Israeli citizenship from the U.S.: registering a child and proving it
Checked against the official pages on 13 November 2026. How we check.
Israeli citizenship questions from the U.S. usually come down to three things: registering a child born here, proving that you are Israeli, and what the Population Registry needs to know when your life changes. The missions take all three requests for the Population and Immigration Authority.
Moving to Israel under the Law of Return (Aliyah) is a separate process that this guide does not cover.
Registering a child born in the U.S.
New York’s page is clear on the main point: an Israeli parent must appear in person, and a child under 18 does not need to come if you are only registering the birth (New York’s registration page).
Bring both parents’ passports and the original birth certificate, authenticated with an apostille and translated. New York suggests emailing the forms and documents first for a preliminary check.
The apostille comes from the U.S. state that issued the birth certificate, not from the consulate: see apostille for Israel.
Proving that you are an Israeli citizen
A certificate of Israeli citizenship is requested in person, or by someone holding your notarized power of attorney, with a copy of your Israeli passport (New York’s certificate page).
Relatives can also ask for one about a person who has died, with documents that show the family link, apostilled and translated into English or Hebrew.
| What you need | Where | In person? |
|---|---|---|
| Register a child born in the U.S. | The mission that covers your state | Yes, one Israeli parent |
| Certificate of Israeli citizenship | The mission | Yes, or a holder of a notarized power of attorney |
| Certificate of no Israeli citizenship | The mission | Check the office’s page |
| Marriage, divorce or name change in the Registry | The mission | Yes |
Marriage, divorce, a new name and other changes
A marriage or divorce abroad, a change of name, of gender or of mailing address goes into the Population Registry through the mission, each with its own form on the office’s service list.
Registering a marriage matters later too: New York’s passport page lets one parent attend a minor’s passport appointment when the parents are registered as married.
- Both parents’ passports
- The original U.S. birth certificate with an apostille
- A translation of the certificate
- The registration form from the office’s page
Questions people ask
How to get Israeli citizenship?
If one of your parents is Israeli, through registration at a mission. Other routes, such as the Law of Return, are not handled at the consulates.
Can I get Israeli citizenship without moving to Israel?
A child of an Israeli parent can be registered at a mission in the U.S. without moving.
How to get Israeli citizenship if Jewish?
Under the Law of Return, by making Aliyah, which is a separate process from the consular services on this page.