Registering a birth in Israel

The hospital will issue several documents that you can take to misrad hapnim.  There are several offices throughout the country.  Office hours vary and you can only go to the misrad hapnim of your residency.

At misrad hapnim, bring everything the hospital gave you (teudat leida chai, teudat shichror) as well as your teudat zehut and your husband's teudat zehut (if you are married).  Your child need only be present if you want her/his passport issued as well.  You can always get a passport later, but there is no legal way to take a child out of the country without one.

Misrad hapnim will issue the teudat leida and update the dependent information on your teudat zehut.  Birth certificates are in Hebrew but you can get one in English as well.  If your child has a Hebrew and English name, check the English spelling carefully as common European names are often spelt differently in Israel.  It will take a few weeks before the birth certificate is issued.  Passports take about a week.

If the hospital did not automatically inform bituach le'umi then you can take the hospital information (teudat leida chai, teudat shichror) to your local office (hours vary) or wait until you have the birth certificate.  All registered children are insured until they reach 18.  Sooner is better as bituach le'umi issues your ma'anak leida, kitzvat yeladim and deals with maternity leave (6 to 14 weeks of paid leave).  They used to issue cheques but now everything is deposited directly into the mother's bank account.

If you are in the country on a temporary visa then misrad hapnim will add your child to your visa.  Kitzvat yeladim will expire when your visa expires but it can be renewed if you renew your visa and they will pay any benefits you may have missed in between visas.

The US, Canada and many European countries require an Israeli birth certificate before you can register your child as a citizen of your country.  Other countries might have other rules but it is illegal to register a child born in Israel as a foreign citizen without any official Israeli documentation.

Bring your child's teudat leida and your passport to your country's embassy or consulate and they will issue a passport according to their rules.  The British embassy will issue a British style birth certificate.  Most embassies require an appointment and the American embassy will not even give you the time of day without one.