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Israel and Russia dual citizenship: can you keep both passports in 2026

9 min read ·

Israel does not require returnees to give up Russian citizenship. We explain who gets an Israeli passport, which document to cross borders with, and what happens with the army, taxes and children.

In short

Yes: Israel does not require returnees to give up their previous citizenship, so a Russian passport is kept; you only need to notify the Russian Interior Ministry.

Previous passport on naturalisationKept
Country ruleNo renunciation needed: returnees keep their previous passport
Legal basisIsrael Nationality Law 1952
What Russia requiresnotify the Interior Ministry within 60 days
CheckedOctober 2026

Most Russian citizens obtain Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return and keep both passports. But dual citizenship comes with practical rules: which passport to enter on, what happens with the army and how to report foreign income.

What Israel requires on naturalisation

The 1950 Law of Return grants the right to immigrate to Jews, their children and grandchildren, and the spouses of each. They receive citizenship under the 1952 Nationality Law immediately upon immigration, and Israel does not require them to give up their previous passport. A new citizen holding another nationality may declare within the first three months that they do not wish to become an Israeli citizen and then remains a permanent resident.

Israel also has ordinary naturalisation for foreigners without a right of return, but it is long and requires Hebrew and giving up the previous citizenship. So for Russian citizens the route is almost always immigration under the Law of Return or marriage to an Israeli citizen.

What Russia requires

Russia allows a second citizenship and does not end its own, but inside the country treats you only as a Russian citizen (Article 10 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ on Citizenship).

  • Within 60 days of receiving the second passport, file a notification with the Interior Ministry (MVD). If you are abroad at that moment, the period runs from the day you enter Russia.
  • Attach a copy of the foreign passport or another document proving the citizenship.
  • Failure to notify falls under Article 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code: a fine of up to $2,400 or up to one year of income, or up to 400 hours of compulsory work.
  • Late or incomplete notification: a fine of $10-15 under Article 19.8.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
  • A residence permit abroad must be reported under the same rules (Article 11 of Law No. 138-FZ).

A Russian citizen with a second passport may not hold state or municipal office, serve in government bodies or stand for election. The duties of a Russian citizen, including military service, remain, and inside Russia the second passport is not taken into account.

How to keep both passports: step by step

  1. Check your right to immigrate and collect documents linking you to a Jewish relative through every generation: birth and marriage certificates, archive records.
  2. Pass the consular check at the consular section of the Israeli embassy and obtain immigration approval.
  3. Receive citizenship on arrival: the immigrant certificate and identity card are issued in Israel.
  4. Get an Israeli passport: the first is issued for one year, a full one after a year of living in Israel.
  5. Cross each border on that country's passport: an Israeli citizen enters Israel on an Israeli document, and a Russian citizen enters Russia on a Russian passport.
  6. Notify the Russian Interior Ministry within 60 days of receiving the passport, or within 60 days of entering Russia if you are abroad.

You do not hand in your Russian passport when immigrating. The Russian notification deadline runs from receiving Israeli citizenship, that is from immigration, not from the issue of the passport.

What happens to children

Minor children of a returnee receive citizenship together with their parents. A child of an Israeli citizen born abroad also becomes an Israeli citizen, but only in the first generation. If the other parent is Russian, the child holds both citizenships and need not give up either. Adult children and grandchildren apply for immigration themselves, based on their own right.

Taxes and military service

Returnees' foreign income - dividends, interest, rent, capital gains, foreign pensions - is exempt from Israeli tax for 10 years. For those who became residents from 1 January 2026 the reporting exemption was abolished: foreign income and assets must be reported to the tax authority even though no tax is charged. The double tax treaty between Russia and Israel is in force.

Young returnees can be called up to the Israeli army: the rules depend on age at immigration and family status, so check them in advance. A Russian citizen's Russian military duty remains.

Common mistakes

  • Not documenting every generation. The consulate checks the link to a Jewish relative at every step, and a gap in the chain is a common reason for refusal.
  • Entering Israel on a Russian passport. An Israeli citizen must enter and leave on an Israeli document.
  • Not reporting foreign income. Since 2026 new returnees declare it even though they pay no tax.
  • Not checking a son's military duty. Young returnees can be called up, and the rules depend on age at immigration.
  • Missing the Russian Interior Ministry notification. The deadline is 60 days from receiving Israeli citizenship, and failure carries criminal liability.

How to get Israeli citizenship

The main route is immigration under the Law of Return: citizenship is granted on arrival with no fee, and costs are mostly for archive searches, apostilles and translations. Spouses of Israeli citizens without their own right of return go through a graduated procedure lasting several years.

Requirements, timelines and costs are on the page Israeli citizenship.

You can check any pair of countries with the dual citizenship checker and compare all countries in the overview dual citizenship in 2026.

Immigration without gaps in the documents

The law does not stop you from passing the consular check on your own. But mistakes cost more than fees: a gap in the chain of documents, an archive record without an apostille, a wrongly stated nationality in certificates and a missed notification to the Russian Interior Ministry. We search the archives, check the chain before the consulate and prepare a complete file for the whole family.

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This topic in other countries

Dual citizenship rules with Russia in other countries:

More on this country:

You can check any pair of countries with the dual citizenship checker and compare all countries in the overview dual citizenship in 2026.

FAQ

Can you hold Israeli and Russian citizenship at the same time?
Yes: Israel does not require returnees to give up their previous citizenship, so a Russian passport is kept; you only need to notify the Russian Interior Ministry.
Do I need to notify the Russian Interior Ministry about Israeli citizenship?
Yes. A Russian citizen notifies the Interior Ministry of a second citizenship within 60 days under Article 10 of Law No. 138-FZ; failing to notify carries criminal liability under Article 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code.
Do I need to give up Russian citizenship when immigrating to Israel?
No. Israel does not require returnees to give up their previous citizenship, and the Russian passport is kept.
What does dual Russian and Israeli citizenship give?
The right to live, work and receive healthcare in Israel as a citizen, an Israeli passport with visa-free Schengen entry and, since 2023, the US Visa Waiver Program, while the Russian passport stays for trips to Russia.
Which passport should I use to enter Israel and Russia?
An Israeli citizen enters Israel on an Israeli document, and a Russian citizen enters Russia on a Russian passport.
Is a returnee's foreign income taxed in Israel?
No, it is tax-exempt for 10 years. But since 2026 new returnees must report foreign income and assets to the tax authority.
Will a child have dual Israeli and Russian citizenship?
Yes, if one parent is Israeli and the other Russian. A child born abroad receives Israeli citizenship only in the first generation.
Can I give up Israeli citizenship after immigrating?
Within the first three months a new citizen holding another nationality can declare they do not wish to become one. Later, renunciation follows a separate procedure.

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