Marriage Registration

Step 1: Fill Out the registration form

Do you have a wedding date and venue? Great! The next step is to fill out the registration form through the Chief Rabbinate, with the help of Tzohar.

The form is long and detailed, but completing it properly ensures that your marriage registration and wedding will go smoothly. After you submit the form, your Tzohar case manager will contact you. She will support you through every step of the process, starting with helping you open your file with the Rabbinate.

Note: It is important to clarify that Tzohar operates as an extension of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel on matters pertaining to marriage, and therefore opening a file with Tzohar is equivalent to opening it at the Chief Rabbinate.

Step 2: Meet a Tzohar Representative

Once you are assigned a personal case manager, she will send you a link to set up a meeting with a Tzohar representative. The meeting will take place at one of our branches in either Haifa, Ariel, Hod HaSharon, Tel Aviv, Lod, Even Shmuel, Be’er Sheva, or Jerusalem.

Make sure that you bring all the required documents (see below) to the meeting. The witnesses who will testify that you are single will join the meeting via Zoom (instructions provided below).

Step 3: Pick Up Your Wedding Documents

About two weeks before the wedding, we will invite you to come to one of our branches (Haifa, Ariel, Hod HaSharon, Tel Aviv, Lod, Even Shmuel, Be’er Sheva, or Jerusalem) to collect the documents needed for the wedding ceremony: the ketubah, a copy of the ketubah, and the wedding chuppah certificate.

Step 4: Receive Your Marriage Certificate

After the wedding, you will send us the completed wedding documents (copy of signed ketubah, wedding chuppah certificate, and certificate from the mikvah), and we will issue your official Marriage Certificate. You will need to bring your Marriage Certificate to the Ministry of Interior to change your official status to married. You can pick up your Marriage Certificate from one of Tzohar’s offices.

1. Personal ID
Both partners must bring their personal ID cards (Teudat Zehut) to the meeting, including the “sefach” (the extra printed form) that shows your marital status. If you are a foreign citizen, bring a valid passport.

2. Parents’ Marriage Certificate
We will need the original (or a certified copy) of your parents’ marriage certificates. You can request these from the Chief Rabbinate office where your parents registered their marriages. In some cases, you may also be asked to bring your parents’ ketubahs. Note: If your parents are divorced, their divorce certificate alone is not sufficient and you may be asked to bring their ketubah.
Note: If your parents were married abroad, you may need to provide additional documentation. Please refer to the Additional Documents section below for further instructions.

3. Certificate of Your Status as “Singles”
When you open your Marriage File, you will need to obtain certificates that confirm that you are both single. For this purpose, you will each be required to bring two witnesses who will testify that you are unmarried.

Who can serve as witnesses to testify that you are single?
Any two Jewish individuals – male or female – can serve as your witnesses, as long as they:
Are not your first-degree relatives
Are not related to each other (i.e., not a married couple)
Have known you as a single, Jewish individual for at least two years

If a witness has known both of you for more than two years, s/he may testify for you both. All witnesses must present a valid ID (Teudat Zehut or driver’s license).
Your witnesses may only testify after the Marriage File has been opened with Tzohar – ideally during the initial meeting. They can testify via Zoom or in person.

1. If the bride or groom is divorced, you will neeed to present a Certificate of Divorce.
If the bride or groom were previously married, in addition to the documents listed previously, you must bring the following:

• Your original Certificate of Divorce, including the Get (religious divorce) issued by the Rabbinical Court
• Marriage Certificate from your previous marriage
• An updated ID showing your current marital status
• If the bride is divorced, the groom must also present confirmation that he is not a kohen.

2. If the groom or bride is a widow/widower, you will need to present the Death Certificate of the first spouse. This includes:

• An original government-issued death certificate
• An updated ID showing your current marital status following the spouse’s death

3. If the groom or bride is a convert, you will need to present his/her Conversion Certificate
If you have converted, you must bring your official conversion certificate along with the official documentation from the Rabbinical Court. If the bride converted, the groom must also bring confirmation that he is not a kohen.

Does one of you need to go through the conversion process?
Tzohar does not handle conversions, but you may contact:

• Ami – Conversion Ulpan
• Nativ – Global Center for Jewish Identity and Conversion

4. If the groom or bride was born abroad
If one or both of you were born outside of Israel, additional documentation will be required.

• If you are a tourist: You must provide confirmation of your Judaism and certification of your single status from a recognised Orthodox rabbi in your country of residence. If the validity of these documents cannot be confirmed, you will be required to obtain certification from the local Rabbinical Court abroad.
• If you are an immigrant from the Former Soviet Union (FSU): If you immigrated to Israel after 1990 and do not have first-degree relatives who were married in Israel, the Chief Rabbinate will require you to confirm your Jewish status at a local Rabbinical Court. Note: Tzohar’s Shorashim Department can assist you in preparing the necessary documents for this process. Contact Shorashim at 02-6242206.
• If you are an immigrant from Ethiopia: You will be asked to present confirmation of your Jewish identity from an authorised rabbi from your community. Contact us for the list of authorised rabbis and additional help that we will be happy to provide.

5. If the parents of the groom or bride were married abroad:
If either of your parents was married abroad by an Orthodox rabbi, you must bring their marriage certificate, ketubah, or any other document they received at the time of marriage. These documents may require validation at the local Rabbinical Court to certify the parents’ marriage.

6. If the bride is pregnant:
A paternity declaration for the unborn child must be arranged. If the groom is the father, the declaration can be prepared in our office. If not, you must apply to the local Rabbinical Court to request that the child’s father provide a formal declaration of paternity. The signed declaration must be submitted when opening the marriage file. (Note: Legal paternity declarations can only be made in a Rabbinical Court or a Family Court.)

Additional documents that are not required when opening a Marriage File, but that must be submitted later:

1. Confirmation that the bride received pre-wedding bridal classes and has immersed herself in a mikveh
   Every bride (or the couple together, at your discretion) must attend a one-time meeting with a bridal counsellor before the wedding. Tzohar provides such instruction through its Achoti Kalla (My Sister the Bride) program, which you can sign up for via this form. At the end of the meeting, she will provide you with a document confirming that you attended such a meeting. Submit this document to your Marriage Guide by email, fax, or in person. If the instructor is not affiliated with Tzohar, please also attach her official certification.
   Note: Brides with a religious background are invited to register for bridal instruction through Tzohar’s Tovim Hashnayim program at 052-566-5657.
   • After you immerse in the mikveh, its administrators will provide you with an official document to give to your personal case manager.
2. Kashrut Certificates
   You must provide certificates of kashrut for both your wedding venue and the catering service that you will be using. Note: According to the Chief Rabbinate’s regulations, weddings cannot be conducted in Israel at venues that are not certified kosher.
3. Approval of the officiating rabbi
   You must submit written confirmation from the officiating rabbi that he agrees to perform your chuppah. If you choose a rabbi who is not associated with Tzohar, you must also attach documentation proving he is authorised by the Chief Rabbinate to officiate at weddings in Israel.

You will be charged the following fees:

• A flat fee of NIS200 for using one or more of Tzohar’s wedding-related services.
• NIS 824 (NIS 494 discounted rate for eligible individuals – see below) is the official registration fee required by law in order to open a Marriage File with Tzohar Rabbinic Organisation.

Once you receive confirmation from your personal case manager that you are eligible to open a marriage file through Tzohar, you will receive a link to pay the Tzohar service fee of NIS 200.

Are you eligible for a discount?
Active-duty soldiers, national service participants, individuals in financial need, yeshiva students or students under the age of 30, new immigrants who have been in Israel for less than two years, and individuals with disabilities or blindness are eligible for a discount. If you are included in any of the above categories, please attach a document verifying your eligibility to the application form.

Cancellation fees:

• NIS 205 to the Chief Rabbinate
• NIS 50 to Tzohar