Israeli law requires renouncing foreign citizenship to naturalise, but exceptions exist. A guide to the conditions, deadlines and exemption requests.
You have completed the graduated process, you hold a permanent-residency licence, you have filed a naturalisation application — and then a letter arrives from a Population and Immigration Authority office demanding that you produce proof of renunciation of your foreign citizenship. For many applicants, this is the crisis point of the entire process. A foreign passport is not just a travel document: it is the link to family left behind, to an apartment, to a pension, and to the ability to travel back and visit.
The answer is not uniform. The law does set renunciation of a prior citizenship as one of the conditions for naturalisation, but the law itself creates exceptions, and the Population and Immigration Authority's Procedure adds a list of applicants entitled to an exemption — and there are tracks where the requirement does not apply at all. This page maps the rule, the exceptions, and how to request an exemption.
Section 5(a) of the Citizenship Law, 5712-1952 lists the conditions for naturalisation: presence in Israel; residence for three of the five years preceding the application; eligibility to reside permanently in Israel; settling or intending to settle in Israel; some knowledge of the Hebrew language; and, finally, in section 5(a)(6) — renunciation of the prior citizenship, or proof that the applicant will cease to be a foreign national once they become an Israeli citizen. This is the rule: an applicant for naturalisation is required to renounce their foreign citizenship.
The rule is implemented in Procedure 4.4.0001 (the naturalisation procedure under sections 5, 6 and 8 of the Citizenship Law). Clause ב.7.6 of the Procedure repeats the rule and adds a practical clarification: compliance with this condition will be required only at the end of the process, after it has been found that the applicant meets all the other conditions — unless an exemption has been approved. Citizenship is not renounced at the start of the process. The Procedure also provides, in clause ב.6, that already on the application form the applicant must indicate whether they agree to renounce their citizenship or are requesting an exemption — and that choice carries decisive significance.
The renunciation requirement is unique to the naturalisation track. The Supreme Court has noted that section 14(a) of the law provides that "except in the matter of naturalisation, the acquisition of Israeli citizenship does not depend on renunciation of a prior citizenship" — so that citizenship by birth, under the Law of Return, by marriage, or by grant does not require renunciation (Adm. Appeal (Supreme Court) 8410/23 (28 Jul 2025)).
Naturalisation of the spouse of an Israeli citizen is also governed by a separate procedure — Procedure 4.4.0004 (the procedure for handling naturalisation applications of permanent residents who are spouses of Israeli citizens). The list of conditions there includes residence for three of the four years preceding the application, with the last two years consecutive; eligibility for permanent residency; settling in Israel; the absence of a criminal or security bar; and the genuineness of the marriage (clauses ב.6.1 through ב.6.6) — and does not include renunciation of foreign citizenship. The application may be filed only after one year of marriage (clause ג.8.1); an applicant who does not meet this requirement will be referred to the section 5 track.
Even where Israel does not require renunciation, the other country may itself strip citizenship from someone who naturalises in a foreign state. Both procedures open with an explicit warning on this point and require that the applicant first be referred to the representation of their country of citizenship and be made to sign an affidavit (clause ג.9 of Procedure 4.4.0004; clause ג.9 of Procedure 4.4.0001) — a check worth making before filing, not after.
By contrast, minors included in a parent's application are subject to the renunciation requirement, and proof of renunciation is required for them as well (clauses ב.7.6 and ג.14.1 of Procedure 4.4.0001). A minor who reaches majority while their parent's application is being processed will file their own application, free of charge, and the process in their case is completed before the renunciation stage (clause ג.15).
The law itself creates two exemption tracks. Section 6(a) exempts from the renunciation requirement — and from other requirements under section 5(a) — anyone who performed regular service in the IDF or in another service designated by the Minister of Defence, and anyone who lost a son or daughter in such service. Section 6(d) authorises the Minister of the Interior to exempt an applicant from the conditions "if, in the Minister's opinion, there is a special reason justifying the exemption."
The list of those "entitled to an exemption" is set out in clause ב.8 of Procedure 4.4.0001: a person who performed regular service in the IDF or in a "recognised service" and was lawfully discharged, as well as a serving soldier who has completed 18 months of service or more (ב.8.1); a parent of a soldier who acquired status under Procedure 5.2.0036 (the procedure for granting status to a soldier's parent), once they have held permanent-resident status for a year and subject to the criteria in that procedure (ב.8.4); a resident who converted through a conversion recognised in its own right for the purposes of granting oleh status (ב.8.6); and the common-law partner of an Israeli citizen — including a same-sex married spouse — who obtained permanent status at the end of the graduated process under Procedure 5.2.0009, for as long as the genuine relationship continues (ב.8.7). The numbering of these subclauses has changed between editions of the Procedure, and case law sometimes refers to the older numbering.
One distinction that confuses many applicants: the Procedure exempts from the Hebrew-language requirement anyone who was a national of Mandatory Palestine (ב.8.3) and anyone over the age of 60 (ב.8.5) — but this exemption relates to language alone, not to renunciation of citizenship.
An applicant who does not fall within one of the listed categories may request an individual exemption. Under the Procedure, a request for exemption from renunciation — or a claim that the applicant holds no other citizenship — must be indicated on the form and will be examined by the district manager in consultation with the Citizenship Division (clauses ב.8.8 and ג.14.4), and the applicant must attach a detailed letter of explanation (clauses ב.6.1 and ג.10).
This is where the most common mistake occurs. An applicant who marks the renunciation alternative on the form, and only later — upon discovering that they cannot obtain proof of renunciation — requests an exemption, is left without an administrative decision that can be challenged. The District Court sitting as the Court for Administrative Affairs has held, in such a case, that the correct path is to file an application marking the exemption alternative, together with a detailed statement of reasons and supporting evidence, and only after a decision is issued on it do the doors of the court open (Adm. Petition (Jerusalem) 25545-02-24 (1 Apr 2024)).
What is a "special reason"? The court examined the legislative history of section 6(d) and referred to the remarks of the committee chair at the second and third readings, according to which the exemption was intended for someone who proves that they have no legal or practical possibility of renouncing their prior citizenship. In that case, the court held that being born in the United States and wishing to keep one's American passport are not, in themselves, a special reason (Adm. Petition (Jerusalem) 23581-11-24 (26 Jan 2025)).
The Procedure recognises that renunciation is not always within the applicant's control. Under clause ג.14.1, only after the applicant meets all the other conditions is a letter sent requiring them to produce, within six months, proof of renunciation of the prior citizenship — or proof that the applicant is not a citizen of that state. In exceptional cases the head of the visa and citizenship team may approve later submission, subject to proof that steps have been taken on the matter — an extension is not granted on the strength of a declaration alone.
For an applicant originating from a state that has no official representation in Israel, clause ג.14.5 directs that inquiry be made with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as to whether there is a body representing their country of citizenship. The Procedure also sets out a distinct track for those considered citizens of Jordan: a strong and continuing connection to Israel, an affidavit before an attorney, and willingness to renounce together with practical steps — a certified cable, a receipt for the filing of an application, or an approach to the Jordanian Ministry of the Interior (clauses ג.14.2 through ג.14.2.3).
If all the conditions are met, or an exemption from them has been approved, and there is no other bar, the application is approved in principle and the applicant is invited to make a declaration of allegiance to the State of Israel under Procedure 4.4.0006; a minor over the age of 16 will also be required to make the declaration of allegiance (clause ג.14.6). The citizenship record is updated as of the date of the declaration of allegiance (clause ג.16).
A refusal decision — including refusal of an exemption request — may generally be challenged by filing an internal appeal with the Population and Immigration Authority, without delay and within the period set in Procedure 1.6.0001. A general complaint to the director-general of the ministry or through the online inquiries system does not constitute an internal appeal. An exception applies where the refusal is given on criminal or security grounds after the applicant has already been given the right to respond: in that case the Procedure provides that no further challenge will be entertained, and the applicant must apply to a judicial forum instead. In citizenship matters this is generally an administrative petition; where the decision concerns status under the Entry into Israel Law, the route is an appeal to the Appeals Tribunal for immigration matters.
Two further points: an exemption argument that was not raised before the office will be dismissed by the court for failure to exhaust administrative remedies; and, as a rule, a new application may be filed only after one year has passed from the refusal, or, in the case of a refusal on security grounds, after two years (clauses ג.18 and ג.18.1).
A soldier's parent — the exemption is not automatic. A foreign national who had lived in Israel for decades, had been granted permanent status on humanitarian grounds, and whose daughter served in the IDF, requested an exemption under the exemption clause for a soldier's parent (ב.8.5 of the Procedure as then worded; today ב.8.4). The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal: the requirement to meet the "criteria" of Procedure 5.2.0036 means meeting all of them — including the condition that the parent lived abroad and sought to join their soldier child — which in this case meant acquiring status under that same procedure in the first place (Adm. Appeal (Supreme Court) 8410/23 (28 Jul 2025)). The lesson: examine the track by which permanent status was obtained, not merely the fact that the child is a soldier.
An applicant who cannot obtain proof must show they did everything possible. A permanent resident born in Ethiopia, whose family members had received citizenship under the Law of Return while he remained a permanent resident, was required to produce proof of renunciation. He presented a letter from the embassy stating that there were no records concerning him, and even appeared in person at the embassy with a letter of renunciation. The petition was dismissed: the discretion to decide whether the steps taken are sufficient rests with the Authority, and he had not proven that he had done everything within his power — although the court remarked that it would be appropriate for the state to actively assist him with the authorities in Ethiopia (Adm. Petition (Haifa) 63633-12-23 (4 Dec 2024)).
War or a closed consulate does not excuse an incorrectly marked application. A Russian citizen and permanent resident marked on the form that she was renouncing her citizenship, was granted extensions to produce the proof, and failed to meet them. After her application was refused, she petitioned, arguing that because of the war it was impossible to obtain proof. The petition was struck out: since the exemption alternative had not been marked and no corresponding application had been filed, the exemption issue had never been considered by the Authority at all (Adm. Petition (Jerusalem) 25545-02-24 (1 Apr 2024)).
We guide naturalisation applicants through the stage that determines the fate of the entire process — even before the form is filled out: we examine which track you belong to and whether the renunciation requirement applies to you at all, we check in advance the consequences of naturalisation under the law of your country of citizenship, we build a reasoned exemption request backed by evidence where grounds exist, we document the steps taken with the foreign representation for the purpose of requesting an extension, and we represent you in the internal appeal and in the administrative petition. The outcome always depends on the specific circumstances and on the Authority's discretion, and we take care to present a full and careful picture already at the first meeting.
No. Clause ב.7.6 of Procedure 4.4.0001 expressly provides that compliance with the renunciation condition will be required only at the end of the process, after it has been found that you meet all the other conditions. Only then is a letter sent requiring you to produce proof of renunciation within six months (clause ג.14.1). Until that stage, you need not take any action with your country of citizenship.
Naturalisation of the spouse of an Israeli citizen, governed by Procedure 4.4.0004, does not include renunciation of foreign citizenship in its list of conditions, but it is conditioned, among other things, on at least one year of marriage and proof of the genuineness of the relationship. Common-law partners, including same-sex married spouses, who obtained permanent status at the end of the graduated process under Procedure 5.2.0009, are likewise listed among the exemptions in clause ב.8 of Procedure 4.4.0001. It is important to remember that the law of the other state may nonetheless strip citizenship upon naturalisation, which is why the Procedure requires referral to the representation of the country of citizenship before filing.
Mark the exemption-request alternative under section 6(d) of the law on the form, and attach a detailed letter of explanation and evidence (clauses ב.6.1 and ג.14.4 of the Procedure). For an applicant originating from a state with no representation in Israel, the Procedure directs that inquiry be made with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as to whether a representing body exists (clause ג.14.5). In any event, it is worth documenting every inquiry, proof of dispatch, and application filed: case law emphasises that the burden of showing that everything possible was done rests on the applicant.
Yes. The renunciation requirement in the Procedure also applies to minors included in the application, and proof of renunciation is required for them as well (clauses ב.7.6 and ג.14.1). A minor who reaches majority while their parent's application is being processed will file their own application free of charge, and the process in their case is completed before the renunciation stage (clause ג.15). Where the other parent is not naturalising, that parent's position on including the minor is required (clauses ב.3 and ג.11).
As a rule, you may file an internal appeal with the Population and Immigration Authority, without delay and within the period set in Procedure 1.6.0001; a general online inquiry or a letter to the director-general does not constitute an internal appeal. After exhausting the administrative process, you may apply to a judicial forum — in citizenship matters, generally an administrative petition. A new application may generally be filed only after one year has passed from the refusal, or, in the case of a refusal on security grounds, after two years (clauses ג.18 and ג.18.1).