The Israeli certificate is free and online if you hold a Teudat Zehut; everyone else goes through an embassy or police station — and incoming migrants need apostilled clearances from home.
Overview
Israel's police clearance is the certificate confirming the presence or absence of criminal-record information, issued by the Israel Police and known colloquially as a teudat yosher ('certificate of integrity'). Under the criminal-register legislation, any person — resident or not — may request the information held about them. Holders of an Israeli identity number apply through the gov.il online service free of charge; applicants without an Israeli ID, or who are abroad, apply through Israeli embassies and consulates or at a police station in Israel, including via a power of attorney. Certificates destined for foreign authorities are public documents apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the opposite direction, immigration to Israel relies on foreign clearances: aliyah files include a recent criminal background check from the applicant's country of residence (apostilled, e.g. an FBI Identity History Summary for Americans), and workers recruited under bilateral agreements present certificates of good conduct as a recruitment condition. Verified against gov.il (Israel Police, PIBA) as of June 2026.
Getting the Israeli Certificate — By Applicant Type
| Who you are | How to apply | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Israeli citizen/resident with an identity number | Israel Police online service on gov.il | Free of charge; the standard route for anyone with a Teudat Zehut |
| Israeli abroad | Israeli embassy or consulate | Consular handling; the certificate can be directed to the requesting foreign authority |
| Foreign national without an Israeli ID, in Israel | Any police station | Bring your passport; free issuance in routine cases |
| Foreign national abroad (e.g. former worker or student) | Israeli mission abroad, or a representative in Israel with power of attorney | The POA route is the practical option where no mission service is available |
| Anyone needing the certificate for a foreign authority | Apostille on the certificate via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Police certificates are public documents — MFA, not the courts, applies the apostille |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an Israeli police clearance certificate (teudat yosher)?
If you hold an Israeli identity number, apply through the Israel Police's online service on gov.il — attach the required ID documents and the certificate issues free of charge. If you are an Israeli abroad, apply through the nearest Israeli embassy or consulate. Foreign nationals without an Israeli ID cannot use the online form: apply in person at any police station in Israel, through an Israeli mission abroad, or via a representative in Israel holding a power of attorney. If the certificate is for a foreign authority, plan for the extra steps — apostille via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, where required, a notarised translation.
I worked in Israel years ago and now need an Israeli clearance for another country's visa. What's the route?
You have three options: apply at an Israeli embassy or consulate where you live; have someone in Israel apply for you at a police station with a power of attorney; or apply in person at a police station if you visit. The certificate is issued by the Israel Police and is free in routine cases. Two practical warnings: some foreign authorities require the result to be sent through a specific channel rather than handed to you, so check their instructions first; and the certificate issues in Hebrew, so budget time for a notarised translation plus apostille — the MFA apostilles the police certificate itself, while a Magistrates' Court registrar apostilles the notarised translation.
What police clearance do I need for aliyah?
A recent criminal background check from your country of residence, apostilled if the country is a Hague Apostille Convention member or consular-legalised if not. For US applicants this means the FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille; UK applicants use the ACRO police certificate, and so on. If you have lived in several countries, the Jewish Agency shaliach or PIBA bureau handling your file will specify which countries' checks are needed — ask before ordering. Time it carefully: Israeli authorities expect recent certificates, and the apostille-plus-translation chain can add several weeks to slow issuers like the FBI route.
Will a criminal record automatically stop my aliyah?
No — the statutory test is narrower. Section 2(b) of the Law of Return allows the Minister of Interior to refuse an oleh's visa to a person 'with a criminal past, likely to endanger public welfare'. That requires both a record and a forward-looking danger assessment, weighed case by case: the nature and gravity of the offences, how long ago they occurred, and rehabilitation all matter. Minor or old convictions are routinely not disqualifying. If you are refused on this ground, the decision is challengeable before the Appeals Tribunal within 30 days. The wrong move is concealment — an undisclosed record discovered later is treated as misrepresentation.
How recent must the foreign police certificate be, and how long is the Israeli one valid?
Israel does not print an expiry date on its own certificate, and foreign certificates have no statutory validity in Israeli law either — recency expectations are set by the authority receiving the document. Israeli bureaus handling aliyah and status files expect checks issued close to submission (a few months at most), and foreign authorities receiving an Israeli teudat yosher typically apply their own 3–6-month windows. The practical rule is to sequence the application so the certificate lands shortly before you file, leaving room for the apostille and any notarised translation, rather than ordering documents months in advance and watching them age out.
Who apostilles an Israeli police certificate?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A police clearance is a state-issued public document, so it goes to the MFA's document-verification service in Jerusalem — not to the courts, which apostille notarial documents. If the destination country also requires a translation, the sequence is: obtain the certificate, have a notary certify the translation, then apostille the notarised translation at a Magistrates' Court registrar (court apostilles cost NIS 40 since 1 January 2025) alongside the MFA apostille on the underlying certificate. For non-Hague destinations, consular legalisation through the destination state's mission replaces the apostille.