Guide
Making Aliyah: The Practical Guide
Aliyah is immigration to Israel under the Law of Return. Arrivals have run between 22,034 and 76,601 a year across the 11 years of the detailed record. Here is the whole process in six steps, with an instant eligibility check.
Olim in 2025
22,423
official count, Ministry of Aliyah and Integration
Average year, 2015 to 2025
34,972
arrivals per year across 11 years
Total since 1989
1,752,216
37 years of the official record
Typical file
4 to 12 months
from opening to landing
Olim counts on this page come from Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, published on data.gov.il, last rebuilt : the dataset, sliced every way on the statistics page.
The process
Six steps, start to finish
The order rarely changes. What changes is how long step three takes you, because documents drive the whole timeline.
- 1
Confirm eligibility
The Law of Return covers Jews, children and grandchildren of Jews, their spouses, and recognized converts. Documentation matters more than anything at this stage.
- 2
Open your file
Applications run through the Jewish Agency (worldwide) and, for the US, UK and Canada, usually with Nefesh B'Nefesh alongside. Expect document checks and an interview.
- 3
Gather documents
Birth certificates, proof of Judaism (community letters, parents' ketubah), police clearance, passports. Apostilles take time; start early.
- 4
Approval and visa
Approved files get an aliyah visa in your passport. Many people fly on a group aliyah flight; others convert status while already in Israel.
- 5
Land and register
At Ben Gurion you receive your teudat oleh (immigrant certificate) and register for your teudat zehut (ID). Health fund registration follows within days.
- 6
Absorption benefits
New olim receive the sal klita cash basket in monthly payments, plus tax breaks on income for 10 years, customs exemptions, ulpan Hebrew study, and tuition support.
General information, not legal advice. Eligibility is decided case by case on your documents, and the rules and benefits described here change. Check your own position against the Jewish Agency, Nefesh B'Nefesh (for the US, UK and Canada), or an Israeli immigration lawyer before you act on anything here.
Quick eligibility check
Three questions, instant indication. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do you have a Jewish parent or grandparent, or did you convert to Judaism?
Can you document it (birth records, community letters, conversion certificate)?
When are you thinking about moving?
Step three
Documents decide your timeline
Nothing on the Israeli side is slow. The wait is in the records offices of the country you are leaving: a birth certificate reissued, a community letter written, a police check returned, and then an apostille stamped on each of them.
Most files run 4 to 12 months from opening to landing, and the spread between those two numbers is almost entirely step three. Start collecting before you open the file, not after.
Landing
What happens when you land
The visa is already in your passport when you board, so the first paperwork happens in the terminal. These are the four words the process runs on.
- Teudat oleh
- The immigrant certificate. Issued at Ben Gurion on the day you land.
- Teudat zehut
- The Israeli ID card, registered for once you have the teudat oleh.
- Health fund
- Registration follows within days, and cover runs from day one.
- Sal klita
- The absorption basket, paid to you in monthly instalments.
After you land
Where olim actually go
In 2025 the towns that absorbed the most new olim were Tel Aviv-Yafo (3,242), Netanya (2,904), Jerusalem (2,485), Haifa (2,088). That is the national picture, and it hides most of the story: the mix changes sharply once you split it by where people came from.
Origin predicts destination better than anything else. Russia sent 8,548 people in 2025, more than any other country, and across the whole record its arrivals cluster in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Haifa, Netanya. People follow the language they already speak and the people they already know.
The Russia page has that breakdown town by town, and the statistics explorer covers all 53 countries in the record.
Next
The four pages people open after this one
What it costs, what your money is worth, and enough Hebrew to start.
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Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for aliyah under the Law of Return?+
Jews, children of Jews, grandchildren of Jews, the spouses of each of those, and people who converted to Judaism through a recognized community.
How long does the aliyah process take?+
Most files take 4 to 12 months from opening to landing, driven mostly by how quickly documents (birth records, proof of Judaism, police clearance, apostilles) come together.
What benefits do new olim receive?+
The sal klita absorption basket paid monthly during the first months, income-tax breaks for 10 years on foreign income, customs exemptions, free ulpan Hebrew study, healthcare from day one, and tuition assistance for eligible ages.
Do I have to give up my current citizenship?+
No. Israel permits dual citizenship, and most American, British and Canadian olim keep their original passports.
Can I make aliyah while already in Israel?+
Yes. Many people change status through the Interior Ministry while in Israel on another visa, though opening the file abroad is often smoother for document gathering.
More tools
General information, not legal advice. Rules and benefits change; confirm current details with the Jewish Agency, Nefesh B'Nefesh, or an Israeli immigration professional.