Aliyah, explained
Topics
The questions people ask about aliyah, answered.
Sal Klita: how much the absorption basket pays, and for how longSal Klita totals for a single oleh, a couple and a family, how the airport payment and the six monthly transfers work, and what happens when the basket ends.Teudat Zehut after aliyah: the temporary card, the biometric card, and why the address mattersWhat you get at the airport, how to book the Misrad HaPnim appointment through gov.il, how long the permanent biometric Teudat Zehut takes, and why the registered address decides your ulpan, school and arnona.Who is eligible for aliyah under the Law of ReturnThe routes into aliyah under the Law of Return: Jewish mother, Jewish parent, Jewish grandparent, recognised conversion, spouse of someone eligible — and what the State recognises versus what the Rabbinate does.Aliyah documents checklist: what to gather, what needs an apostille, and what expiresThe documents an aliyah file needs — birth certificate, background check from every country you lived in, proof of Jewish lineage, marriage certificate — which ones need an apostille, and which one is only valid for six months.Ulpan: the free Hebrew course for new olimWhat the state ulpan is, how many hours it covers, how to enrol through Misrad HaKlita, and why starting within your first year matters for the living-expense support.Kupat Cholim after aliyah: choosing a health fund and the 90-day deadlineHow health insurance works for a new oleh — the four health funds, free coverage while not working, registering at the airport, post office or online within 90 days, and what changes after that.Aliyah from Germany: the Führungszeugnis, the digital apostille, and the Standesamt documentsThe German specifics of an aliyah file — ordering the Führungszeugnis from the Bundesamt für Justiz, the digital apostille from the BfAA, and why Standesamt certificates get their apostille from the Bundesland instead.Aliyah from France: the casier judiciaire bulletin n°3 and the notarial apostilleThe French specifics of an aliyah file — ordering bulletin n°3 of the casier judiciaire for free, and the apostille that moved from the courts of appeal to the Notaires de France on 1 May 2025.Aliyah from Russia and the former Soviet Union: Nativ, Soviet-era documents, and the proof chainWhy applicants from the former Soviet Union are verified by Nativ rather than the Jewish Agency, why Soviet-era documents are accepted, and how to build the documentary chain to a Jewish parent or grandparent.Olim tax benefits: the extra credit points and the 10-year exemption on foreign incomeThe two tax breaks a new oleh gets — 4.5 years of extra income-tax credit points (one point is NIS 242 a month in 2026) and ten years without Israeli tax on income from abroad — and the one thing you must do on your first day at work.Converting your driving licence after aliyah: the one-year window, the appointment, and the car tax discountNew olim can convert a valid foreign driving licence within one year of entry; how to book the Licensing Bureau appointment through gov.il, why to book early, and how the conversion ties into the olim car purchase-tax discount.Children and schools after aliyah: gan, elementary, teens, and the child allowanceHow Israel receives olim children at each age — gan from three, six weekly Hebrew support hours in elementary school, Bagrut accommodations for teens — why your registered address decides the school, and what the child allowance pays.Old-age pension for olim: the standard pension, the special benefit, and the 2026 amountsRetiring in Israel as an oleh — the standard old-age pension for those who arrived before retirement age, the special old-age benefit for those who arrived at or after 62, the 2026 base amounts, the income supplement, and how to apply.Lone soldiers and military service after aliyah: who is drafted, what a lone soldier gets, and the one letter never to ignoreWhich olim may be called up (ages 18–26; men generally, women possibly; over 26 at aliyah typically exempt), what the Lone Soldier programme provides — stipend, extra leave, housing help — and why a Tzav Giyus must be answered immediately.