למידע בעברית, לחצו כאן

This basic information page includes details about the work of the consular department in the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest region, located in San Francisco, California.

Details about the various consular services given abroad may be found in the following links:

* Consular services for Israeli citizens abroad
* Visa services abroad
* Download forms and documents
* Frequently Asked Questions

Address of the mission

The Consulate General of  Israel to the Pacific Northwest is located at:
456 Montgomery Street, Suite 2100
San Francisco, CA 94104
Between California St. and Sacramento St. in the Financial District

Reception hours for consular services

The Consular Department is open to public Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 1 PM (10:00-13:00 PT).
Walk-in notarization services are provided to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays only. Notarization services on Wednesdays and Fridays will be provided by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please use this form.

The office will be closed on legal Israeli and U.S. holidays.
2012 List of holidays

Telephone reception hours for consular services

Telephone reception hours are 2 PM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday (upon availability). Telephone calls during public reception hours will not be answered. If you have sent a document to the Consulate, please do NOT contact us to confirm that it has arrived.
Messages left in the voicemail box will be answered within 48 hours.
Telephone Numbers: (415) 844-7500, chose your preferred language and press 1.
Fax: (415) 844-7555
To send an email, please use this form.

Jurisdiction

The Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest region serves the states of Alaska, California (Districts 1-21), Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

South California residents should address the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.

Security instructions for people who wish to obtain consular services at the mission offices

1. Please bring a photo ID.
2. Every visitor and his belongings will be required to undergo a security check.
3. For security purposes, no personal objects will be allowed into the mission, including handbags, mobile phones and electronic devices.
4. Do not bring large handbags or suitcases to the mission.
5. Do not bring food and/or beverage bottles or containers.
6. The mission’s security directives apply to people in the consular waiting room. The instructions of the security staff must be obeyed at all times.

Mailing material to the mission

Material that is mailed to the Consular Department at the mission must be only sent to and collected from the following address:
Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest
Consular Department
456 Montgomery Street, Suite 2100
San Francisco, CA 94104

Most of the services offered by the Consulate can be done via mail, without the need to arrive at the Consulate. When doing so, One should keep several things in mind:
1. We recommend sending requests via registered or express mail services, such as FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc. If you have sent a document to the Consulate, please do NOT contact us to confirm that it has arrived. Please check your UPS, FedEx, or USPS tracking number instead.
2. Applications must be fully completed and signed. Be advised, certain services processed via mail require the requestor to sign and/or be identified in front of a notary and certified with an official Apostille seal.
3. Make sure the following information about the requestor is attached to every request: Full name, Israeli ID and/or passport number, and updated contact information (Telephone and street address within the US) for return mail. Be advised that the Consulate does not send mail to P.O Boxes.
4. Payment may be in the form of a money order, cash, or credit card. Sorry, we cannot accept personal checks or other forms of payment. To view the table of fees for consular serviced click here.
5. Return mail payment: requests sent to be processed via mail are returned to the requestor via FedEx at the expense of the requestor. The cost of return mail is $14 for express service.

It is important to stress that there are cases in which you are required to visit the mission in person. For more detailed information, see the section on Consular Services.

The sender is responsible for material mailed to the mission.

List of qualified translators who work with the mission

If there is a need for document translation services from the local language into Hebrew or vice versa click here to obtain a list of translators.
This list does not constitute a recommendation for any of the translators appearing on the list. Use of the services of the various translators is the responsibility of the person utilizing the services.

List of criminal attorneys

The mission is not permitted or authorized to recommend any particular attorney. Below is a list of the local Bar Associations through which services of an attorney who specialize in criminal law can be retained if necessary.
* Alaska Bar Association
* California Bar Association
* Idaho Bar Association
* Montana Bar Association
* Oregon Bar Association
* Washington Bar Association

These lists does not constitute a recommendation for any of the attorneys appearing on these lists. Use of the services of the various attorneys is the responsibility of the person utilizing the services.

Verification of public documents

There are two possibilities for verifying a public document:
1. Verification by means of apostille

In 1978, Israel signed and ratified the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents  1961 (hereinafter: the Hague Convention). The purpose of this Convention was to shorten the processes required for a particular country to recognize the official documents issued by another country, by means of apostille certification.

Public documents and certificates that were issued in one of the countries that are signatories to the above Convention, and which bear the apostille stamp, are valid for presentation in Israel, without the need for additional verification / certification by the diplomatic / consular representative at the Israeli mission.

Additionally, for countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention, no additional verification is required by the mission consul of the country for which the document is designated, if it was stamped with an apostille in Israel.

With regard to a list of the countries that signed the Convention, and details about the authority competent to grant apostille certification in each country, as well as additional information, click here.
Oregon (503) 986-2593 web site
Idaho (208) 332-2810 web site
Alaska (970) 465-3509 web site
Washington (360) 725-0344 (360) 725-0345 web site
Montana (406) 444-1877 (406) 444-5379 web site
California (916) 653-3595 web site

2. Verification by means other than apostille
Verification of a document in a country that is not a signatory to the Hague Convention should be implemented as follows:
After the document is verified by the competent authority in the foreign country (usually the Foreign Ministry or Ministry of Justice), the Israeli consular representative verifies the signature of the competent authority.

Contacts and inquiries about improving the service provided to the citizens

• Emails can be sent to the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• For feedback on the quality of service provided to the citizens by the mission, click here.

The main laws of the State of Israel on which consular work abroad is based, are as follows:

• The Law of Return, 5710  1950  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Entry into Israel Law, 5712  1952  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Law of Citizenship, 5712  1952  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Passports Law, 5712  1952  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Names Law, 5716  1956  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Population Registration Law, 5725  1965  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Notaries Law, 5736  1976  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Defense Service Law (Consolidated Version), 5747  1986 and the authority to implement it abroad  with all the amendments thereto over the years.
• The Crime Register and Rehabilitation of Offenders Law, 5741  1981  with all the amendments thereto over the years.

Aliyah Inquiries

For inquiries regarding aliyah issues, please contact the Jewish Agency emissary in your area:

Nir Wittenberg, Aliyah Emissary
Alma Schneider, Aliyah Representative

Jewish Agency-Israel Aliyah Center, Pacific Northwest Regional Office
121 Steuart St.
San Francisco, CA. 94105
Telephone: (415) 369-2865
Fax:  (415) 278-0646
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Miscellaneous

Israeli Citizens in distress
If you or any other Israeli Citizen you know is in a state of distress please contact the Israeli Consulate as soon as possible, using our contact details, or this form. 

During non-working hours,

please use our emergency number.

Arrested Israeli Citizen
 

If you know of any Israeli citizen that has been arrested in the United States, or If you are an arrested Israeli Citizen, please contact the Consulate to notify the Consular Department of the arrest. Please provide the following information:

1. Full name
2. Israeli ID number or passport number.
 

3. Place and time of arr est

Be advised, the Consulate does not intervene in legal matters of a citizen/citizens who has/have been arrested, but may be of assistance by making sure that prisoner's rights are being kept and by issuing

Travel documents for deportees to Israel.

Permit for Transfer of Bodies for Burial in Israel

The Israeli consulate can assist those who wish to bring a deceased relative to Israel for burial. For further information please contact the Consular Department.
A permit is not required for transfer of ashes.