How long does aliyah take?
According to the Jewish Agency, the process from opening a file to the aliyah flight usually takes between 3 and 6 months, depending largely on your ability to supply the requested documents and on whether additional documents or information are needed. In practice, the biggest delays come from missing or inconsistent paperwork.
The documents usually requested
Aliyah is an official request for Israeli nationality under the Law of Return, so legalized original documents are required. The Jewish Agency lists, among others:
- Birth certificate
- Marital status documents (marriage, divorce or death certificates, where relevant)
- Criminal background check from your country
- A valid passport
- Proof of your connection to Judaism: a letter from a rabbi of an affiliated Jewish community, or conversion documents
Additional documents may be requested. If your eligibility runs through a parent or grandparent, you will also need documents that show that relationship and that relative's Jewish status.
Practical ways to avoid delays
- Start with proof of Judaism. For many families this is the hardest document. Ask relatives early for community records, ketubot, burial or synagogue records.
- Check that names and dates match across every document, including spellings and transliterations.
- Ask how documents must be legalized (for example, by apostille) in your country before you order them.
- Keep your passport valid and note that background checks may need to be recent; confirm the current rule with your aliyah representative.
- Be wary of anyone who promises a guaranteed or paid fast track. Eligibility is decided only by the official process.
The official steps
- Complete the Jewish Agency's online aliyah questionnaire, or the Nefesh B'Nefesh application if you live in the US or Canada.
- An aliyah account manager contacts you (the Jewish Agency says within two business days) and opens your online aliyah file.
- Upload your documents through the online portal.
- Attend an interview and present original documents.
- The eligibility department reviews your file and sends an approval letter.
- Finalize your visa and flight, then arrive in Israel.
You can also make aliyah from within Israel through the Population and Immigration Authority; the Jewish Agency says the same documents are required either way.
Why we are petitioning for a registry
Gathering documents takes time, and in a crisis there may not be time. Our petition asks the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B'Nefesh to establish a national registry where eligibility can be pre-verified in advance. Read about emergency aliyah.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Eligibility and procedures are decided only by the official process; always confirm current requirements with the Jewish Agency or Nefesh B'Nefesh.
Related guides
- Emergency aliyah: how it works todayWhat emergency aliyah means, how the Jewish Agency expedited aliyah during the 2022 Ukraine crisis, what to do if you are in danger, and what a registry would change.
- Law of Return eligibility: who can make aliyah?Who is eligible to make aliyah under Israel's Law of Return, 1950: Jews, children and grandchildren of Jews, and spouses, plus the exceptions in the law.
- Aliyah from France, the UK, the US and CanadaWho handles your aliyah file depends on where you live: Nefesh B'Nefesh for the US and Canada, the Jewish Agency for the UK, France and most other countries.
- Is there a Nefesh B'Nefesh or Jewish Agency emergency registry?What exists today (aliyah applications, the Jewish Agency questionnaire) and what our petition asks for: a national registry to pre-verify Law of Return eligibility.