Technical article

Israel's Health Funds: How Soon Do You Need to Sign Up?

If they live there, how soon must they be signed up with a health fund, and what does it cost?

By Neil Solomon · 3 min read

Picture a couple named Dan and Ruth. Both are 66. They are thinking about a long stay in Israel, and one question comes first. If they live there, how soon must they be signed up with a health fund, and what does it cost?

The honest answer depends on who they are in the eyes of the law. The official pages I could read speak to two groups: new immigrants and returning residents. They do not speak to anyone else. I will tell you what each page says and where it stops.

New immigrants: the 90-day mark

The National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) runs registration. For a new immigrant, the page lists three routes. Register right away at the Ministry of Integration offices at the airport. If that did not happen, register at an Israel Post branch. About three weeks after arrival, once Interior Ministry data reaches the Institute, register on its website.

Then comes the 90 days. The page says:

"If the immigrant fails to perform a registration within 90 days of the day of immigration, the registration will only be performed at the branch of the National Insurance nearest his place of residence."

My reading is that the 90 days changes where you sign up, not whether you may. The page does not say cover is lost. The page does not say that either way, so I mark it as my reading.

A second page covers the cost. In my paraphrase of what it returned, eligible new immigrants are exempt from health contributions for 6 months from the day of arrival. That can stretch to 12 months if the Ministry of Absorption also pays subsistence benefits. The page gives an income line of NIS 688 (as of 1 January 2026) for the exemption.

Returning residents: a wait of up to six months

For someone recognized as an Israeli resident who is coming back, the page says:

"will be entitled to receive medical services only after a waiting period of at most 6 months."

It adds that the wait can be ended with a special payment. No amount is shown on that page.

What the contributions are

For people who do not work, the same body lists these health insurance amounts.

A third page, on national insurance and health together, shows NIS 143 a month in national insurance on top of the NIS 123 for someone with no income. That makes NIS 266 a month (my arithmetic, matching the total the page returned). For non-work income, the page gives bands up to NIS 51,910 a month. The wording of the lower bands was not clear in what I read, so I do not repeat them here.

I do not know whether a pension from abroad counts as non-work income under these rules. The pages do not say.

What is left open

• Whether a retiree who is not a new immigrant or returning resident, for example on a temporary residence visa, may join a health fund. The pages I read are silent.
• The amount of the special payment for returning residents.
• Whether foreign pension income counts as non-work income.
• Names, extras and prices of the health funds' supplementary plans.