EPISODE 2.14 — THE AFFIDAVIT OF SINGLE STATUS
Many countries maintain centralised civil registries that record the personal status of their citizens — whether they are single, married, divorced, or widowed. Israel is one of them. In Israel, the Population Authority holds records of every resident's civil status, and this information is accessible to government offices as needed.
The United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada do not have equivalent federal civil registries. There is no central UK database you can query to confirm that a particular individual has never been married. Marriage and divorce records are held at a local or state level, not in a unified national system. This creates a verification challenge for the Israeli government when assessing aliyah applications from these countries.
The solution is the affidavit. For applicants from countries without a centralised civil status registry — including the UK, the US, and Canada — every adult over the age of eighteen making aliyah must complete a sworn affidavit declaring their personal status. The affidavit states that to the best of your knowledge you have never been registered with any civil status authority as having a specific marital status that differs from the one you are claiming on your aliyah application.
This affidavit must be authenticated. There are three valid methods of authentication. First: notarised by a local notary or solicitor and then apostilled through the relevant authority. Second: authenticated at an Israeli consulate in your country. Third: authenticated at a US or other embassy abroad — relevant if you are in a third country at the time of application.
The affidavit is valid for six months from the date of authentication. This is the same constraint as the criminal background check, and it creates the same timing challenge. If it is authenticated too early, it will expire before your aliyah. If authenticated too late, it may not be processed before your interview. Aim to have it authenticated in the same time window as the criminal background check — after your other documents are substantially complete, and with enough validity remaining to cover your interview date and aliyah date.
The affidavit form itself is provided as part of the application process on the NBN portal or by the Jewish Agency. You do not need to source it externally.
One note on applicants who already have an Israeli identity number — for example, those who have previously held A/1 temporary resident status or who have a Teudat Zehut from a prior period of residence in Israel. If this applies to you, your personal status is already registered with the Israeli Population Authority and the affidavit requirement does not apply. Your account manager will confirm this.
If you are uncertain whether you need this document, ask. It is better to confirm with your account manager than to either omit a required document or waste time obtaining one that is not needed for your specific situation.
