2 Kaplan St., Qiryat Ben-Gurion
P.O. Box 6158, 91061 Jerusalem
Tel. (02) 6701411
Website: http://www.moin.gov.il/ (Hebrew)

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(Source: Israel Government Year Book) To see the full text click here

Functions and Structure

The Ministry of the Interior plans and implements national policy in matters of local government, physical planning, population registry, emergency services and special functions, and supervision of elections and construction. The Ministry operates on two levels: the national level, which sets guidelines and policy, and the regional level, an implementation level which maintains close contact with the local authorities and the public that needs the Ministry's services.

The following staff divisions (administrations) exist on the national level: Local Authorities, Finance and Budget, Planning, Population, Emergency Services and Special Duties, the National Elections Supervisory Commission, and the National Construction Supervisory Unit. Additional staff units include the Legal Advisor's Office, Accounting Department, Personnel, Internal Auditing, Ministry Spokesman, and Public Relations.

The Ministry's district apparatus corresponds to the country's six administrative regions: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, North, Central, and South. Additional staff officer units handle Ministry affairs in Judea-Samaria and the Gaza District.

Major Functions

• Supervision of local authorities and direction of their policies in accordance with government social and economic policy.
• Regulation of personal and legal status of Israeli residents in matters of citizenship and registration, immigration, entrance to and exit from the country, censuses, and the dissemination of census information.
• Physical planning throughout the country via national, district, and local outline plans.
• Control of emergency services including evacuation, assistance, care of casualties in wartime, firefighting, and other emergency matters.
• Organization and administration of local authority elections and preparation of electoral rolls for national (Knesset) elections.
• Enforcement of planning and construction laws through the Construction Supervisory Unit.

The Registry and Passports Department deals with the planning, management, and supervision of operations and services relating to registry and passports, pursuant to the Population Registry Law, the Identity Card Law, the Names Law, and the Passports Law. It deals with exceptional requests concerning registry and passports and advises the regional offices on exceptional cases; deals with residents' statutory and other appeals against decisions made by the district offices; and initiates regulations, amendments to laws, and action to anchor directives and rules in binding regulations. The Department also has professional responsibility for registration of residents of Judea-Samaria and the Gaza District, and offers such special registry services as birth and death certificates for the years 1918-1956 and corrections to them. It maintains a registry of Israeli and foreign residents, administers the birth records of adopted persons and the death records of IDF casualties, and provides related services. It also registers births and deaths in Israel of residents of Judea-Samaria and the Gaza District.

The Visas and Aliens Department implements the Law of Return and the Entry into Israel Law, which regulate entry into and exit from Israel. It issues permits and residence permits and extends the validity of residence permits. It deals with appeals of decisions by the district offices; issues immigrant certificates; and deals with potential immigrants requesting certificates while they are visiting the country. It issues tourist visas and work permits to aliens and monitors their fulfillment of the conditions of the permit, including the requirement for a bank guarantee. Part of the Department's work is carried out through three interministry committees, which deal with aliens' applications for permanent residence permits; applications by non-Jews for permanent residence permits; and applications by Arabs in Judea-Samaria for permanent residence permits.

The Citizenship Department implements the Citizenship Law 5712-1952, which regulates the citizenship status of residents of Israel and the acquisition and renunciation of citizenship.

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