Marriage in Israel

Marriage In Israel

Marriages in Israel can be performed under the auspices of the religious community to which couples belong, or for people who have proven to lack any religion, civil marriage can be performed also. Matrimonial law is based on the Millet or confessional community system employed in the Ottoman Empire, which was not modified during the British Mandate and remains in force in the State of Israel.

There are nine officially recognised Christian communities, and Jewish, Muslim and Druze communities. Marriages in each community are under the jurisdiction of their own religious authorities. The religious authority for Jewish marriages performed in Israel is the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Rabbinical courts. The Israeli Interior Ministry registers marriages on presentation of proper documentation. Registration does not in itself validate a marriage, and lack of registration does not invalidate one. However, civil, interfaith and same-sex marriages entered into abroad are recognised by the state.

However, it is illegal under Penal Law Amendment (Bigamy) Law, 5719 (1959), to marry in Israel while already married. This applies to members of each confessional community, including the Jewish and Muslim. However, polygyny is still practiced in the Bedouin community, where about 25% of men are believed to have more than one wife.

The minimum marriage age in Israel is 18 for males and 17 for females.