Does Israel recognise a foreign divorce decree so a non-resident can remarry in Israel?

A civil divorce finalised in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, or anywhere else does not automatically permit you to remarry in Israel. Israel applies personal law based on religion — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or Druze — and marriage and divorce fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of religious courts under the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction (Marriage and Divorce) Law 1953. The practical result is that what is a legally completed divorce abroad may still constitute an intact marriage under Israeli law, creating a genuine risk of unintentional bigamy if a non-resident proceeds to remarry without first obtaining Israeli recognition.

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Detailed Answer

For Jewish non-residents, the rabbinical court's position is unambiguous: a foreign civil divorce is not a get (גט), and without a get, the marriage remains intact under Jewish law. The sole route to legal remarriage in Israel for a Jewish divorcee is to obtain a get in rabbinical court proceedings — either in Israel or, in limited circumstances, before a recognised rabbinical authority abroad. If the former spouse refuses to grant a get, Israeli law provides enforcement tools under the Rabbinical Courts Law (Enforcement of Divorce Judgments) 1995, including financial sanctions and departure prohibitions, but these mechanisms require the recalcitrant spouse to be reachable through Israeli judicial process. Non-residents whose ex-spouse remains abroad and refuses to cooperate face a lengthy, often costly process to compel the get.

For non-Jewish non-residents — Christians, for example — the Israeli Family Court has jurisdiction to recognise a foreign civil divorce under Private International Law principles. Recognition requires that the foreign divorce was granted by the court of the parties' domicile, both parties were properly served with proceedings, and the proceedings met basic procedural standards. You file a recognition application (בקשה להכרה בגירושין זרים) with the Family Court in the relevant district, attach an apostilled and certified Hebrew translation of the foreign divorce decree, and await a judicial hearing. Processing takes 3–9 months in uncontested cases. Once recognised, the Population and Immigration Authority updates your marital status in the Population Registry, enabling legal remarriage. Obtaining a certified translation of your updated Israeli marital status documents for use abroad is covered in the certified translation guide for Israeli legal documents.

In Practice: Under Section 1 of the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction (Marriage and Divorce) Law 1953, Jewish marriage and divorce in Israel fall exclusively under rabbinical court authority. A foreign civil divorce has no automatic effect on Jewish marital status — remarrying without a get creates a mamzerut (illegitimacy) risk for children of the second union under Succession Law 1965 inheritance rules. Uncontested get proceedings take a minimum of 3 months with a cooperative spouse; contested enforcement proceedings typically run 2–5 years and cost NIS 30,000–120,000 in combined legal, rabbinical, and enforcement fees.

When to Consult a Lawyer

• Your ex-spouse is a foreign national with no connection to Israel and cannot be compelled to appear before or engage with a rabbinical court, leaving enforcement of a get practically unavailable without specialised international proceedings.
• The foreign divorce was obtained by default — your ex-spouse did not appear in the foreign proceedings — and there is genuine uncertainty about whether an Israeli Family Court will find the decree valid under Israeli Private International Law.
• You plan to remarry in Israel within 12 months and have not yet started the recognition process — the timelines are fixed and early action is the only way to meet your schedule.

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Speak With an Israeli Attorney

An Israeli family law attorney can advise on the correct recognition path based on your religion and nationality, prepare the court application, and manage rabbinical or Family Court proceedings from your country of residence.

Contact us for a confidential initial consultation.