Marriage and divorce in Israel

In Israel, marriage and divorce fall under religious authorities — the Rabbanate for Jews, equivalent bodies for other recognized faiths (Christian, Muslim, Druze). This system, inherited from the British Mandate, means there is no civil marriage procedure performed on Israeli soil, regardless of the couple's religion.

• Exclusive religious jurisdictionEach recognized religious community handles marriage and divorce for its members through its own courts.
• The RabbanateThe official rabbinical authority handles marriage, divorce and conversion for people recognized as Jewish.
• No local civil optionUnlike many countries, there is no secular civil marriage alternative performed within Israel itself.

For a couple recognized as Jewish by the Rabbanate, the standard path goes through registration and preparing the file.

1. 1
   Register with a Rabbanate office — Choose the office for your area of residence and book an appointment to open the file.
2. 2
   Prove recognized Jewish status — Usually via a letter from your home community's rabbi, a parent's Ketubah, or other documents attesting to your Jewishness under Orthodox criteria.
3. 3
   Provide civil documents — Passport, Teoudat Zehout, and depending on the case, documents proving you are free to marry (single, divorced, or widowed status).
4. 4
   Preparation course and ceremony — Some offices require a preparation course (often for the bride) before setting the ceremony date.

Contested Jewish status, a conversion not recognized, interfaith couples, same-sex couples: several situations cannot or do not want to go through the Rabbanate. Two options exist.

A valid civil marriage performed abroad before your Aliyah is recognized by the State of Israel — the process is administrative, not religious.

1. 1
   Gather the original marriage certificate — The marriage certificate issued by the civil authority of the country where the marriage took place.
2. 2
   Apostille and translation — Get the document apostilled (or legalized, depending on the country), then translated into Hebrew by a certified translator if needed.
3. 3
   Submit to the Misrad Hapnim — File the documents with the Ministry of Interior to register your marital status.
4. 4
   Civil status update — Once registered, your marital status appears on your official Israeli documents (Teoudat Zehout).

A religiously married couple's divorce must be pronounced by a Beit Din (rabbinical court), which issues the Get — the religious writ of divorce — once both parties agree.

• Without a Get, religious remarriage is not possible even after a civil divorce obtained elsewhere.
• A spouse refusing to give or receive the Get can create a deadlock (a refusing husband creates an "Agunah"; a refusing wife creates an equivalent status for the man).
• The civil aspects of divorce (assets, child custody, alimony) can be handled by civil courts or the Beit Din depending on the couple's agreements and the nature of the claims.

These situations are common and well documented, but each case deserves individual legal advice — a family-law specialist lawyer or a dedicated nonprofit can point to the most suitable path.

• Same-sex couplesThe Rabbanate does not perform religious marriage between same-sex partners. Couples generally turn to civil marriage abroad (later recognized in Israel) or recognized cohabitation (Yeduim BeTzibur).
• Conversion not recognized by the RabbanateSome conversions (particularly non-Orthodox ones, or those performed in certain countries) are not recognized by the Rabbanate for a religious marriage in Israel, even if valid for other purposes such as Aliyah.
• Contested Jewish statusFor example, Jewish descent through the father only (without a Jewish mother) is not recognized by the Rabbanate under Orthodox lineage criteria. These cases often require a specific recognition process or one of the alternatives above — including Brit Zugiut LeHasrei Dat if both partners are registered as having no religion and meet the residency condition.