel and Persons Recognized by the Minister of the Interior as Eligible for Political Asylum in Israel (Procedure No. 5.2.0012), published on the official website of the Ministry of the Interior. The current edition of the Procedure is dated October 15, 2024.
In general, the process includes the following stages: • Filing an online application form, including personal details and a detailed description of the circumstances of the application. • Receipt of confirmation notice of filing of the form — however, it is important to know that this notice alone does not constitute confirmation of completion of filing the asylum application. • Physical appearance of the applicant and accompanying family members, in accordance with an invitation received, for the purpose of investigating personal details before a border control officer. • An in-depth interview in which the applicant's claims regarding fear of persecution in the country of origin are examined. • Factual investigation of the claims and internal discussion before a decision is made regarding the applicant.
After the interview, the unit first examines whether there are grounds to dismiss the application at the threshold under Section 4 of the Procedure. If the application is not dismissed at that stage, the unit official decides whether to refer it for examination on an expedited track (Section 5.1 of the Procedure), for review by the Chair of the Advisory Committee for Refugee Affairs on a summary track (Section 6), or for a hearing before the full Advisory Committee (Section 7). The track chosen affects the scope of the factual inquiry conducted, so it is important to identify it from the rejection letter.
It is important to note that the length of processing of asylum applications in Israel is subject to public oversight. A State Comptroller report that dealt with the issue indicated significant delays in processing applications, including cases of prolonged waiting for a decision. This fact reinforces the importance of professional assistance throughout the process.
When an asylum application is rejected, the applicant receives written notice of this. The rejection letter may include, among other things, the reasons for the decision, the applicant's temporary status pending completion of proceedings, and the options available to him for further processing of his matter. Section 9(a) of Procedure 5.2.0012 requires that a rejection letter state that the applicant may file an appeal against the decision with the Appeals Tribunal, in accordance with the Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952. In practice, rejection letters often also include a demand to leave Israel within a few days. It is important to read the letter carefully, because sometimes it also includes notes about deadlines for action. Bring the full letter for examination by counsel specializing in the field as soon as possible in order to examine the possible courses of action and the relevant deadlines.
Until 2024, it was possible to apply to the Authority for reconsideration of a decision rejecting an asylum application. The current edition of Procedure 5.2.0012 changed this: it provides that, as of the date the Procedure was published, requests for reconsideration will no longer be accepted, and that a person whose application for political asylum has been rejected must file an appeal with the Appeals Tribunal. Reconsideration requests that were pending as of the date the Procedure was published continue to be handled under the previous version.
Under Section 13kd(b) of the Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952, an appeal must be filed in writing within 30 days from the date the decision concerning the appellant was lawfully published, the date the appellant received notice of it, or the date the appellant learned of it — whichever is earliest. Regulation 6 of the Entry into Israel Regulations (Rules of Procedure and Administration in the Appeals Tribunal), 5774-2014, permits an extension of time only for special reasons to be recorded, based on a written request accompanied by an affidavit. The Tribunal's judgment may be challenged by an administrative appeal to the District Court sitting as a Court for Administrative Affairs, within 45 days.
The Appeals Tribunal operates under the Entry into Israel Law, 5712-1952 (established by Amendment No. 22 to the Law of 2011, and began operating in June 2014 when the Rules of Procedure of the Appeals Tribunals entered into force), and hears appeals against decisions of the Population and Immigration Authority regarding entry, stay, and removal from Israel.
As a rule, a direct administrative petition is not filed against decisions rejecting an asylum application: the law grants the Appeals Tribunal jurisdiction to hear them, and once it has rendered its judgment, the avenue open is an administrative appeal to the District Court sitting as a Court for Administrative Affairs. Interim decisions of the Tribunal — for example, a decision not to grant temporary relief staying removal — are challenged by an application for leave to appeal. An administrative petition is generally reserved for administrative decisions that do not fall within the Tribunal's jurisdiction, or for cases where no appeal procedure is available.
This court is authorized to examine the legality of the decision made by the authority, and in appropriate cases to reverse it or to order its re-examination.
Under Regulation 3(b) of the Administrative Courts (Procedure) Regulations, 5761-2000, the petition must be filed "without delay" and no later than 45 days from the date of receiving notice of the decision, or from the date the petitioner learned of it, whichever is earlier. Delay in filing the petition may result in its dismissal at the threshold, without the court examining the claims on the merits.
The Court for Administrative Matters does not substitute its own discretion for that of the administrative authority, but rather examines the regularity of the process and the reasonableness of the decision. Among the recognized grounds in Israeli administrative law for judicial review of an authority's decision are:
• Exceeding authority or acting without authority by law. • Procedural defect, including harm to the petitioner's right to hearing. • Extraneous considerations not relevant to the decision. • Extreme lack of reasonableness in the decision reached. • Lack of proportionality between the measure taken and the purpose for which it was applied.
The claim that a decision is not reasonable, for example, does not constitute grounds for intervention in every case where the court would have reached a different decision — only when the decision goes to an extreme beyond the range of reasonableness. Therefore, drafting of legal claims requires deep familiarity with administrative law and with the factual circumstances of the case.
At every stage of the proceeding — whether it is filing an appeal with the Appeals Tribunal, or filing an administrative appeal or an administrative petition to the court — strict deadlines apply. Delay, even a short one, may result in the proceeding being dismissed at the threshold for procedural reasons alone, without examination of the petitioner's claims on the merits. Therefore, it is recommended to seek legal advice immediately upon receiving the rejection letter, and not to wait until close to the final possible deadline for action.
The Supreme Court considered the case of an asylum seeker who claimed he had been abducted and tortured in his country of origin. It held that refugee law recognizes the evidentiary difficulties characteristic of asylum applications, and therefore requires a careful and sensitive examination of credibility rather than a rigid application of the criteria; contradictions in "peripheral" details do not undermine the hard core of the applicant's account. It further held that the burden of proving the existence of a safe internal relocation alternative rests on the authority proposing it, not on the asylum seeker, and remanded the case for renewed examination by the Asylum Seekers Unit (LAA 3441/22 (30 Nov 2023)).
By contrast, where the contradictions go to the heart of the application, the Tribunals dismiss the appeal. In an appeal by a Sri Lankan national who based her application on her sexual orientation, the Tribunal held that the gaps between the application, the interview, and the notice of appeal were not marginal; that filing the application after a delay of years, repeated visits to the country of origin, and renewing a passport at that country's embassy in Israel were inconsistent with a genuine fear; and that no reason was shown for failing to exhaust an internal relocation alternative in the country of origin (Appeal (Tel Aviv) 2963-25 (27 Aug 2025)). The practical lesson: a consistent, detailed account supported by documents from the interview stage onward is at the heart of the proceeding.
Deadlines are enforced as well. An appeal filed roughly four months after the rejection decision was served on the appellant and her counsel by email was dismissed, since no "special reasons" for extending the deadline under Regulation 6 were shown; the Tribunal added that the appeal also lacked merit on the substance (Appeal (Jerusalem) 2292-22 (3 May 2022)). The practical conclusion is that the 30-day count begins upon actual service — including service on representing counsel — not on the date the applicant read the letter.
Idan Moldavski Law Office assists individuals in proceedings related to rejection of asylum applications, including examination of the rejection letter received, examination of the options available to the petitioner in his particular circumstances, and assistance in filing appeal or administrative petition procedures as applicable. We explain to each petitioner the structure of the proceeding, the applicable deadlines, and the required documents, while adapting the legal assistance to the personal circumstances of each case.
For any question or need for legal assistance in a proceeding related to rejection of an asylum application, you are invited to contact our office through WhatsApp or the contact form on the website for examination of your specific circumstances and receipt of individually tailored advice.
Read the letter carefully, keep a copy of it, and seek legal advice as soon as possible. It is important to check if deadlines for action are mentioned in the letter, as delay may harm the ability to continue and act on the matter. Do not wait — early consultation makes it possible to examine all the options available to you in time.
Yes. A final decision rejecting an asylum application may be appealed to the Appeals Tribunal within 30 days from the date the decision was delivered, and the Tribunal's judgment may be challenged by an administrative appeal to the District Court sitting as a Court for Administrative Affairs, within 45 days. It is recommended to contact counsel immediately upon receiving the decision in order to meet the deadlines.
As a rule, no. The current edition of Procedure 5.2.0012 provides that, as of the date of its publication, requests for reconsideration will no longer be accepted, and that a person whose application for political asylum has been rejected must file an appeal with the Appeals Tribunal. Reconsideration requests that were pending as of the date the Procedure was published continue to be handled under the previous version.
An administrative petition is a petition to the District Court, sitting as a Court for Administrative Matters, for judicial review of a decision by an administrative authority. Under the regulations, it must be filed without delay and no later than 45 days from the date of receipt of notice of the decision or from the date the petitioner learned of it, whichever is earlier. In decisions rejecting asylum applications, the ordinary route is not an administrative petition but an appeal to the Appeals Tribunal, followed by an administrative appeal.
Not automatically. In appropriate cases, you may request an interim order or temporary relief from the Tribunal or the court staying removal pending a decision, but the request is examined according to the prospects of the proceeding and the balance of convenience. For example, it has been held that the trial forum has broad discretion in deciding on temporary relief, and that an appellate forum will intervene in such a decision only in exceptional cases (Application for Leave to Appeal (Tel Aviv) 10735-02-26 (5 Feb 2026)).
Delay in the deadline may result in dismissal of the proceeding at the threshold, without examination of your claims on the merits at all, unless special reasons justifying an extension of time are shown. This is why it is very important to seek legal advice immediately upon receipt of a rejection decision.