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Legal Advice and Assistance, Marriage and Civil Marriage, Common Law Marriage, Couple Agreements, Parenthood, Biological Will
Visitor Reception with Appointment
Open Sun-Thu, 9AM-5PM
16 Tiomkin Street, Tel Aviv-Yafo,
Tel: 03-5660504 Fax: 03-5600720
newfamily@newfamily.org.il
Gay Partnership / Same-Sex Couples
New Family is the recognized authority on GLBT family rights in Israel and provides expertise on living same-sex family life in Israel in dignity that no other entity can. Lesbians, gays and transgender benefit from New Family’s expertise in accessing new reproductive, parenting and family rights made available to them by New Family’s strategic litigation and policy advocacy efforts as well as attaining the rights and dignities heterosexual couples may automatically enjoy. New Family has helped thousands of same-sex couples establish their families in Israel.
In fifteen years of activist litigation, New Family set ground-breaking legal precedents in same-sex couples’ rights to equality in common-law partnerships, reproductive freedoms, parenting benefits, adoption, surrogacy, inheritance, and survivors benefits, triggering a dramatic transformation of the legal reality for same-sex couples in Israel.
New Family offers GLBT invaluable expertise and consultation on family status and rights in dignity Israel. Our legal consultation and aid integrates specialized legal expertise with caring professional support that empowers same-sex couples to make informed choices. Our multi-lingual attorneys provide legal consultation and aid on marriage, residency and citizenship status, registration of spouses and children, maternity and paternity status and rights, parenting benefits, divorce, child support, health, welfare and education benefits, adoption, reproductive technologies, inheritance, property rights and more at the Family Rights Center in Tel Aviv. Our lawyers also help resolve disputes with government authorities that deny same-sex families their rights.
New Family offers same-sex families innovative legal solutions which we pioneered to circumvent or mitigate infringements on their rights. Legal solutions offered by New Family provide same-sex families who would otherwise have no legal recognition status and rights on the basis of equality between one another and other families. They confer recognition for state benefits, including tax authorities, government ministries, local government, schools, hospitals, and more. These legal solutions are legally binding in Israel and recognized by most government authorities. Families are frequently referred by government agencies to use New Family’s legal solutions to prove eligibility for status and rights as a family.
Legal Solutions Offered by New Family include:
Contractual marriage: Known as ‘nisuei hoze’נישואי חוזה in Hebrew, contractual marriage confers same-sex couples and heterosexual couples that can’t or don’t want to marry with the Orthodox religious rites required for government recognition legal status and rights as common-law spouses equal to married couples. Contractual marriage agreements serve as proof of status as common-law spouses and confer couples rights and status equal to married couples in most Israeli government agencies and many private institutions. Institutions that recognize contractual marriage agreements include Social Security, government ministries, municipal governments, health clinics, hospitals, the post office, banks, insurance companies, colleges and universities, health clubs, national parks and recreational facilities.
Contractual marriage agreements can be celebrated in any way that the couple chooses. A small ceremony can be held at New Family’s Family Rights Center with a few guests, or a New Family attorney can perform a civil commitment ceremony in front of hundreds of guests at a more traditional wedding celebration.
Couples supplement their contractual marriage agreements with Domestic Union Cards™, which enable them to present proof of their status as partners without exposing their personal legal agreement.
Domestic Union Cards™ are picture identification cards that entitle couples to legal status and rights equal to married couples on the basis of a legal affidavit that its holders are common-law spouses. New Family issues Domestic Union Cards™ to two adult partners of any gender, religion or nationality that meet the legal definition of common-law spouses in Israel. They must declare their exclusive commitment and affirm that they do not live with another partner in a legal affidavit signed in front of a New Family’ attorney. The partners are photographed separately and issued their individual picture ID’s on the spot.
Domestic Union Cards™ are recognized in Israel’s government institutions and many private institutions, including social security, government ministries, municipal governments, health clinics, hospitals, the post office, banks, insurance companies, colleges and universities, health clubs, national parks and recreational facilities.