Australian Embassy
Israel

Applying for a visa in Israel

CERTIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS
 

When you are asked to provide certified copies of documentation, this means copies authorised or stamped as being true copies of originals by one of the following:

- An Australian JP or Commissioner for Declarations
- An Israeli Notary Public “NOTARION”;
- An Israeli or Palestinian practicing lawyer; or
- The body who issued/originated the documents.

The Embassy does not have a list of recommended notaries/lawyers. All notaries/lawyers legally registered in the country are suitable.

Please note that our Visa and Immigration Office is unable to provide photocopying and certification services.

STATUTORY DECLARATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION

 

Australian Statutory Declarations (eg form 888) must be witnessed by a Consular Officer at the Australian Embassy or a JP in Australia. They may be obtained from Only Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents should sign Australian Statutory Declarations. Israeli and other witnesses/supporters should make their declarations under local laws (eg under Israeli Law) by providing an Affidavit (i.e TatsHir תצהיר). This form/TatsHir is prepared and witnessed by a local practising lawyer. If you are an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident and wish to sign your Statutory Declaration at our office, please contact our Passports/Consular Section directly on (03) 6935000. Please note that the Passports/Consular Section is different to the Visa, Immigration and Citizenship Section and cannot reply to any visa related inquiries. They will only witness your signature on the Statutory Declaration.

Please note that our Visa and Immigration Office is unable to provide photocopying and certification services.

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENTS

All identity documents (ie. birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, death and discharge from the Army) must have certified English translation by a notary or an accredited NAATI translator in Australia.

To save you money, other documents should not be translated unless you are specifically requested to do so after you lodge the application.

If your documents have been translated/certified by an authorised body or person in a country other than Australia, Israel or the Palestinian Authority, they will be accepted only if the translations/certifications have been verified by the Embassy or Consulate of that country or the Australian Embassy in the particular country.

Please note that our Visa and Immigration Office is unable to provide translating services.

 

THE HEALTH REQUIREMENT

When you lodge your application at our office, we can provide you with the health checks forms and instructions and a referral letter to the Embassy doctor. The system is very efficient and you can normally arrange an appointment with one of the Embassy doctors within less than a week.

The Embassy panel doctor will send the results directly to our office. The panel doctor is not allowed to give you the results unless prior written approval is received from our office. Approval would be given only in exceptional circumstances involving compassionate and/or compelling circumstances.

All migrants to Australia must undergo health checks with Embassy doctors. The health checks forms (form 26 and 160) and list of Embassy doctors and instructions are provided on this website and on www.immi.gov.au. However, we strongly recommend that you do not undergo the health checks before you lodge your application and invited to do so by our office. This is because:

1. The validity of the health checks is normally 6-12 months. If for any reason the processing of your application takes longer than usual, the validity of your visa (i.e. the date by which you must enter Australia after the grant of the visa) will be restricted to the validity of the health checks. This might not suite your travel plans.

2. If your application is refused on other grounds, there is no refund of the fees you paid for the health checks.

3. If we receive your health checks results and we are unable to match them to an active application they are likely to be transferred to Australia and would have to be retrieved if/when we receive your application. This will result in processing delays. 

THE CHARACTER REQUIREMENT:

Like the health requirement, the character requirement is only one of the criteria that must be met before a visa is granted. If you meet the character criteria but fail to meet one of the other criteria your application will be rejected.

If you are 16 years old and above, you must provide a police certificate of no criminal record from the police in Israel (or Palestinian Authority as applicable) and from any other country where you have lived for an aggregate period of 12 months or more during the last 10 years since you turned 16. For an Israeli police certificate, please apply at the police station nearest to you and take with you your ID card.

The Israeli police will not hand you the police certificate but will forward it directly to our office where it will be added to your application. Please do not apply for the Israeli police certificate more than 3-4 weeks before you lodge your application. The average processing time for obtaining an Israeli police certificate is 3-4 weeks only.
The turnaround time for obtaining a police clearance from other countries can vary significantly between countries and therefore, you should consider applying for the police clearance from other countries as soon as you decide that you wish to apply for migration. This may reduce the processing time of your application.

Processing time can vary significantly depending on the category and circumstances of each application. The current global processing time standard is between 13 months (See: www.immi.gov.au/about/charters/client-services-charter/standards). Our office will endeavour to finalise your application as quickly as possible. All non citizens applying for visas to enter Australia are considered on an individual basis and against legal requirements set out in Australia’s migration legislation. Our Department also has a responsibility to ensure that numbers of visas granted are in accordance with the planning levels agreed to by Government. Given this, some cases may not be finalised as quickly as clients or the Department would want.

The processing time might be much longer than the standart processing time period if you lodge an incomplete application or there is need to interview sponsors in Australia, or there are complications in respect of the health and character requirements. You are therefore reminded that you should not finalise your affairs or make final travel arrangements before you receive written advice that your application has been approved. Processing time for the other categories may be much longer.

Please note that the processing of all types of applications may be delayed, postponed or stopped by direction of the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. In this case, applicants will be notified accordingly.

If you have urgent or exceptional circumstances please notify our office as soon as possible. Consideration will be made to give your case higher priority to meet your special needs.

NOTIFICATION OF DECISION

When a decision on your application is made, you will receive a letter from our office.

If your application is rejected, the letter will indicate the reasons for the decision and whether you can seek a review of the decision.

If your application is approved, the letter will provide information about the validity and conditions of your visa. It will also ask you to forward your valid passport to the processing office for evidencing of the visa grant.

Please remember that you should not finalise any of your affairs in your country or make final travel arrangements before you receive written advice that your application has been approved and a visa granted.

VISA VALIDITY

Partner, including marriage and defacto (inicluding same sex) visas must normally be used for initial entry into Australia within 12 months from the date of your health examination or the date your police clearance was issued, whichever is the earlier. However, and on the basis of a medical opinion from our Medical Unit in Australia, the validity of the visa may be restricted to a shorter period.

Prospective marriage visas must normally be used for initial entry into Australia within 9 months from the date of visa grant or the date of your health examination or the date your police clearance was issued, whichever is the earliest. However, and on the basis of a medical opinion from our Medical Unit in Australia, the validity of the visa may be restricted to a shorter period.

We hope that you find this document useful and helpful in understanding the application process.
 

Thank you for your interest in migrating to Australia.