Are my kids born overseas automatically Israeli Citizens??

amother

Yellow

Wed, Jan 04 2017, 10:53 pm

I am an Israeli citizen.
I live in Toronto now and my husband and kids are Canadian citizens. I do not want them to become Israelis and then have all the issues that come up at 18 years for Israeli Citizens.

I'm planning a trip to Israel just me and my baby. If I enter Israel's border control, will they automatically have it in their system that he's mine and that he's an Israeli?

So far, we only traveled to my parents as a family and my husband went through the customs with the kids while I passed separately.

Please let me know if you have any more info.
If anyone has the same concerns and issues please share your experience.
Thank you!

DrMom

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 12:42 am

Here is what I understand:

According to Israeli law, if either parent is an Israeli citizen at the time the child is born, the child is considered an Israeli citizen and must be registered at an Israeli embassy within 30 days of the child's birth. Israeli citizenship follows jus sanguinis (citizenship by "blood" (descent)) rather than jus soli (citizenship by soil). Your child would considered an Ezrach Oleh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.....y_law
http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/Consular......aspx
http://www.nbn.org.il/aliyahpe.....oleh/

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 1:43 am

amother wrote:

Must be registered? What if you didn't?? What happens then? (I'm scared).

If a parent is israeli the child is an israeli. Meaning, when you travel, you will need to get that child an israeli passport because they already have citizenship.

Why not contact your embassy to find out my detailed information?

And what are you scared of?

amother

Yellow

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 1:53 am

Thank you for replying.

If I don't ever pass the border with my baby they will never know he is my son. so there is no reason why I should give in that info to them. or is there?

However, if I do decide on traveling with him and their system registers him as my son, will I need an Israeli passport for him for the way back already?

They can be so impossible sometimes. I've had my share of anxieties when entering or leaving the country.

amother

Amethyst

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 1:57 am

amother wrote:

I hear you. I also have fear about that. They drove me crazy last time I went. I had to make a temporary emergency passport for myself. So aggravating.

I keep planning to cancel my citizenship but I never get around to it. Maybe someone can be so kind and post the easiest method/contact info/appointment schedule or whatever.

amother

Mustard

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 1:58 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

And what are you scared of?

That I broke the law by not registering them and if they decide to travel to Israel they or I could be punished.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 2:06 am

amother wrote:

That I broke the law by not registering them and if they decide to travel to Israel they or I could be punished.

I get it. So, instead of going and being caught, why not find out now. I know people that have israeli parents and grew up in the states or cananda. to travel to israel, they needed an israeli passport. Nothing else would work. Find out. Or ask a well versed travel agent what needs to be done.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 2:13 am

amother wrote:

Who do I ask? They say ignorance of the law is no excuse. Can you go to jail for this?

No idea about jail.
So, as I said in my previous post, ask either the israeli embassy or a well versed travel agent that would know the laws. Or maybe even ask nefesh bnefesh. They have a site with a wealth of information.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 2:18 am

amother wrote:

I'll check the website. Thank you I had no idea I had to register them.

I dont know if you actually have to register them (im going to ask my friend who is israeli and what she did with her kids that were born in america) but you will most definitely need an israeli passport.

amother

Mustard

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 2:21 am

Ok. I know about the passport, and I guess you would have to register to get the passport. The question is about the 30 days- if you could ask about that this might settled my poor frazzled nerves.

chouli

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 4:49 am

We have the same issue...
It is true that you have to register them. If you don't do it, they won't do anything. They will register your child automatically. Maybe they will tell you to ake a passport for your kids, but they won't punish you. Most they can do is delay you with filling out forms and the like, so plan in enough time to not miss your plane (almost happened to us once).

As far as the army service, when your child turns 16 you have to state at the israeli embassy that you don't live in Israel, and that thus your child is exempt. He can even spend a year learning/traveling in Israel without having to do the army. If he will want to stay more than a year in israel, he would have to go to the army.

littleprincess

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 6:49 am

Not sure about the passport. My mother is Israeli and I never had an Israeli passport. We used to travel a lot together. After a few years she cancelled her citizenship and ours as well.
My sis in law is Israeli and also has a foreign passport. She used to travel only with her other passport (different surname ) and once they caught her and she had to make a new Israeli passport before leaving Israel.
It's sad how we get scared to enter our own country.

amother

Aqua

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 7:05 am

littleprincess wrote:

It's sadder that there are Jews who would renounce their Israeli citizenship.

Do you know what our ancestors would have given for the privilege of a passport with a menorah on its cover? To be citizens of a sovereign Jewish state?

I have a son who served in the army in hesder. He was injured during his service.

mmyy

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 7:27 am

Both me and my dh are Israelis and live now in the united States, we came several times to Israel with our 3 yrs. dd and we never had a problem with her and she has only u.s passport. One time on the way back they mentioned to us that she needs also an Israeli passport but didn'take in issue to leave. We didn't make yet
So they for sure will not do anything to you but might ask you to make one
But they still count them as Israelis, so rather they have a passport or not so when they enter Israel when they are 18 they will have a the army issue.

amother

Amethyst

Thu, Jan 05 2017, 10:18 am

amother wrote:

I am sorry for your pain. I wish there would be no need for all this horror.