EPISODE 2.1 — YOUR PASSPORT
We begin with the most straightforward document in the entire file, the one that most people already possess, and the one that nevertheless manages to generate a surprising number of problems. Your passport.
The requirements are simple. Your passport must be valid for at least one year from your anticipated aliyah date. Some sources say six months, some say one year — the safe and universal advice is one year minimum, because the Jewish Agency does not want to approve an aliyah for someone whose passport might expire shortly after they land. If your passport has less than eighteen months of validity when you begin the process, renew it before you start gathering other documents. Everything else in the file will be tied to the passport number and name it contains, and having to change that information mid-process because you renewed your passport creates complications.
What you submit to the Jewish Agency or NBN is a copy of your passport, not the original. Specifically: a clear copy of the main biographical page — the page with your photograph, name, date of birth, passport number, and expiry date. You must also include copies of any additional pages showing date extensions or name changes. If you have changed your name and your current passport reflects that change, the copy of your passport demonstrates the current name. If your name has changed but your passport has not yet been updated, you will need to explain this and provide supporting documentation.
For those with more than one passport — dual nationals — an important note. If you hold or have ever held an Israeli passport, you are considered an Israeli citizen regardless of whether you currently live in Israel, and your aliyah process is different: it runs through Misrad Hapnim, the Population and Immigration Authority, not through the standard aliyah channels. If one or both of your parents held Israeli citizenship at the time of your birth, you are considered by Israeli law to be an Israeli citizen born abroad. You will need an Israeli passport, even if you have never previously obtained one and have never lived in Israel. Consult the Jewish Agency about your specific situation if this applies to you.
For non-Israeli dual nationals — those who hold, say, both a British and an American passport, or a British and a Canadian passport — you should confirm with the Jewish Agency which passport you will be submitting as part of your application. Generally, you will submit the passport of the country from which you are making aliyah, but your complete situation should be discussed with your account manager or Aliyah Advisor.
Your passport does not require an apostille. It is a current, government-issued identity document and is submitted as a copy, not an original. There is no translation requirement for UK, US, or Canadian passports, as they are all issued in English.
One practical note: make several photocopies of your passport immediately. You will need them repeatedly throughout the aliyah process and in the weeks after you land in Israel. Keep at least one colour copy at home, one stored elsewhere, and one as a scan on your phone and email. In Israel, presenting a photocopy of your passport is a standard part of almost every official interaction until you have your Teudat Zehut, and even after. Israelis love a photocopy. Carry one always.
That is, genuinely, almost everything there is to say about the passport for aliyah purposes. I include it as a separate episode partly because the series is organised around documents, and partly as a small gift to you. After the apostille episode, you deserve something easy.
