TL;DR
- Twenty-two official Israeli government resources for couples marrying in Israel, grouped by stage and checked for accuracy.
- A Jewish marriage recognised by the State of Israel is registered through the Chief Rabbinate’s marriage bureaus, and the file is opened at your local religious council.
- Most core registration pages are published in Hebrew; apostille, visa and customs pages have English versions.
- Couples living abroad after the wedding will need an apostille on the marriage certificate.
- Every link below is labelled (English) or (Hebrew) so you know what to expect before clicking.
Marrying in Israel means dealing with several government bodies that do not always link to each other clearly. This directory pulls together the official pages that matter, in the order most couples need them, from opening a marriage file through to certifying your marriage certificate for use abroad.
We built it because we are asked these questions constantly. We film weddings across the country, and the same three or four administrative snags come up again and again, usually in the final six weeks when there is no time to unpick them. Nothing here is legal advice: requirements vary by personal circumstance, and your local religious council or the relevant ministry is always the authority on your own file.
Start here: registration and the marriage file
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Marriage services hub (Hebrew)
The top-level government landing page gathering every marriage-related service in one place. Useful as a starting point if you are not sure which office handles your question.
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Register for marriage online (Hebrew)
The Ministry of Religious Services online registration route. This is where couples begin the process of registering a Jewish marriage with the state.
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Opening a marriage file (Hebrew)
The official step-by-step guide to opening a tik nissuin, covering documents, fees and the sequence of appointments. Timing guidance varies by circumstance, so confirm with the bureau where you register.
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Rabbinate and marriage division (Hebrew)
The division that oversees all marriage registration nationally, supervises the marriage departments in local religious councils, and validates certificates for foreign governments.
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Ministry of Religious Services (Hebrew)
The parent ministry. Worth bookmarking for announcements, fee changes and contact routes when a local council cannot answer your question.
Certificates, records and proof of marriage
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Marriage certificate (Hebrew)
For Israeli citizens married in Israel through one of the marriage bureaus: issue, locate or update your official marriage certificate.
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Locate a certificate form (English)
A downloadable application form, available in English, for tracing a marriage certificate when you do not have the original or cannot find the registering office.
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Marriage approval application (Hebrew)
For couples married k’dat Moshe v’Yisrael whose marriage was never registered with a marriage bureau, including private ceremonies and weddings conducted abroad. Handled by the rabbinical courts.
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Historical marriage records (Hebrew)
The State Archives collection of scanned marriage certificates from 1929 to 1949. Relevant if you are tracing a grandparent’s ketubah or building family history into your wedding.
Religious councils and rabbinical courts
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Religious councils (Hebrew)
The hub for local religious councils, which are the bodies that actually run marriage registration in your city. Your file is opened at one of these, not at a national office.
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Religious councils dataset (Hebrew)
The open-data listing of religious councils. Less polished than the landing page, but the fastest way to find contact details for a specific town.
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Rabbinical courts (Hebrew)
The rabbinical court system holds exclusive jurisdiction over Jewish marriage and divorce in Israel. This page carries closures, holiday schedules and service notices.
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About rabbinical courts (Hebrew)
Background on the courts’ authority under the 1953 Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction Law. Helpful context for couples trying to understand why marriage in Israel works the way it does.
After the wedding: names, status and documents
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Changing your surname (Hebrew)
The Population and Immigration Authority process for changing a family name after marriage. Note that a name change means replacing your teudat zehut and passport, so book an appointment in advance.
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Apostille certificate (English)
How to authenticate an Israeli marriage certificate for use abroad under the Hague Convention. Essential for couples who will live outside Israel.
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Certifying public documents (English)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular route for certifying Israeli public documents, including marriage and divorce certificates, for foreign authorities.
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Police clearance certificate (Hebrew)
Sometimes requested as part of spousal visa or residency applications abroad. Order the apostille at the same time to save a second round trip.
For guests and couples arriving from overseas
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Visitor visa application (English)
The official B/2 visitor visa service page, including the process for Israeli residents inviting family from abroad. Requirements vary by nationality.
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ETA-IL travel authorisation (English)
The Population and Immigration Authority portal for electronic travel authorisation. Travellers from visa-exempt countries now need this approved before boarding.
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VAT refund for tourists (English)
Tax Authority guidance on reclaiming VAT. Relevant for overseas guests buying gifts, and for couples purchasing items that qualify.
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Customs guide for visitors (English)
What guests may bring in and what must be declared. Worth forwarding to anyone travelling with gifts, equipment or a wedding dress.
Filming and photography rules
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Drone rules and registration (Hebrew)
The Civil Aviation Authority question and answer page on unmanned aircraft. If anyone has promised you aerial footage of your chuppah, this is the framework that governs whether it is lawful.
Where the video side fits in
Two items on this list change how your wedding day is filmed, and both are easy to overlook. Registration determines who officiates, and the officiant sets the pace of the ceremony: a chuppah can run twelve minutes or thirty-five, and a crew that does not know which to expect will miss things. The drone page matters because aerial footage is promised far more often than it is lawfully cleared.
We work with couples on both sides of this. You can read how we approach ritual coverage as a Jewish wedding videographer, how we cover events nationally as an Israel-based wedding videographer, and how we livestream your simcha so relatives who cannot travel watch the chuppah in real time.
Live Stream Simcha: wedding videography and livestreaming across Israel.
FAQ: Israeli Government Resources for Engaged Couples
- Which page should we start with?
- The marriage services hub, then the guide to opening a marriage file. Between them they cover the sequence, the documents and the fees. Everything else on this list follows from those two.
- Why are so many of these pages Hebrew only?
- Core religious services are administered domestically and default to Hebrew. Services aimed at travellers, such as visas, customs and apostille certification, are more consistently translated. Organisations including Nefesh B’Nefesh, ITIM and Tzohar publish English walkthroughs of the registration process that many Anglo couples find easier to follow alongside the official pages.
- Do we need an apostille on our marriage certificate?
- If you will be living outside Israel, or need to prove your marriage to a foreign authority, almost certainly yes. Note that an Israeli marriage certificate normally needs approval from the religious services side before the apostille can be issued, so allow time for two steps rather than one.
- How current is this list?
- Every link was checked at the time of writing. Government URLs and requirements do change, so treat the official page as authoritative over any summary, including ours. If you find a broken link here, please tell us and we will fix it.
- Can you help with the paperwork?
- No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overreaching. We film weddings. We put this together because the administrative timeline and the filming timeline overlap more than couples expect, and knowing the sequence makes both go more smoothly.
Tell us your date and venue and we will walk you through coverage, livestreaming and timing, in English.
Founder of LiveStreamSimcha – Reach out with any questions regarding livestreaming your simcha in Israel!
Akiva Tepperman is a professional Jewish videographer and livestream specialist working in Israel since 2014. His team provides high-quality live streaming and video coverage for simchas and events of all kinds, from weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs to brit milahs and corporate broadcasts.