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Converting your licence, your degree and your income

Work and licensing

Regulated professions each have their own ministry, exam and Hebrew requirement, and some take years. Your driving licence has two separate clocks people constantly confuse. Start the slow ones early.

Watch the clock here

  • Stop driving on your foreign licence

    You may drive on a foreign licence for 1 year from your last entry. After that your insurance is void, even though you still have time to convert.

  • Convert your driver licence

    No test required if you held a valid Category B licence continuously for 5 years before aliyah. Described by one specialist guide as the most frustrating step of the whole process.

Your plan turns these into real dates counted from your aliyah day.

The fees in this area

Every fee, on your own dates

The steps in this domain (8)

  • 1
    Misrad HaRishuiIn person

    Stop driving on your foreign licence

    You may drive on a foreign licence for 1 year from your last entry. After that your insurance is void, even though you still have time to convert.

  • 2
    Misrad HaRishuiIn person

    Convert your driver licence

    No test required if you held a valid Category B licence continuously for 5 years before aliyah. Described by one specialist guide as the most frustrating step of the whole process.

  • 3
    In person

    Start your professional licence conversion

    Regulated professions each have their own ministry, exam and Hebrew requirement. The runway is measured in months to years, so start early.

  • 4
    VAT office, Israel Tax Authority, Bituach LeumiIn person

    Register as an osek (self-employed)

    Register in the right order: VAT office, then Income Tax, then Bituach Leumi, then invoicing. Doing it out of order creates rework.

  • 5
    Registrar of Companies

    Register a chevra be-am (private limited company)

    Incorporation itself is quick and cheap. The real bottleneck is the corporate bank account, which Israeli banks scrutinise hard for a company without a local director.

  • 6
    Ministry of Health, nursing divisionIn person

    Prove Hebrew proficiency to finalise your nursing licence

    You may sit the nursing licensing exam in English, Arabic, Russian or Spanish, but the licence is not final until you separately prove Hebrew proficiency within 3 years.

  • 7
    Ministry of Aliyah and Integration (routing since Jan 2025)

    Decide whether you need formal degree recognition (Gimul Hashkala)

    Public-sector salary scales require formal degree recognition. Most private-sector employers do not, so confirm which one applies before you queue for it.

  • 8

    Rework your CV and salary expectations for the Israeli market

    A Western "Vice President" title can backfire here, and the gap between your old salary and a realistic Israeli offer is the income shock most olim report first.

Resources (44)

Guide17

  • Hebrew proficiency for foreign-educated nurses

    You may sit the licensing exam in several languages, but a Hebrew proficiency requirement follows within three years. Nurses routinely underestimate this.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-07-21

  • Admission routes for foreign lawyers

    Two paths depending on years of practice abroad, plus a lighter registration as a foreign licensed lawyer that avoids full requalification.

    By Israel Bar Association · checked 2026-07-21

  • Osek patur and osek murshe explained

    Which self-employed status you qualify for, the turnover ceiling, and the order to register in. Doing it out of order creates rework.

    By CPA Dray · checked 2026-07-21

  • Converting your licence: the practical walkthrough

    The steps in order, the medical form, the test-exemption rules, and the difference between how long you may drive on a foreign licence and how long you have to convert it.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh, Do-Israel · checked 2026-07-21

  • Adjusting your CV for the Israeli market

    What Israeli employers expect on a resume and what to cut. The norms differ enough from the US and UK to cost interviews.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-07-21

  • Starting a business or company in Israel

    What an Israeli limited company (chevra ba’m) involves versus self-employed status, and the registration sequence for each.

    By Menora Law, Law Offices · checked 2026-07-21

  • Degree recognition and the 2025 rule change

    Olim arriving from January 2025 apply through the Ministry of Aliyah portal and receive an ishur within 45 working days. Earlier arrivals go via the Ministry of Education. Online health and psychology degrees are usually rejected.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-07-27

  • Medical licensing for physicians

    The programme run with the Ministries of Aliyah and Health for doctors making aliyah. Available in six languages including Ukrainian.

    By International Medical Aliyah Program · checked 2026-07-27

  • Haaretz: aliyah

    Immigration demography, the post-2022 Russian wave, Israeli work culture as new immigrants experience it, and emigration. The reporting nobody selling aliyah wants to publish.

    By Haaretz · checked 2026-08-03

  • Unemployment: why year one is uncovered

    Five conditions: residency or a valid permit, age 20 to 67, laid off rather than on unpaid leave, registered with the Employment Service, and the qualifying period. Self-employed people, controlling shareholders in closed corporations, kibbutz members and those in active service are excluded outright.

    By National Insurance Institute · checked 2026-08-04

  • Licensing as a physician

    Foreign graduates apply by post, then receive a mailed invitation to sit the state exam. Four routes by seniority, including tracks that waive the internship or, at 14+ years qualified, alter the requirements.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-08-04

  • Licensing as an immigrant nurse

    Covers recognition for registered and practical nurses separately, temporary permit versus permanent licence, Hebrew proficiency, the state board exam for nurses trained abroad, a consultation line and the "Mithadshim" integration project.

    By Ministry of Health, Nursing Division · checked 2026-08-04

  • Allied-health recognition without a degree

    Under the temporary Fourth Amendment provision, the Licensure Division may recognise foreign non-degree studies for these four professions, provided the diploma came from a recognised institution and the origin country recognises it for practice.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-08-04

  • Licensing as a pharmacist

    Foreign-university graduates complete a six-month Israeli internship before the exam. An alternative route accepts a foreign licence plus certified proof of at least one year of employment, considered case by case.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-08-04

  • Licensing as a psychologist

    Governed by the Psychologists Law 1977. Levels are Psychologist, Specialist (including clinical) and Supervisor. Only licensed psychologists may practise psychotherapy.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-08-04

  • Licensing as a dentist

    Four conditions: no criminal record, dental training, passing the government exams, and citizenship or residency. The 2016 exemption regulations waive the exam for dentists with five-plus years of qualifying practice abroad.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-08-04

  • The Ministry of Education Hebrew wall

    The Division of Examinations, Degrees and Education Certificates handles foreign secondary-education certificate recognition, the route for an oleh teenager’s foreign diploma. It has no English version, and neither does the parents’ portal where the school health declaration and bagrut dates live.

    By Ministry of Education · checked 2026-08-04

Directory6

  • Janglo job center

    English-language classifieds and jobs concentrated in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, running since 2001, with a weekly newsletter reaching more than 50,000 addresses.

    By Janglo · checked 2026-07-27

  • Health professions licensing: the index

    Covers medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, optometry and more, plus fee payment and the licensed-practitioner lookup.

    By Ministry of Health · checked 2026-08-04

  • AllJobs

    Israel’s biggest general-purpose job board, with openings in every sector. Hebrew-first, so pair it with translation.

    By AllJobs · checked 2026-08-04

  • Drushim

    A large general job board, strong across administrative, retail, logistics and professional roles. Hebrew-first.

    By Drushim · checked 2026-08-04

  • Yad2 Jobs

    The employment vertical of Yad2, good for local and non-corporate openings that the big boards under-list.

    By Yad2 · checked 2026-08-04

  • LinkedIn Jobs

    The dominant channel for tech, startup and multinational roles in Israel, and fully usable in English. Networking matters as much as the listings here.

    By LinkedIn · checked 2026-08-04

Tool2

  • The olim job board

    Roles from employers who already hire English-speaking olim, which removes the biggest unknown in an Israeli job search.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-07-27

  • Secret Tel Aviv

    A jobs board and city guide for internationals in the Tel Aviv area, with practical explainers on visas, banking and apartment hunting. Free for job seekers.

    By Secret Tel Aviv · checked 2026-08-03

App3

  • AllJobs

    The biggest Israeli job board. Android app and web at alljobs.co.il.

    By AllJobs · checked 2026-08-05

  • Drushim

    A large Israeli job portal. Android app and web at drushim.co.il.

    By Drushim · checked 2026-08-05

  • levels.fyi

    Compensation data with an Israel jobs board. Web.

    By levels.fyi · checked 2026-08-05

Organisation7

  • Employment and recruitment services for olim

    Placement support, employer connections and sector guidance, at no cost. One of the most concrete free services in the whole pipeline.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-07-21

  • Employment services and career retraining

    The employment hub: CV adaptation, recruitment submission and short-term training programmes aimed at getting olim into Israeli roles faster.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-07-27

  • Hebrew and support for physician olim

    Run by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. Registration for the physicians’ Hebrew proficiency exam, administered by the Ministry of Education, opened in June 2026, and proof of Hebrew is required to obtain a licence or begin an internship.

    By Ministry of Aliyah and Integration · checked 2026-08-04

  • Gvahim

    Subsidised career programmes with mentoring, workshops, employer introductions and an alumni network. Tracks include an online morning course, an intensive evening course, a Jerusalem programme with the municipality, and a tech track for engineers and data scientists.

    By Gvahim · checked 2026-08-04

  • Nefesh B'Nefesh employment services

    The employment arm behind the aliyah-flight brand: the job board, career guidance for a transfer or pivot, and the Career UpGrade retraining programmes.

    By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-08-04

  • Olim.Tech

    An Israel Innovation Authority backed initiative that sources and matches experienced olim software developers into Israeli tech companies, with mentorship and employer introductions.

    By Olim.Tech · checked 2026-08-14

  • Kav LaOved (Worker’s Hotline)

    A hotline, reception hours, a "calculate your rights" tool and legal advocacy for wage theft, unfair dismissal and unsafe conditions, for any worker in Israel.

    By Kav LaOved · checked 2026-08-04

Official form3

  • Convert a foreign driving licence

    The official service page for licence conversion, including the medical declaration form.

    By Ministry of Transport · checked 2026-07-21

  • Foreign degree evaluation

    Recognition of a foreign degree, which affects public-sector rank and salary. The route changed in 2025, so older guidance you find elsewhere may be wrong.

    By Ministry of Aliyah and Integration · checked 2026-07-21

  • Recognising a foreign degree

    The evaluation compares your degree to Israeli equivalents for salary ranking in the public sector. Submitted online through your olim personal-area account.

    By Ministry of Aliyah and Integration · checked 2026-08-04

Course3

  • BuildHaifa: Citizen AI

    A Haifa reskilling program teaching people to build AI agents, automations and products over 16 weeks, ending in a project deployed inside a host organisation rather than a certificate. Aimed at displaced tech workers, new graduates, immigrants and career-changers.

    By BuildHaifa · checked 2026-08-04

  • YuriKruman.com career and AI training

    Coaching and training programs focused on career strategy, leadership and building with AI, aimed at professionals adapting to how the job market is changing.

    By Yuri Kruman · checked 2026-08-04

  • Israel Tech Challenge (ITC)

    Intensive developer and data-science programs aimed at people eligible for aliyah, roughly 18 to 30, that launch a career in Israeli hi-tech. Recognised by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, with MASA and new-immigrant scholarships. A common route for US, UK and other graduates into Startup Nation.

    By Israel Tech Challenge · checked 2026-08-06

Community2

  • Nevo Network

    A selective community of olim in tech, 175 members across 26 nationalities. The open door for a newcomer is Nevo Advisors, free time with someone who has done the job search here; the Fellowship is by recommendation only.

    By Nevo Network · checked 2026-08-04

  • Gaya

    Launched in mid-2026 with an $800,000 grant from the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, built and run by the Nevo Network team.

    By Nevo Network / Ministry of Aliyah and Integration · checked 2026-08-14

Grant1

  • Klita professional-training voucher

    A Ministry of Aliyah subsidy toward an approved professional or vocational course: up to 80% of the price, to a cap of 7,000 NIS, for olim within 10 years with Ulpan Alef Hebrew, in high-demand fields.

    By Ministry of Aliyah and Integration · checked 2026-08-04

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