Before you start

A clear answer on which route applies to you before you book anything — the two paths share no paperwork
For aliyah: original birth and marriage certificates and grandparents' documents proving Jewish lineage, opened as a file with the Jewish Agency or Nefesh B'Nefesh before you fly
For a B/1: a named Israeli employer willing to sponsor you. You cannot apply for yourself from a consulate
An apostilled police clearance certificate from your home country for any work or residency file
A passport valid well beyond your intended stay, plus an approved ETA-IL if you are visa-exempt

Step-by-step

1
Establish your route before anything else
A grandparent's birth certificate can outweigh a senior job offer. Aliyah eligibility extends to a child, grandchild or spouse of a Jew under the 1970 amendment to the Law of Return, and excludes anyone who voluntarily changed religion.
OnlineWho: You
2
Aliyah: open and approve a file before you fly
The Jewish Agency, or Nefesh B'Nefesh from North America and the UK, pre-screens your documents. Pre-approval is what makes citizenship near-automatic on landing rather than a process you start after arrival.
OnlineWho: You, with the Jewish Agency or Nefesh B'NefeshCommonly 2–6 months of document work
3
Aliyah: land, then collect your biometric Teudat Zehut
You process with Misrad HaKlita on arrival and receive a Teudat Oleh and an ID number the same day. The biometric Teudat Zehut card is collected afterwards at a PIBA office — in Jerusalem, the Ministry of Interior branch, where appointments are booked online and go quickly.
In personWho: You, with Misrad HaKlita and PIBAID number same day; card within about three months
4
B/1: your employer files, not you
The employer applies to PIBA for permission to employ you. The expert track requires them to pay at least twice the average Israeli wage — from 1 January 2026 the average wage is ₪13,566, making the bar ₪27,132 a month gross — plus private medical insurance. The figure is reindexed each January, so verify the current one against the offer.
Via employerWho: Your employerSeveral weeks to a few months
5
Visitor: ETA-IL, then a B/2 stamp with no work rights
Most Western nationals get up to 90 days visa-free but must hold an approved ETA-IL before boarding. The B/2 covers tourism and business meetings only. Working for an Israeli entity on it is unlawful.
OnlineWho: YouETA-IL approval usually within about 72 hours

Documents you’ll need

Passport with substantial remaining validity
Aliyah: original lineage documents — birth and marriage certificates for you, parents and grandparents — plus a rabbinical letter where required
B/1: employer sponsorship and PIBA permit approval, a contract meeting the salary threshold, and proof of private health insurance
Apostilled police clearance certificate
Academic and professional credentials evidencing expert status for the expert track
ETA-IL approval for visa-exempt visitors

Things most newcomers don’t know

Ancestry decides your route, and nothing else does.

A newcomer with a Jewish grandparent gets citizenship, an ID card and an absorption grant within weeks. The identical candidate without one needs an employer, a permit and a salary above twice the national average. People routinely spend months on work-visa logistics without checking whether a family document would have made them a citizen — or assume aliyah is open to anyone relocating, which it is not.

Source: Law of Return 1950 as amended 1970; Nefesh B'Nefesh

The expert-worker salary bar is indexed, so last year's number is wrong.

The threshold is defined as twice the national average wage rather than as a fixed figure, and it moves every January. From 1 January 2026 the average wage is ₪13,566, so the bar is ₪27,132 a month gross. An offer negotiated against an older figure can fall under the line and sink the permit, and the permit fee is not refunded on refusal.

Source: PIBA foreign expert procedure

Jerusalem is a common landing city for olim, and that means real infrastructure — but also queues.

The city has a large, long-established immigrant absorption apparatus: ulpanim, Misrad HaKlita, Nefesh B'Nefesh events and neighbourhood-level Anglo networks in Baka, the German Colony and Katamon. The flip side is that the Jerusalem Interior Ministry branch serves a very large caseload, so book biometric and ID appointments the moment you have a date rather than after you have unpacked.

Source: Misrad HaKlita / PIBA Jerusalem branch practice

East Jerusalem's Palestinian residents hold a different legal status, and it is not a route for you.

Most are Israeli permanent residents rather than citizens, with their own ID documents, residency-maintenance rules and family-unification restrictions. It matters practically if you are marrying into, employing or renting from a family in that position, because the paperwork and the constraints are genuinely different — but it is not an immigration path a foreigner can use.

Source: Israeli permanent residency status in East Jerusalem

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming aliyah is available to anyone relocating to Israel — it is strictly ancestry- or spouse-based.
Working, or accepting local freelance work, on a B/2 visitor stamp. There is no digital-nomad visa.
Booking flights before the Jewish Agency or Nefesh B'Nefesh file is approved, which is what makes citizenship on arrival automatic.
Bringing photocopies or un-apostilled lineage and police documents — uncertified copies are refused.
Boarding without an approved ETA-IL, which visa-exempt nationals have needed since 1 January 2025.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.