The first weeks in Israel: what comes first on each route
An oleh can already register with a health fund at the airport and has 90 days to do so; child allowance arrives automatically. A returning Israeli first settles his residency with Bituach Leumi and sometimes waits months for healthcare. For everyone: know where the shelter is and register with the Foreign Ministry's Information Service.
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What you do first in your first weeks in Israel depends on your route. An oleh, a new immigrant, can already register with a health fund at the airport and is insured from that moment; child allowance arrives automatically. An Israeli who lived in the Netherlands for a long time first settles his residency with Bituach Leumi, the National Insurance Institute, and sometimes waits months for healthcare. A partner first has to be recognised as a resident. The same applies to everyone: know where to shelter when the air-raid siren sounds.
What matters on each route?
| Route | In the first weeks | Deadline according to the source |
|---|---|---|
| Oleh | registering with a health fund, at the airport, at the post office or online | online from 3 weeks after arrival; after 90 days only at Bituach Leumi |
| Oleh with children | child allowance arrives automatically | nothing received after 2 months: apply yourself |
| Oleh who travels | own passport with a document from the immigration service | the first 3 months; after that a travel document |
| Returning Israeli | residency questionnaire at Bituach Leumi, with proof | waiting period for healthcare of 2 to 6 months, unless redeemed |
| Partner with an A/5 visa | questionnaire for temporary residents, with proof; with a B/1 first a policy of your own | healthcare only after recognition as a resident |
| Everyone | registering with the Foreign Ministry's Information Service | straight away |
I am an oleh. What do I do first?
Register with a health fund. According to Bituach Leumi, that can be done straight on arrival, at the office of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration at the airport. If that does not work out, you can do it at any post office; there you show your identity card, and it costs money. After three weeks, once your details from the Ministry of the Interior are with Bituach Leumi, it can also be done online. For that the website asks for an Israeli credit card, for identification; the registration itself is free. Keep the proof.
If you have children, Bituach Leumi pays child allowance from the day of aliyah, based on the ministry's data. If nothing is in your account after two months, you submit a claim yourself at your local branch. So open an Israeli account in good time; see banking and payments.
Want to go back to the Netherlands briefly in the first months? According to the Jewish Agency, in the first three months you travel on the passport of your country of origin with a document from the immigration service. After that you need a travel document to travel in and out of Israel.
I am returning as an Israeli. What do I do first?
Have your residency established, if you did not already do so from the Netherlands. In advance it can be done online, 30 days before your return. After arrival you fill in a questionnaire for returning residents and hand it in at your local Bituach Leumi branch, or online. It comes with proof that your life in the Netherlands has ended, such as the sale of your house or the end of your job, and that it has moved to Israel: the shipment of your belongings, a lease, an employment contract, your children's school registration. If you have been away for five full years, it can also go through the shorter track of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. You collect your returning resident certificate by appointment at the ministry, according to its guide (December 2022), with your identity card. If you are married, you go together, with proof of a joint account.
If your healthcare waiting period is running, do not travel again too soon. One month of waiting period consists of 25 consecutive days in Israel. If you leave earlier, those days do not count, according to Bituach Leumi. Children up to 18 have no waiting period.
I am coming as a partner. What do I do first?
If you live together without marriage, according to procedure 5.2.0009 (July 2026) you first hold a B/1 permit for three years, and with it you are not a resident according to Bituach Leumi. With your A/5 visa and your temporary identity number from the Ministry of the Interior, Bituach Leumi asks for a questionnaire for temporary residents, with proof that your centre of life is in Israel. Only once Bituach Leumi recognises you as a resident are you covered by state health insurance. Keep private insurance for the period in between. See healthcare in Israel.
What applies to your safety?
NederlandWereldwijd's travel advice, last changed on 24 September 2026, is yellow for most of Israel and red for the border areas with Gaza, Lebanon and Egypt and for the Golan Heights. If the air-raid siren sounds, find a shelter or another safe place immediately. Follow the instructions of the Home Front Command; its website can only be reached from within Israel. Register with the Information Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and you get an email when the travel advice changes or in a (threatening) crisis.
How the steps per route fit together is in the journey to Israel. Your numbers and registrations are in registration and numbers.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Israel or go straight to step 1.4 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- National Insurance Institute — registering new immigrants with a health fund — btl.gov.il
- National Insurance Institute — how to register with a health fund, online or at the post office — btl.gov.il
- National Insurance Institute — settling residency as a returning resident — btl.gov.il
- National Insurance Institute — the waiting period for healthcare after a stay abroad — btl.gov.il
- National Insurance Institute — child allowance for families making aliyah — btl.gov.il
- Jewish Agency — travelling in the first three months after aliyah — jewishagency.org
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice for Israel, air-raid sirens, Home Front Command and the Information Service (changed 24 September 2026) — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- Population and Immigration Authority — procedure 5.2.0009 (16 July 2026), cohabiting partners first B/1, then A/5 — gov.il
- Ministry of Aliyah and Integration — Guide for the New Immigrant (December 2022), the returning resident certificate — gov.il
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