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This post includes detailed instructions on how to obtain and authenticate the official documentation and certifications from abroad, that are needed to apply for a partner or spouse visa in Israel. The basic personal documents you will be looking for are a birth certificate, certificate of non-criminal record, current and/or previous personal status certificate (marital status), and name change certificate. Complete documentation about the foreign partner from their home country is a prerequisite of the gradual process, and without it, one cannot start the partner visa process and get a status in Israel based on their relationship.
Birth Certificate from Portugal
Name in Portugal: Certidão de Nascimento
How to obtain?
Request from the Conservatory of the Civil Registration (Conservatoria do Registo Civil), Loja do Cidadão (places for official and state documents) or any consulate abroad. Will be provided only in Portuguese.
Cost: 10€ online, 20€ on paper (paper advisable)
Link: https://justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Pedir-certidao-de-nascimento
Name change certificate from Portugal
* Please note – Name change certificate is not necessary if you did not change your first / last name.
No Information
Personal status certificate from Portugal
This document does not exist in Portugal, so it cannot be requested from official authorities. Especially for single people. Divorced people would usually have their status written on the Birth Certificate, but I’m not sure if Misrad Hapnim (PIBA) acknowledges it.
How to obtain?
Instead, you can go to a Notary and ask for a Life and Identity certificate (Certificado de Vida e Identidade). Make sure that the word single (solteiro/a) appears on the certificate.
Cost: depends on the Notary
Police Certificate from Portugal
Name in Portugal: Certificado do Registo Criminal
How to obtain?
Any Citizen Office (Loja do Cidadão) or Court. They will ask you which kind (they have a lot according to what for), I would ask for one which is very wide-scope. For example on the Request Purpose (fim a que se destina o certificado) ask for Professional Occupation/Activity Abroad (exercicio de profissão/atividade no estrangeiro) and if you will have contact with children ask for activity involving regular contacts with children (envolve contacto com menores)
Cost: 5€
Verifying the documents with apostille
All official documentation from abroad that needs to be presented in Israel must be verified by the country of its origin in order to be valid outside of it, in Israel. Many countries use “apostille” for this purpose. An apostille is usually a document, issued by an authorized authority that authenticates the documents in question. This is used to demonstrate that they are valid documents that can be recognized in other countries.
Obtaining apostille in Portugal
How to obtain?
According from where you obtain the documents you need to go to a specific place of the Regional Prosecutor´s Office (Procuradoria-Geral Regional). There is 5 in mainland Portugal and one in each island group (Azores and Madeira)
Cost: 10,20€ per document (not sure if for all documents same price)
Link: https://www.ministeriopublico.pt/perguntas-frequentes/servico-apostilas (also in English)
