Making Aliyah & Your Aliyah Shipment
Hebrew: עליה לישראל - הובלה לישראל
Our thanks to Sonigo International Shipping for their contribution to this article - www.sonigo.com - Tel: 972 8 6111-222
What to bring
An Oleh can import 3 shipments of any size within 3 years of making Aliyah. If a shipment is larger than a full container, it will count as 2 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 does not count as one of these three imports. Your shipments can come from any country, not only the country from which you are making Aliyah.
Tax free items that may be imported to Israel
- Furniture, books, clothing, linens, kitchen utensils, pictures, decorations, media, and general “Personal Effects”
- One of each type of appliance or electronic equipment (for household use only, not office equipment such as a fax).
- Carpeting up to 25% of the area of the Oleh’s home in Israel.
- Olim can import Air Conditioners, Fans, and Heaters relative to the number of rooms in their new home in Israel.
- Olim can buy an Israeli-made refrigerator or air conditioner in Israel VAT 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.
Olim can either buy a car in Israel or import a car and only pay 72%-80% in Taxes (as opposed to 120% – 125% for citizens). If you want to use your rights when buying a used car, you must buy from someone who previously bought with Oleh rights (called passport-to-passport).
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Importing a Car to Israel
In order to import a car (or motorcycle) 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,
- A letter from Ministry of Transport approving personal import for the specific vehicle,
- A letter from the vehicle’s authorized importer stating they are willing to supply parts for the vehicle (you are not required to order parts through them).
- Your driver’s license from overseas.
Notable Exceptions to Tax Free Imports in Israel
- Sports Equipment
- Camping Equipment
- Barbecue Grills
- Fax Machines
- Outdoor furniture and swings
- Pool tables and ping-pong tables
- Building supplies and non-household goods
- A motorized wheelchair needs approval before being imported
- Alcohol is highly taxable, and any import over 5 liters must have proper approvals before importing
- Weapons are highly restricted and should not be imported.
- Games of Chance (slots, roulette) are highly restricted and should not be imported.
- Olim pay 15.5% VAT on all Israeli services such as Israeli customs clearance and delivery in Israel, even when shipping for aliyah
Important Note
All goods imported with rights must stay in your possession for six years from the date of import or depreciated taxes must be paid to Meches. (A car must stay in your possession for five years).
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