I am getting married. What do I need to do?
Congratulations! Marriage certificates in Israel are issued by religious authorities.
If you are getting married in a church or mosque, you should receive a marriage certificate from that house of worship. Although this is not an official government document, it can be useful in the future for things like registering the birth of your baby. Make sure to keep it in a safe place.
If you wish to get a civil marriage, you may seek advice with “New Family” (Mishpaha Hadasha) organization.
How do I get a birth certificate for my baby?
- A Notification of Live Birth is issued from the hospital. It is normally only the mother’s name that will show on the birth certificate. For the father’s name to be on the birth certificate, the father must be present in the hospital at the time of the child’s birth. He cannot be added later. Please see “Birth Documentation for the Baby” in our health section.
- You should then go to your local Ministry of Interior office with the Notification of Live Birth with you. There they will provide you with a birth certificate for the baby. If the father was present in the hospital and is listed on the notification of live birth, his name will also appear on the birth certificate.
Driver's license
Holders of A5 visas can obtain Israeli driver’s licenses, but not asylum-seekers with 2(A)(5) visas. Please visit the Ministry of Transportation website for more information about taking the theory and practical tests.
How to legally ride an electric bicycle or scooter?
As of August 2024, every electric vehicle (bicycle/scooter) must carry a license plate, just like cars. Therefore, now legally riding an electric bicycle or scooter has two components: the issuance of an A3 driving permit (for those who do not have a driver’s license) and the issuance of a number and license plate for the electric vehicle.
Ministry of Transportation information on electric bicycle and scooter registration and forms can be found here (Available also in Hebrew, Russian, French, and Spanish)
Here are key things you will need to do to ride an electric bicycle or scooter lawfully:
1. You must take a theory test and be issued an electric bicycle driving permit (called an A3 permit or A3 license). An explanation how to do this appears here in this link. To prepare for the test, you can use the (unofficial) translation into Tigrinya and English of the questions that might be asked in the test.
2. A license number and a license plate must then be issued for your bicycle. The three steps to do this are:
● Step one: Registering yourself as a user of the “Mobility” online system. Go to the link here: https://mobility.mot.gov.il/foreign. Fill in the identification number you received from “Misrad Harishuy” (a number that starts with the digits 89) and the rest of the details as you provided them at Misrad Harishuy. In the “visa number” field, fill in your visa number as you gave it to Misrad Harishuy (including the slash / in the middle of the number). Then click on
“Register User”.
● Step two: Registering your vehicle online. Register your vehicle according to all the required details in the online form. The details should appear on a sticker (usually white) on your vehicle. If you have more than one electric vehicle – you
need to register each vehicle separately.
● Step three: Stamping and installing a license plate. Go to one of the stamping stations (the list is here in the link) to stamp on a license plate the license number you received online. There they will also install the license plate on your vehicle.
3. In the future, every time you start using a new electric vehicle, you must register it using the “Mobility” online system, get a new license number for it, stamp the license number on a plate and install the plate on your vehicle
For more assistance please reach out to ASSAF or other organizations assisting refugees.
How to use public transportation?
In order to ride public transportation (buses and trains) one must purchase a Rav-Kav, a smart card used as the main form of payment for public transportation in Israel. It is only possible to pay for the bus by using a Rav-Kav or through various applications or loading at the train-station.
NOTE: Children aged 5-18 will also have access to the 50% discount. In order to receive the discount, the children will need to present a document from their school containing the ID number allocated when they register for kindergartens and schools. Children under 5 years-old ride for free.
Rav-Kav website offers updates, information, and rates in various languages.
