Registering as Common-Law Partners (Yaduim be-tzibur) with the National Insurance Institute

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   In brief

   • Couples who live together without being married and want to be registered with the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) as common-law partners (Yaduim be-tzibur) need to fill in a special questionnaire and attach documents as detailed below.
   • Those who are registered with Bituach Leumi as common-law partners have the same rights and obligations under national insurance as married couples.
2. 2

   Who is this relevant for?

   • Couples who are not married to each other and maintain a shared household.

   This includes:

   • A man and a woman living together in the same apartment who are not married.
   • Same-sex couples who did not marry abroad, are not registered as married in the Population Registry, and live together.
   • Someone who is married to one person but in practice lives as a couple with another person (man or woman).

   Please note! Couples who have married will not be able to register retroactively as common-law partners for the period before their marriage.

3. 3

   Who to contact and how

   To register with Bituach Leumi as common-law partners, both of you need to fill in a questionnaire for common-law partners (שאלון לידועים בציבור).

   In the questionnaire, fill in all the details — the shared address, the length of the relationship, whether the couple plans to marry, and more.

   Attach documents to prove the details, such as:

   • Documentation of the couple's public appearances together
   • Confirmations of joint accounts
   • Receipts for purchasing shared property
   • A financial agreement (heskam mamon)

   The questionnaire also includes declarations by two witnesses who know the couple and will provide the information they have about the relationship.

   Send the questionnaire to the Insurance and Collection Department at the nearest Bituach Leumi branch. You can also submit it online (under the category "Collection Department from Insured Persons").

4. 4

   Cancelling common-law partner status

   If common-law partners separate, or marry each other, they must update Bituach Leumi.

   Both partners need to declare the change in their status in writing at the Collection Department of the branch handling their file.

5. 5

   How this status affects your rights and obligations with Bituach Leumi

   Couples recognised by Bituach Leumi as common-law partners have the same rights and obligations under national insurance as married couples.

   Maternity leave and maternity allowance for both partners

   • For a partner of a woman who has given birth (without being married) to be able to replace her on maternity leave after 6 weeks and receive maternity allowance (dmei leidah) in her place, they need to prove they are a couple. Those already registered as common-law partners with Bituach Leumi will not need to prove this, and the process will be faster.
   • A male same-sex couple registered with Bituach Leumi as common-law partners who bring a child into the world through surrogacy abroad may choose which of them will be entitled to maternity leave and maternity allowance, and may share the leave between them. Without being registered as married or as common-law partners, only the biological father would be entitled.

   Exemption from national insurance contributions for the non-working partner

   • A married woman who does not work and whose husband is insured by Bituach Leumi is exempt from paying national insurance contributions (dmei bituach leumi) and health insurance contributions (dmei bituach briut), and is covered by national insurance and health insurance as a homemaker.
   • This same entitlement applies to a woman who does not work and whose partner is insured, if she is registered with Bituach Leumi as a common-law partner.
   • This entitlement also applies to a non-working man in a relationship with an insured man, if they are registered as common-law partners.

   Effect on allowances

   • Recipients of an old-age pension kitzbat ziknah are entitled to an addition of hundreds of shekels to their pension if their partner's income is below a certain amount. Those who are not married need to be registered as common-law partners with Bituach Leumi in order to receive this addition.
   • Those whose entitlement to income support (havtachat hachnasa) was determined on the basis of their status as unmarried will stop receiving the allowance on those terms if they are registered with Bituach Leumi as common-law partners.
   • Women and men whose partners have passed away are entitled to a survivors' allowance (kitzba she'arim) like widows and widowers, if the couple was recognised by Bituach Leumi as common-law partners.
   • Recipients of a survivors' allowance who are in a new relationship will not be able to continue receiving the allowance if they and their new partner marry or are registered with Bituach Leumi as common-law partners — except in special cases.