Israel
Last update 07 April 2023Diplomatic missions
Risk index
Level 3: Increased level of risk (recommendation not to travel in certain areas of the country unless necessary)
3
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The State of Israel
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Tel Aviv, Israel
Address: Sderot Sha'ul HaMelech 8, 9 th floor, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Telephone: +972 3 696 13 78
Consular Section
Office hours
Monday - Thursday - 10:00 – 13:00
Friday - 10:00 - 12:30
ATTENTION!
Every visit to the Consular Section requires earlier registration.
Telephones
9:00 - 17:30: +972 3 696 13 78
9:00 -9:30 and 14:00 -17:30: +972 3 696 13 61
Emergency number:
+972 547640089
+972 545954379
Consular Section: +972 36961361
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
(the latter - for messages in Hebrew)
Website: www.mfa.bg/en/embassies/israel
Embassy of the State of Israel in Sofia
Address: 1113 Sofia,
18, Shipchenski prohod, Galaxy Trade Center, floor 6
Telephone: +359 2 951 50 44;
Fax: +359 2 952 1101
Office hours: 09.00 - 17.30 (Mon - Thu); 09.00 - 15.00 (Fri)
Consular department: 09.30 - 12.30 (Mon - Fri)
Е-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sofia.mfa.gov
Honorary Consul of Israel in Bulgaria
Dr. Krassimir METODIEV
9103 Varna, 22, rue Jupiter
Té.l/Fax: +359 52 379 777, 634 107
Web site: www.imab-bg.org
Orlin MANDOV
8000 Bourgas, 86, rue San Stefano, ét.5, app. 3
GSM: +359 888 924 860
E-mail: [email protected]
General information
general information
Local currency
New Israeli shekels (ILS)
1 BGN = 0.3975ILS (according to the fixed exchange rate of BNB for 2011)
Crime and security
The State of Israel maintains strict security measures concerning the safety of its citizens. Crime rate is low. The most frequent crimes are related to stealing cars in certain regions of the country.
Law specifics
Israelis a parliamentary republic with division of powers into legislative, executive and judiciary. Israel has no written constitution, only main laws. The president has protocol functions while the Parliament (Knesset) is the legislative authority of the country. Military service is mandatory for all citizens of Israel (men and women). Every Jew who would like to live in the State of Israel has the right to obtain Israeli citizenship.
According to Israeli legislation the only recognised form of marriage is the religious one, not the civil marriage.
Road traffic
The traffic regulations in Israel are similar to those in Bulgaria: the maximum speed on motorways is 110 km/h and in residential areas -50 km/h.
Healthcare
Israel has one of the most highly-developed medical systems in the world.
certifications and legalisations
The Consular department at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria provides limited services related to certifications and legalisations, such as certification of signatures on statements and powers of attorney and others, certification of content of powers of attorney authorising sale or purchase of real estates, certification of copies of documents issued by Bulgarian institutions, certification of “true to the original copy” of documents issued by local institutions and translated to Bulgarian and legalised. The Consular department can provide certifications only if the document is
Documents issued by Israeli institutions shall be acknowledged in Bulgaria only if an original of “Apostille” is affixed on them or is enclosed and they are translated into Bulgarian by a sworn translator.
Placing “Apostille” on Israeli documents is done by the Consular department of the MFA of Israel in Jerusalem.
Translation into Bulgarian can be done by translation companies duly licensed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. You will find a full list of licensed translation companies on the web page of the ministry HERE, section “Consular services” and also at the Consulate.
The Bulgarian Embassy in Israel does not translate documents.
bulgarian identity documents
Bulgarian citizens who wish to obtain Bulgarian ID documents shall submit applications to the Consular section.
The application form is obtained from the Consular department. It shall be legibly filled in in Bulgarian. Applications for issuing Bulgarian ID documents for children below 18 shall be signed by both parents in person in front of the Consul.
For issuing Bulgarian ID documents the following shall be provided:
- application form;
- birth certificate;
- former Bulgarian passport and Bulgarian ID card;
- a document or court judgment, certifying change of name due to marriage, divorce – only when there is a change of the name of the person;
- statement of findings from the police authorities – only when the ID document has been stolen.
- When the person submits an application for issuing Bulgarian ID documents for the first time, he/she has to also provide the following additional documents:
- certificate of Bulgarian citizenship;
- application for permanent address in the territory of Bulgaria.
The procedure of issuing Bulgarian ID documents takes from two to three months.
Obligation to return Bulgarian ID documents which validity has expired and to announce stolen, lost or damaged documents
Bulgarian citizens whose ID documents have been stolen, lost or damaged shall be obliged immediately to inform the Consular department at the Embassy. In the case of theft, the mandatory requirement is to provide a statement of findings from the police. Bulgarian passports have to be submitted to the Consular department up to three months after their validity expired and ID cards – up to one month after their validity expired. Otherwise a fine shall be imposed as a sanction.
civil status
Birth of children in families of Bulgarian citizens in Israel
When a child is born in Israel and both parents or at least one of them is a Bulgarian citizen, the parents have to inform the Consular department at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Israel.
Up to six months after the child was born, a birth certificate issued by the Israeli Ministry of Home Affairs, apostillised and translated into Bulgarian by a sworn translator, has to be forwarded to the Municipality where the permanent address of the mother or of that parent who is a Bulgarian citizen is registered.
Marriage
No marriage can be concluded at the Bulgarian Embassy in Israel.
Pursuing to the provisions of Art.6, paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Code of Private International law, marriage between two Bulgarian citizens abroad or between a Bulgarian citizen and a foreign citizen can be concluded before Bulgarian diplomatic or consular representatives if the law of the local country and the national law of the foreign citizen allow that.
The form of marriage according to Bulgarian law is civil marriage. There are no civil marriages in Israel, only religious marriages.
Death of a Bulgarian citizen on the territory of Israel
In case of the death of a Bulgarian citizen in the territory of Israel, the Consular department must be informed in due time.
The Death certificate has to be legalised with an Apostille by the MFA of Israel in Jerusalem and to be translated into Bulgarian by a sworn translator.
In Bulgaria the document shall be sent or forwarded to the Municipality where the permanent address of the person has been registered. Translation into Bulgarian language shall be done in Bulgaria by one of the translation companies licensed by the MFA of the Republic of Bulgaria to do certified translations. The Consular department is available to render assistance on matters related to the death of Bulgarian citizens abroad.
Affixing an “apostille” on Israeli documents is done by the Consular department of the Israeli MFA in Jerusalem.
Translation into Bulgarian can be done by translation companies authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. You will find a full list of translation companies on the web page of the ministry HERE, section “Consular services” and also at the Consular department.
The Bulgarian Embassy in Israel does not translate documents.
Fees
Certifications and legalisations
- Certification of signature– 84 shekels (the time for processing documents is a maximum of two business days)
- Certification of signature on document related to transaction with real estates – additional fee of 168 shekels (two copies are required, additional stamp is affixed)
- All fees are paid in cash only at the Consular department.
ID documents:
- Application form for issuing Bulgarian ID documents – 6 shekels
- Fine for not observing the obligation to return Bulgarian ID documents whose validity has expired – 400 shekels
- Fine for lost or damaged ID documents and also for stolen ID documents when no statement of findings from the police authorities has been provided - 550 shekels.
Travel papers and visas
The country can be entered with an ordinary international passport or a temporary passport, valid for at least six months after the first entry toIsrael.
There is visa-free regime between the Republic of Bulgaria and the State of Israel. Bulgarian citizens can stay in the country without visas for up to ninety days, per every six-month period.
People who would like to stay longer are required to obtain long-term visas.
Competitive service
The Consular department at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Tel Aviv works with citizens from Monday to Friday included, between 10:00 and 12:00 h.
As of September1, 2011 services on Wednesdays and Fridays are provided only to Israeli citizens who are applying for Bulgarian citizenship or are submitting documents to obtain decisions about Bulgarian citizenship and address registrations in Bulgaria.
Reception of such citizens is after a prior appointment made by phone, specifying the day and the time of reception
All other kinds of consular services are provided on the other days.
A prior appointment made by phone, specifying the day and the time of reception is also required for ppeople whose ID documents’ validity is due to expire up to a month following the appointment date.
Тhe telephone number for making an appointment is +97236961379, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 and from 16:00 to 17:00, from Monday to Thursday included.
Bulgarian citizens who have stayed legally in Israel and have worked in the sphere of agriculture, industry, civil works, care for elderly people and other services, can visit Israel again after at least a year from the date they have finally left the country.
Several groups of Bulgarian citizens shall by all means make a preliminary inquiry whether they would be admitted to the territory of Israel, prior to undertaking the itinerary:
- people who have stayed illegally in Israel;
- people who have been expelled from Israel;
- people who have been denied entry to Israel in the past;
- peoplewhose purpose of travel is to visit foreign workers in Israel or some relatives to foreign workers in Israel.
The inquiry is made via the Israeli Embassy in Sofia or directly through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.
Recommendation to Bulgarian citizens who visit Palestine territories
It is recommended that before travelling, Bulgarian citizens who intend to visit Palestine territories shall ask for information from the Israeli Embassy in Sofia concerning the procedures of entering, staying and exiting from such territories.