How to Renew Your South African Passport in Israel

If you are from South Africa and have made Aliyah and now living in Israel, you are going to have to renew your South African passport at some time during your stay. You do not need to return to South Africa to renew the passport, and can easily do so in Israel itself. The South African Embassy can be found on the 17th floor of the Sason Hogi Tower located at 12 Abba Hillel Silver Street, Ramat Gan. 

They can easily be contacted by calling them at (03) 525-2566. Renewing your passport is easy. Follow the important steps below and be well prepared. Please note, as with all other posts on this blog, the final responsibility of checking out all matters rests upon the reader. It is always imperative to check with the authorities themselves what their current criteria are and steps that need to be followed. We provide an outline that is aimed at assisting you to make renewing your passport an easy experience and hope you will gain from it.

Here's some important info:

1. Get ready to renew your passport about 6 months before it expires!
2. Make sure to get 4 colour passport photos taken of yourself. You may not smile (sorry!)
3. Call the embassy to check they are open and their times. (Usually Monday-Thursday 9:00-11:00am)
4. If travelling from Jerusalem, the 480 bus will take you to the Arlozorof train station in Tel Aviv 
5. The bus leaves every 10 minutes - so if you miss one - there will be another in just a few minutes!
6. The journey takes almost an hour (so make sure you get your timing right and don't be late!)
7. When you arrive at the Tel Aviv station, you can get a taxi to drive you to the main building (see image below) - roughly a 5 minute ride away or you can even walk. If you choose to walk - give yourself at least 20 minutes for the walk. The building is literally around the corner (according to all who you will ask) but in order to actually get there, you must walk all the way around and over the bridge above the railway. Give yourself 30 minutes for the walk - and you will be able to enjoy the scenery and get some exercise too!
8. You may need between 20-30 minutes to fill out the forms - so factor this into your time schedule
9. You'll need ₪200 (cash only) for the passport and add another ₪20 if you prefer they send the passport in the post
10. They'll be taking your fingerprints too
11. Your passport will be mailed to you (if you've selected this option) and can take as long as 6 months to prepare
12. If you are married - bring along your original marriage certificate
13. If you were naturalised in SA, you'll need your naturalisation certificate as well.

It's actually quite easy to do - and notwithstanding the length of time in travel and walking etc. the actual process is certainly doable and there is no delay of long lines of dozens of people waiting before you. The staff at the South African Embassy are friendly, polite and pleasant to work with. They are patient and helpful, so if you have a question, ask them. 

Are you new in Israel from South Africa (or elsewhere) and wondering how to get around, what you need to do and how to do it with information that will help you get the job done in as little time as possible with the least bit of aggravation? If you're looking for a team of dedicated people to assist you settle - to help you feel welcome in Israel, contact us today to discuss your needs, your concerns, your worries and your interests. We'll help you navigate your way, sharing the realities of living in Israel - and how you can make a success of your Aliyah.

Pictured above: The huge building  in the center is Bank Mizrachi Tefichot in Ramat Gan

It stands directly opposite the Sason Hogi Tower (left of image)

This picture was taken standing at the Tel Aviv bus station.

As can be seen it is not very far - but it is indeed a little walk to get there!

Renew Your Israeli Passport - Online!

No matter where you are in the world - you'll need a passport to get around! Do you check your expiration dates of yours regularly? For those not travelling often, you might not even realise that the expiry date is approaching soon. It's always a good idea to check your important documentation regularly!

In Israel, the department that handles your passport is known as the Misrad HaPnim - משרד הפנים - or the Ministry of the Interior. It's a really busy place, and anyone who's been there knows well the aggravation encountered in having to often wait the entire morning - afternoon or even the entire day, just to see to one or two important issues of living in Israel. Some things that can be done there include arranging your Teudat Zehut - תעודת זהות - your identification document, updating details such as your address (a must when you change your address even when renting and moving regularly,) and of course arranging your passport - דרכון - and applying for a new one when the time comes.

As of today there is great news for those who need to apply for a new passport but would prefer not having to wait in line the entire day. You can now arrange for your passport ONLINE directly, fill out a basic form, make your payment immediately, and then download a form which still needs to be filled in manually and dropped off (without waiting in line) at the main office. You'll need to wait just 10 days until you receive your new passport. It makes life just that much easier!

• For all the info you'll need about what can be done at the Misrad HaPnim, see the Misrad HaPnim website. 
• For more info about the services of passport and identity documentation see this informative page here. 
• For info about passports in general, including info about what must be done in the event of losing one's passport, see the main passport page
• For info about the new biometric passport as well as regular passport renewal see the biometric passport page (with tabs to the other passports next to it.) There is currently a special offer to update one's passport for FREE if one selects the biometric passport and one's current passport is still valid for at least two years. You'll also notice that renewing one's passport during certain months brings with it a cost of ₪195, while in other months, it costs ₪280!

For a direct link to a form that will allow you to renew your passport online from A-Z, with you having to then download a form to be filled out manually and then dropping it off at the main Misrad HaPnim, see Online Passport Form. 

The Misrad HaPnim site and all forms are currently only available in Hebrew.

Note: You are now able to have your photograph taken directly on the premises without having to bring photos with you as was the case before.

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Israeli Passport Renewal from Abroad

To Deserve an Israeli Passport:
One Must Maintain Continuous Contact with the State of Israel

If you are an Israeli citizen living abroad, you may find it pays to visit Israel once in a while.

This was the case of Mr. Shultz (the petitioner) against the Ministry of Interior of Israel (the respondent) in the Appeals Court in Jerusalem before the Honorable Judge Mr. Moshe Sobol.

The petitioner was born in Israel in 1954 but in the beginning of 1990 he left Israel using a foreign passport, never returning to Israel again.

The law stipulates that a person living outside Israel must register and present himself once a year in the Israeli Embassy at his place of dwelling abroad in order to be entitled to receive service from the Embassy/consulate. The alternative for this can be maintaining continuous contact with the State of Israel.

In 1999, the petitioner received a new Israeli passport in the Israeli Embassy in New York and 10 years passed until the validity of this passport ended in February 2009. When he attempted to renew his passport the Embassy refused to issue him a new passport. Thereafter he hired a lawyer in Israel who he had met in June 2009 with the help of a civil servant responsible for passports in the Ministry of Interior.

As a result of this meeting, the petitioner received a one-year extension of his passport in July 2009 issued at the Israeli Embassy in Switzerland in order to allow the petitioner to come to Israel and request a new passport here. The petitioner did not come to Israel but again asked for a new passport. He was denied but was offered a temporary travel pass valid for 6 months which he refused.

The petitioner claimed not to be able to come to Israel due to monetary limitations and family business. He also claimed his rights to travel freely were being limited against the basic laws of Israel and more: He claimed to be a donor to the state of Israel, his wife was constantly coming to Israel, one of his children served in the IDF and that he was never told on any occasion he should register himself at an Israeli Embassy abroad.

On October 18th the Honorable Judge decided in favor of the respondent and imposed a fine of 5,000 shekels on the petitioner.

The Judge, after hearing all the sides and examining the affidavits presented to him, decided that the petitioner did not comply with the law because of the detailed reasons as follows.

There was no proof whatsoever that the petitioner was a donor to Israel and he did not present any evidence of this. Concerning the fact that his son served in the IDF, the Judge stressed the fact of his son being 24 years old and had served in the army in the past and not presently. Not only this, but the petitioner left Israel when his son was only four years old, leaving him behind and had never come to visit him. About his claim concerning his wife coming constantly to Israel, the Judge pointed to the fact that the last time she visited Israel was 12 years ago.

The Judge did not accept any of the petitioner’s arguments concerning his monetary limitations and family business and in fact it was proven beyond any doubt that these arguments had no basis in reality.

Conclusion: If you are living abroad for many years and want to be entitled to receive all the services the State of Israel offers you in its Embassies and consulates around the world, you need to register and visit the Embassy once a year to re-register. The alternatives are as the law stipulates: “A constant and continuous contact with Israel.”

Pay a visit, keep property in Israel or even better - Come back and join us here.

  Sincerely,

  Tzvi Szajnbrum, Attorney at Law