EPISODE 2.13 — THE INFORMATION WAIVER

The information waiver is the most understated document in the entire file. It is short. It is not complicated. And virtually no one who submits it can tell you, immediately after signing, exactly what they just agreed to.

What you are signing is a waiver that authorises the Jewish Agency for Israel to transfer information relevant to your aliyah status to other Israeli government offices and to olim associations. This is, in practice, how your file moves from the Jewish Agency to Misrad HaKlita, from there to Bituach Leumi, and eventually to all the other parts of the Israeli government bureaucracy that will need your information in order to provide the benefits and services to which you are entitled as a new oleh. Without this waiver, each government office would need to receive your information independently from you, in person, with documents, at their offices, during their hours. The waiver is what makes the system work as a system rather than as a series of unconnected offices that each know nothing about you.

For NBN applicants: you sign this waiver as part of the NBN application process. You submit a copy to Nefesh B'Nefesh and retain the original for your records and to present at the Jewish Agency interview. Note specifically: there is a section of the waiver called "Affirmation of Signature." You do not need to complete this section. It is not required. Leave it blank.

For Jewish Agency applicants in the UK and other countries: the waiver is part of the application portal documentation. Your account manager will provide specific instructions for your region.

Submit a copy to the relevant organisation and keep the original. The original will be needed at your interview. If you are asked to produce it at any subsequent stage of the process, having retained it means you do not need to request a replacement.

This is a short episode because this is a short document. The most common error people make with the information waiver is forgetting it entirely. It is not a dramatic or demanding form. It does not require a signature in multiple places, it does not require a witness, it does not require notarisation or apostille. It requires you to sign it, keep the original, send a copy, and make a note in your spreadsheet that it is done.

Done. Thirteen down. Five to go.