Where does rental assistance fit?
Rent assistance (Siyua b'Schar Dira) is a separate benefit from סל קליטה (Sal Klita) and from the customs and car benefits on this page. The Ministry of Construction and Housing pays it automatically into your bank account, with no application, no income test and no rental lease on the general track, and for olim who received oleh status from 1 March 2024 it runs from the seventh month to the thirtieth month from aliyah5. Olim with an earlier status date are on an older, longer schedule. The amounts by family size and locality, the two regimes side by side and the conditions that can stop the payment are covered in the guide to olim rent assistance.
Can olim import personal belongings to Israel duty-free?
As a new oleh, you are entitled to bring your personal belongings to Israel duty-free. The customs exemption allows you to import household goods, furniture, and personal effects without paying customs duties or מע"מ (Ma'am (VAT)) (VAT).
The rules are:
- Three separate shipments are allowed within your first 3 years from aliyah
- Each shipment must be imported in your name and consist of used personal goods (not new merchandise for resale)
- You must apply for a customs exemption certificate (teudat patur) from the Absorption Ministry before each shipment clears customs
- Air shipments, sea containers, and personal luggage all qualify, within limits
The exemption covers furniture, electronics, clothing, books, appliances, and other household items. Commercial goods, new items bought abroad for resale, and vehicles (which have their own scheme) are excluded from this exemption.
How much does the oleh car tax benefit save you?
Buying or importing a car in Israel is expensive because the government levies a heavy purchase tax on vehicles, which is part of why cars cost much more here than in Europe. Olim receive a reduced rate on one car released to them within their first 3 years. This is a smaller benefit than it is sometimes described as: it lowers the tax rate rather than waiving most of it.
The oleh vehicle benefit works as follows:
- Reduced purchase-tax rate of about 80% instead of the standard 128% on the vehicle, which nets out to a saving of roughly 8–18% of the price depending on the model and engine type
- The benefit applies to one car only, which must be released to the oleh within 3 years of the aliyah date
- The מע"מ (Ma'am (VAT)) component (currently 18%) still applies, and fully electric vehicles are currently excluded from the oleh discount
On a car priced around 200,000 NIS, a saving of 8–18% works out to roughly 16,000–36,000 NIS versus paying the standard rate. The exact figure depends heavily on the model, so any single number here is only an estimate and the saving varies once a specific car is priced. The vehicle must be registered to the oleh and cannot be resold for 4 years from the purchase date without repaying the tax difference (a sale to another eligible oleh using their own benefit, known as a passport-to-passport sale, is the exception).
The benefit covers a new car bought in Israel under the oleh rate, or a car you own or buy abroad and import. It does not apply to buying an ordinary used car already on the Israeli market. Because the paperwork is detailed, it is common to work with a licensed customs agent (mekhes) or dealer who specializes in oleh purchases.
How to Claim Each Benefit
- Customs exemption: Before shipping, contact the Absorption Ministry to receive your customs exemption certificate. Present this to Israeli customs when the shipment arrives.
- Vehicle benefit: Arrange the oleh rate with the Absorption Ministry and a licensed customs agent or dealer before purchasing or shipping your car. The paperwork must be completed before the car is released to you.
Both benefits are time-limited and require proactive application; rent assistance, by contrast, arrives without one. The Absorption Ministry website (in Hebrew and English) lists current rates and forms. If in doubt, the English-speaking staff at Nefesh B'Nefesh can walk you through each application.
Through Misrad HaKlita, olim can import household goods duty-free in up to three shipments within their first 3 years, using a teudat patur exemption certificate. One car released within 3 years of aliyah gets a reduced purchase-tax rate of about 80% instead of the standard 128%, saving roughly 8 to 18% of the price; 18% VAT still applies, fully electric cars are excluded, and the car cannot be resold for 4 years. Both benefits are time-limited and need a proactive application. Rent assistance is a separate Housing Ministry payment that arrives automatically, without an application or a lease.
Yes. As a new oleh you can import household goods, furniture, and personal effects without paying customs duties or VAT (maam). You are allowed up to three separate shipments within your first 3 years from aliyah. Each shipment must be imported in your name and consist of used personal goods rather than new merchandise for resale. Before each shipment clears customs, you must obtain a customs exemption certificate (teudat patur) from the Absorption Ministry. Air shipments, sea containers, and personal luggage all qualify, within limits.
The exemption covers furniture, electronics, clothing, books, appliances, and other household items. Excluded are commercial goods, new items bought abroad for resale, and vehicles, which have their own separate import scheme rather than falling under the household-goods exemption.
Cars in Israel carry a heavy purchase tax, which is part of why they cost much more than in Europe. The oleh benefit is a reduced purchase-tax rate of about 80% instead of the standard 128% on one car released within 3 years of aliyah. In practice this nets out to a saving of roughly 8 to 18% of the price, depending on the model and engine type, rather than a near-total waiver. The 18% VAT (maam) component still applies, and fully electric vehicles are currently excluded. As a rough illustration, on a car priced around 200,000 NIS a saving of 8 to 18% is about 16,000 to 36,000 NIS, though the actual figure varies by model and only becomes precise once a specific car is priced.
Yes. The car must be registered to the oleh and cannot be resold for 4 years from the purchase date without repaying the tax difference, unless the buyer is another eligible oleh using their own benefit (a passport-to-passport sale). The reduced rate applies to one car only, which must be released to you within your first 3 years, and fully electric vehicles are currently excluded. It covers a new car bought in Israel under the oleh rate or a car you own or buy abroad and import, but not an ordinary used car already on the Israeli market. Because the paperwork is detailed, it is common to work with a licensed customs agent (mekhes) or a dealer who specializes in oleh purchases.
Both benefits require active application and have distinct paperwork. For the customs exemption, contact the Absorption Ministry before shipping to receive your certificate, then present it to Israeli customs when the shipment arrives. For the vehicle benefit, arrange the oleh rate with the Absorption Ministry and a licensed customs agent or dealer before buying or shipping the car. Both are time-limited. The Absorption Ministry website lists current rates and forms in Hebrew and English, and the English-speaking staff at Nefesh B’Nefesh can walk you through each application.