Does Israel offer a civil union (brit hazugiyut) for couples who cannot marry through the religious authorities?

Marriage in Israel runs through recognized religious communities, so a Jewish couple marries through the Rabbinate and there is no general civil ceremony inside the country. The 2010 law carved out a single exception, a spousal covenant registered with a dedicated registrar at the Ministry of Justice, but it applies only where both partners are recorded as having no religion (chasrei dat). For that narrow group it confers most of the rights and duties of marriage and provides a defined way to end the union. Because the eligibility bar is so specific, the covenant does not assist a couple where even one partner is Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or of another recognized faith. Couples in that position often rely instead on the framework of common-law marriage in Israel.

For a foreign or mixed couple, the usual path is a civil marriage abroad followed by registration with the Population and Immigration Authority, which records the marriage for civil and population-registry purposes even though the Rabbinate did not perform it. Recognized cohabitation is the other route: a yedua batzibur partnership needs no ceremony and grants many rights, from certain inheritance entitlements to social benefits, but it must be proven with evidence of a shared life. Keeping documentation of the relationship, and signing a cohabitation agreement, protects both partners. The practical options for a couple in this situation are set out in the guide to getting married in Israel as foreigners.

From the full guide: Common Law Marriage in Israel: Rights of Unmarried Couples

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