Parents renounced your citizenship as a minor, or born abroad as a second generation? A guide to Section 9(א)(3), Procedure 4.5.0003, and the age-22 window.
This guide is for two groups of young people who discover, usually around age 18, that they have no Israeli citizenship even though their parents are Israeli. The first group: people born abroad who received citizenship by birth, whose parents filed a renunciation declaration that included them, or whose citizenship was revoked following an adult parent's renunciation of their own citizenship. The second group: people born abroad to a parent who is themselves a citizen by birth abroad — that is, a second generation born abroad — and who therefore never acquired citizenship by birth at all.
For both groups, the legislature set out one dedicated, narrow, time-limited track: the grant of citizenship under Section 9(א)(3) of the Citizenship Law, 5712-1952, between the ages of 18 and 22. This is a real but narrow window of opportunity — it closes on the applicant's 22nd birthday, and it rests on discretion, not on entitlement.
The Citizenship Law regulates renunciation of citizenship in Section 10. Section 10(ג) provides that where a minor born outside Israel was granted citizenship by birth, the minor's parents may declare in writing that they renounce that citizenship, "provided that on the date the declaration is made, neither the parents nor the minor were residents of Israel"; a declaration by one parent suffices if that parent alone is entitled to custody of the minor.
A second track is derivative revocation. Section 10(ו) of the Citizenship Law provides that revoking an adult's citizenship also revokes that of the adult's minor child, but only if two cumulative conditions are met: (1) the other parent has also renounced their citizenship, or is not an Israeli citizen and not a resident of Israel, or has consented in writing that the renunciation will also apply to the minor, or the renouncing parent alone is entitled to custody of the minor; (2) the minor is not a resident of Israel, or — if the renunciation was made under Section 10(ב) — the notice stated that the notifying party's wish was that the minor also cease to be a resident of Israel (Adm. Petition (Haifa) 60536-05-25 (28 Oct 2025)).
Three further rules are especially important: every renunciation requires the Interior Minister's consent (Section 10(ה)); the Minister may determine, for special reasons, that the minor's citizenship will not be revoked (Section 10(ז)); and once the minor has turned 16, the minor's citizenship will not be revoked unless the minor personally notifies the Interior Minister in writing that they consent to the revocation (Section 10(ח)).
The practical review is governed by Procedure 4.7.0003 (Procedure for Renunciation of Israeli Citizenship of a Minor Granted Citizenship by Birth Abroad), as updated in August 2024. As a rule, the declaration is filed at an Israeli mission abroad in the minor's area of residence (clause ב.1).
The Procedure requires the parents' personal attendance together with an identity card or passport; where one parent does not consent, a judgment or approved divorce agreement evidencing sole custody must be produced (clause ב.2). A minor over age 16 must appear personally and give written consent (clause ב.3). Where the minor is a citizen through only one parent and the other parent is neither a citizen nor a resident of Israel, the Israeli parent's consent suffices (clause ב.4). It must also be confirmed that the minor holds, or has been promised, another citizenship (clause ב.7), and evidence of the minor's and parents' residence abroad must be produced (clause ב.8).
In processing the file, officials verify that the minor is indeed a citizen by birth abroad and not a second generation (clause ג.8), and that the minor and parents are not residents of Israel (clause ג.9). If the declaration is approved, a certificate of renunciation is issued together with a notice of revocation of citizenship, and the documentation is handed to the parents at the mission only after the Israeli citizenship documents have been returned (clause ג.14). If any of these steps was not carried out, a defect may exist — and that is the starting point for a legal review.
Alongside those whose citizenship was revoked, there are people who never acquired it in the first place. Section 4(א)(2) of the Citizenship Law grants citizenship by birth to a person born outside Israel where the father or mother was a citizen by virtue of the Law of Return, residence in Israel, naturalization, birth in Israel to a citizen parent, or adoption. The upshot: citizenship by birth abroad passes down only one generation, and a person born abroad to a parent who was themselves born abroad and received citizenship by birth does not acquire citizenship by birth.
This was held in Adm. Petition (Nazareth) 63161-03-25 (15 Dec 2025, Judge Hod), in which a person was mistakenly registered as a citizen in 1997, the registration was closed in 2007 once it emerged that he was a second generation, and the petition filed 18 years later was dismissed. The court held that registering citizenship contrary to the law is an act beyond authority, since "there shall be no Israeli citizenship except under this law."
The dedicated track is anchored in Procedure 4.5.0003 (Procedure for Handling the Grant of Citizenship to a Person Whose Citizenship Was Revoked as a Minor by His Parents under Section 9(א)(3) of the Law), edition 2, March 2019. Clause א.1 defines the target population: an applicant aged 18 to 22 who, as a minor, was included in a parent's renunciation of citizenship, as well as a person born abroad to an Israeli parent who is a citizen by birth abroad (a second generation) and who is not granted citizenship under Sections 2–8 of the Law.
At the outset, the Procedure carries an important warning: the applicant must first be referred to the mission of their country of citizenship to clarify the consequences of the step, and will be required to sign an affidavit on the matter. In some countries, receiving Israeli citizenship can jeopardize an existing citizenship — a check that should be made before filing.
The requirements themselves are relatively simple: personal attendance together with an identity card and travel documents (clause ב.1); age 18–22 (clause ב.2); an application form and a letter of explanation (clauses ב.3–ב.4); filing at a bureau in Israel or an Israeli mission abroad (clause ב.5); and no fee is charged (clause ב.6). An Authority official reviews the personal files of the applicant and the parents (clause ג.4), and confirms that the applicant was indeed included in the renunciation or was born a second generation abroad, and does not hold citizenship through the other parent (clause ג.5). The decision is made by the Citizenship Department at Authority headquarters (clauses ג.6–ג.7), and if approved, the applicant is invited to the bureau to receive a citizenship certificate without a declaration of allegiance (clause ג.8).
It is important to internalize: Section 9(א) provides that the Interior Minister "may grant" citizenship — may, not must, as emphasized in Adm. Petition (Jerusalem) 44418-11-24 (12 Jun 2025, Judge Zinger). It follows that the letter of explanation and supporting documentation are the heart of the application, not an appendix to it.
Once age 22 has passed, the track under Procedure 4.5.0003 closes, leaving only the general tracks: eligibility under the Law of Return, 5710-1950, for those entitled to it; or, alternatively, naturalization under Section 5 of the Citizenship Law — a lengthy, gradual process subject to broad discretion (Adm. Appeal (Supreme Court) 2484/23 (16 Jun 2024), later reheard in Further Hearing (Supreme Court) 5331/24 (7 Dec 2025) on the question of whether Section 8 applies to children of olim). A further rule worth remembering: eligibility claims not first submitted to the competent authority may be dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.
This track must be distinguished from "restoration of citizenship" under Procedure 4.6.0001 (edition 3, 2015), which does not concern minors on whose behalf a parent renounced citizenship, but rather adult women who renounced their citizenship in order to be registered in the Population Registry of the Area, following HCJ 2271/98. Including minor children in such an application requires the father's written consent (clause ב.2) and proof of the center of life in Israel, while adult children must file separate applications (clause ג.11.ב).
Finally, an adult's voluntary renunciation of citizenship is not reversible at the push of a button. In Adm. Petition (Jerusalem) 69201-02-23 (15 Nov 2023, Judge Gidoni), it was held that citizenship and its renunciation "are not a purely declaratory matter," and that the Citizenship Law adopts the conception of once a citizen, always a citizen: subjective regret is not grounds for undoing a renunciation of citizenship.
A decision by a bureau or by Authority headquarters is not the last word. A decision on an application for a grant of citizenship may be challenged by filing a written internal appeal under Procedure 1.6.0001 (Procedure for Receiving Applications and Appeals against Decisions of Bureaus and Headquarters of the Population and Immigration Authority), without delay and no later than 21 days. As a rule, only one internal appeal may be filed, so it must set out the full range of arguments and evidence.
If the appeal is denied, the competent forum in citizenship matters is the District Court sitting as the Court for Administrative Affairs, by way of an administrative petition, within the time set by regulation — unlike matters under the Entry into Israel Law, which are heard by the Appeals Tribunal for immigration matters. At the same time, proceedings in this area are also decided against the background of the law of laches: the more time that passes from the date of revocation or refusal, the greater the risk that the petition will be dismissed at the threshold and that "evidentiary prejudice" will be held against the applicant. If you received a refusal or discovered that your citizenship was revoked — time is working against you.
In Adm. Petition (Haifa) 60536-05-25 (28 Oct 2025), two brothers sought a declaration that their citizenship had been unlawfully revoked in 1985 together with their mother's renunciation, because the condition in Section 10(ו)(2) had not been met. The petition was dismissed: the burden of proving that the administrative act was wrong lies with the party alleging it, and the brothers had not produced the renunciation application form at all. The practical lesson: the first step is to obtain the renunciation declaration and the personal file from the Population and Immigration Authority, and not to rely on family memory alone.
In HCJ 756/17 (30 Jan 2019, Justice Sohlberg), Israeli parents sought to renounce their own citizenship and that of their children without first registering the children in the Population Registry. The petition was dismissed: the requirements of personal attendance by both parents, a properly prepared application, and orderly registration are intended to ensure that minors are not left "hanging between heaven and earth." A person whose renunciation was carried out without these requirements being met has a genuine argument to raise.
In Adm. Petition (Nazareth) 63161-03-25 (15 Dec 2025), a petition by the son of a second generation abroad whose registration as a citizen had been revoked as a minor was dismissed, mainly due to an 18-year delay; the court emphasized that in a parallel case, where the approach was made soon after the revocation, reliance was weighed and the registration was not revoked. And in Adm. Petition (Jerusalem) 44418-11-24 (12 Jun 2025), a point that is easily confused was sharpened: the authority under Section 9(א) is a discretionary power, and a properly organized factual foundation must be laid before the Authority with a request for a decision — and only afterward should one turn to the court.
Our office represents young people whose Israeli citizenship was revoked in childhood, as well as children of Israelis born abroad as a second generation. We begin with an orderly inquiry to the Population and Immigration Authority — obtaining the personal file, the renunciation declaration, and the registration records — and examine whether the conditions of Section 10 of the Law and Procedure 4.7.0003 were met. At the same time, we build the application under Section 9(א)(3) and Procedure 4.5.0003, taking care to file within the age window. If a refusal is issued, we file a reasoned internal appeal on time, and, in appropriate cases, an administrative petition. As a rule, the earlier you approach us, the greater the room for action.
Procedure 4.5.0003 is intended for applicants aged 18 to 22 (clauses א.1 and ב.2). The application is filed in person, at a Population and Immigration Authority bureau in Israel or an Israeli mission abroad, together with an application form and a letter of explanation. The Procedure expressly states that the service does not involve a fee (clause ב.6). It is advisable not to wait until the last moment, because processing includes review of personal files and referral for a decision by headquarters.
Procedure 4.5.0003 does not require renouncing another citizenship, but it opens with an explicit warning: the applicant must first be referred to the mission of their country of citizenship to clarify the consequences of the step, and will be required to sign an affidavit on the matter. Different countries treat dual citizenship differently, so this is a check that should be made before filing. Our office routinely completes this inquiry as part of preparing the file.
Section 10(ח) of the Citizenship Law provides that once a minor has turned 16, that minor's citizenship will not be revoked under that section unless the minor personally notifies the Interior Minister in writing of consent to the revocation. Correspondingly, Procedure 4.7.0003 requires the personal attendance and personal written consent of a minor over 16 (clause ב.3). If no such consent was given, that is a genuine argument — but it must be substantiated with documents from the Authority's file, and acted on without delay.
As a rule, no. Citizenship by birth under Section 4(א)(2) of the Citizenship Law passes down only one generation born abroad, so a "second generation" does not acquire citizenship by birth. While you are still a minor, Section 9(א)(2) allows the Interior Minister to grant citizenship to the minor child of a citizen under Section 4(א)(2) upon the parents' request; at ages 18–22, the track is Section 9(א)(3) and Procedure 4.5.0003.
The decision may be challenged by filing a written internal appeal under Procedure 1.6.0001, without delay and no later than 21 days. As a rule, only one internal appeal may be filed, so it must set out all arguments and documents. If the appeal is denied, a petition may be filed with the District Court sitting as the Court for Administrative Affairs within the time set by regulation. The case law strictly enforces exhaustion of administrative remedies and the absence of delay, so a delay in approaching the authorities can decide the fate of the case even before it is heard on the merits.