Eastern Europe
Making aliyah from Belarus
10,809 people moved from Belarus to Israel between 2015 and 2025, including 470 in 2025. Here is what the official record shows about them, and what the process looks like from Belarus specifically.
Olim in 2025
470
granted oleh status on arrival
Total since 2015
10,809
11 years of the record
Busiest year
2022
2,228 arrivals
Most chosen town
Haifa
1,367 people
Settlement concentration
26.2% of olim from Belarus registered in three towns: Haifa, Bat Yam, Netanya. That is the 21st most concentrated of the 23 countries with at least 1,000 olim on record.
The record
Aliyah from Belarus, in the ministry's own files
Every arrival counted once, in the year they landed and the town they registered in.
Arrivals from Belarus by year
Where they settled
Absorption town recorded on arrival.
- 1Haifa1,367
- 2Bat Yam739
- 3Netanya721
- 4Rishon LeZion698
- 5Ashdod645
- 6Nahariya569
- 7Ashkelon517
- 8Tel Aviv-Yafo472
- 9Eilat394
- 10Be'er Sheva342
Age on arrival
22% arrived as children, 7% at 65 or over.
- 10-172,331
- 218-241,530
- 325-342,421
- 435-492,325
- 550-641,401
- 665+801
What they did before moving
Occupation recorded at registration. "School pupil" and "student" reflect how many arrive as dependants.
- 1Not stated2,399
- 2School pupil1,469
- 3Retired694
- 4Economist638
- 5Student281
- 6Civil engineer252
- 7Not specified196
- 8Professional services191
Destination
More went to Haifa than anywhere else
1,367 of the 10,809 arrivals from Belarus registered in Haifa, ahead of Bat Yam, Netanya, Rishon LeZion.
The town is recorded once, on arrival, so the chart above shows where people registered rather than where they live now.
How it works
The process from Belarus
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
The Jewish Agency organises assisted departures, and in emergencies has run dedicated flights.
Russian-speaking olim have long-established communities in Haifa, Netanya, Bat Yam, Ashdod and Nof HaGalil.
Documents are the slow part everywhere: birth certificates, proof of Jewish descent, police clearance and, in most countries, apostilles. Start collecting before you open the file, not after. The full sequence is in the aliyah guide.
Arriving with Russian as your first language, ulpan is the single biggest determinant of how fast your first year goes. New olim are entitled to free Hebrew study, and the Hebrew alphabet and essential phrases pages are a no-cost head start.
Before you go
Work out what your money is worth: the cost of living page has rent, groceries and salaries in real numbers, and the shekel converter gives today's rate.
A market stall in Jerusalem with prices marked in shekels.
Check the calendar you are moving into: holiday dates close the country for whole weeks in autumn and spring, and Shabbat times govern the week.
A sesame-topped challah loaf, freshly baked.
See how Belarus compares with everywhere else on the full statistics explorer.
An open-plan office floor of screens and desks.
Aliyah from elsewhere in Eastern Europe
Total arrivals 2015 to 2025, in brackets.
Start here
The move itself, in six steps
Eligibility, opening the file, the documents, the visa, landing day and the absorption benefits that follow. The guide is the same wherever you are starting from.
Frequently asked questions
How many people make aliyah from Belarus each year?+
470 in 2025, and 10,809 in total between 2015 and 2025. The strongest single year was 2022, with 2,228 arrivals.
Where do olim from Belarus settle?+
Haifa takes the largest share, followed by Bat Yam, Netanya, Rishon LeZion.
Who handles an aliyah application from Belarus?+
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Is aliyah from Belarus mostly families or individuals?+
Of the 10,809 arrivals recorded, 22% were children under 18 and 7% were 65 or over. That is a family-heavy profile.
Source: Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, published on data.gov.il. Figures count people granted oleh status on arrival. Rebuilt 2026-08-05.