Aliyah Rights for Shipping and Import to Israel

Overview:

This guide is an overview for importing household goods and personal effects into Israel. While we try to offer accurate information, laws change and individual cases may not fit the categories below. Please remember, ultimately Meches (Customs – Ministry of Finance) decides on all import duties and taxes issues.

The package of rights outlined below is for people making Aliya from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, and other (but not all) Western countries. Meches will review the country from which the Aliya Visa was issued to determine your Rights Package.  Meches typically grants rights packages according to the county in which your Aliyah Visa was issued.

To help New Olim establish their home in Israel, Meches allows certain benefits to help you set up your home and maintain the standard of living you enjoyed in the old country. This guide is not for commercial import.

For new merchandise (Particularly electronics, appliances and furniture), Customs requires a receipt, even if the goods are exempt from duties.

Hebrew Terms Used

Oleh Hadash – A New Immigrant under the right of return. Olim Hadashim (Plural)

Meches – Israeli Customs Authority

Katin Hozer – Someone Born in Israel who left as a minor and is now returning as an adult

Ezrach Oleh – An Israeli Citizen who was born outside of Israel and is now moving to Israel as an adult.

Determine Your Status

The first step in determining your “rights” is to know your “Status” in Israel. These are the basic options:

  • Oleh Hadash
  • Katin Hozer
  • Ezrach Oleh

Spouses of Different Status – Katin Hozer – Ezrach Oleh

If a person of one Status (say Oleh Hadash) marries a person of another Status (say Toshav Hozer) the family can only open one “Tik” (file) with Meches. It is best to open the “Tik” under the person with a larger rights’ package. If one person has used rights, you must check with Meches to determine what rights may still be available to the family.

In the event that both spouses have different rights, you are required to go to Meches in person, or submit to your customs clearer the original passport of the spouse with “lower” set of rights.

Katin Hozer and Ezrach Oleh have the same rights as Oleh Hadash, but you must also open your file with Meches before you can use your rights.

With EASE Shipping, you do not have to go to Meches – we can do this on your behalf, saving you time and aggravation!

Rights for Personal Imports

Household Goods

An Oleh can import three “Oleh” shipments of any size within three years of making Aliya. If a shipment is larger than a full container, it will count as two shipments unless both shipments come in on the same ship and are cleared through customs at the same time. What you bring with you on your Aliyah flight will not count as one of these three imports. Your shipments can come from any country, not only the country from which you are making Aliya.

  • Tax free items that may be imported:
    • Books, clothing, linens, kitchen utensils, pictures, decorations, media, and general “Personal Effects”
    • Furniture for household use
    • One of each type of appliance or electronic equipment. (These are for household use, not office or manufacturing equipment.)
    • Three computers per family
    • Three televisions per family
    • Two vacuum cleaners per family
    • Carpeting up to 25% of the area of the oleh’s home in Israel
    • Air Conditioners, Fans, and Heaters relative to the number of rooms in their new home in Israel
    • Indoor exercise equipment (for personal use)
    • An Oleh Hadash can buy an Israeli Made refrigerator or air conditioner in Israel tax-free. There is a process for doing this, so don’t walk into a store with your Teudat Oleh and expect to get a discount. You need to go to a participating store, get a pro-forma invoice, take that to Meches, get it stamped, and then return to the store.
  • An Oleh Hadash can either buy a car in Israel or import a car and only pay ~75% in Taxes (as opposed to 103% – 114% for citizens). If you want to use your rights when buying a used car, you must buy from someone who previously bought with discounted rights (called passport-to-passport).
  • An Oleh Hadash is not exempt from the Port Tax (based on the volume of the shipment).
  • An Oleh Hadash is exempt from the customs handling charge.

All goods imported with rights must stay in your possession for five years from the date of import or depreciated taxes must be paid to Meches.

Importing a Car

An Oleh Hadash can buy or import a car within 3 years of Aliya to Israel.

In order to import a car (or motorcycle not older than 24 months old) you will need a clean title (no liens) on the vehicle and the title must be in the Oleh’s name. You will also need:

  • Your Israeli Driver’s License (or foreign license if you have been in Israel under 1 year when the car arrives) valid for the vehicle being imported/
  • A Personal Import License from Ministry of Transport approving personal import for the specific vehicle (Details at http://www.mot.gov.il) The procedure for this is done by Meches at the time the car arrives in port Israel (see below)
  • Your driver’s license from overseas
  • The Original Invoice
  • A current CarFax report (if from North America) or Certificate of Conformity (if not from North America)

Note: The Car Fax Report must show no accidents, and any recalls must have been repaired

  • A letter from an Israeli Garage stating that they are willing to supply parts and service on your specific car.
  • The original invoice and proof of payment.

Married couples have only one set of car rights. If one has used rights and one has not and then they get married, the second one cannot use rights on a car (or fridge or anything else) if the first has already bought / imported with rights.

A car must stay in your possession for four years, or depreciated taxes must be paid.

While the procedure for getting approval from MOT is handled by Meches on your behalf, here are some important things to know/check:

The car must meet Israeli standards, including ESP, Mobileye and a long list of other requirements (which most cars have if they have ESP – Electronic Stability Protection). If the car does not have Mobileye, this must be installed before the car is released from Customs.

MOT does not offer pre-approval – before shipping the car, send us the above requested documents and we can do our best to determine if it will be permitted.

Procedures in Israel

In order to clear your shipment through customs, we will email you forms to be filled out and sent back (scanned and emailed), or you can make an appointment in our Jerusalem office. These are the documents you will need (for both spouses, if married)

  1. Foreign Passport (with the Aliya Visa)
  2. Teudat Zahoot (Identity Card)
  3. Teudat Oleh (New Immigrant booklet)
  4. Israeli Passport (if you have one)
  5. Proof of residency in Israel (Lease, Purchase Contract, or Arnona Bill)
  6. Receipts for new electronics, appliances, or furniture in the shipment.

Time for Release and Clearing

Exclusive containers (FCL) take 3-7 days to clear customs and deliver, once we have all of the paperwork and the shipment has arrived.

Note that free storage for FCL is for 4 days, including the day of discharge and the day the container is removed from the port (delivery). Budget $150 (for a 20 foot container) or $300 (for a 40 foot container) while waiting for the release.

Consolidated Container Shipments (LCL) take 1-2 weeks to clear customs and deliver, once we have all of the paperwork and the shipment has arrived.

Free Storage on LCL is for 30 days.

Notable Exceptions to Tax Free Imports

  • Sports Equipment for outdoor use (Skis, Jungle Gyms, Golf clubs, etc)
  • Camping Equipment
  • Pool tables, ping-pong tables, arcade type games
  • Building supplies and non-household goods
  • Olim pay VAT (currently 17%) on all Israeli services such as Israeli customs clearance and delivery in Israel.

What Not to Import as Personal Import

  • Any motorized vehicle (including motorized bicycles, wheelchairs, motorcycles and scooters) needs approval from Ministry of transportation before being imported, and will count as a separate shipment (meaning extra charges and procedures).
  • Rafts for use on Waterways, Motor Cycle Helmets and Car Seats require approval from Ministry of Transportation.
  • Alcohol is highly taxable, and you should not import more than 5 liters. For more details, please ask.
  • Weapons of any sort are highly restricted and should not be imported
  • Food over 15 kg or exceeding $50 USD in value
  • Commercial quantities of goods (usually considered as four or more of the same thing – mostly concerning appliances and electronics)
  • Quantities of goods which do not make sense relative to the size of the family.
  • Non Household Goods, items for resale, or for commercial use
  • Seeds, Live Plants, Taxidermy
  • Slot Machines or other Games of Chance