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Choosing a fund, and one window that quietly closes
Health
Registering with a kupat cholim is straightforward. The part almost nobody is told: join supplemental insurance within your first 90 days and the waiting periods are waived. Miss it and they apply in full.
Watch the clock here
Join supplemental health insurance within 90 days
Join Shaban inside your first 90 days and the standard 6 to 12 month waiting periods are waived. Miss it and they apply in full.
Your plan turns these into real dates counted from your aliyah day.
The steps in this domain (2)
- Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet or Leumit, via Bituach LeumiIn person
Choose and join a kupat cholim
You can register at the airport desk straight after passport control, or later at any Israel Post branch by appointment.
- Your kupat cholim
Join supplemental health insurance within 90 days
Join Shaban inside your first 90 days and the standard 6 to 12 month waiting periods are waived. Miss it and they apply in full.
Resources (4)
- GuideExternal
Supplemental health insurance and the 90-day window
Join within your first 90 days and the standard waiting periods are waived. The window does not reopen and nobody writes to tell you it started.
By Yad L'Olim · checked 2026-07-21
- GuideExternal
Choosing between the four health funds
What Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet and Leumit each offer, and how to register.
By Nefesh B'Nefesh · checked 2026-07-21
- GuideExternal
Bituach Leumi for new immigrants
What national insurance covers, when contributions begin for a new oleh, and how registration connects to your health fund.
By CWS Israel · checked 2026-07-21
- Official formExternal
Health fund registration and the 90-day rule
Olim with no income, or under NIS 688 a month as of January 2026, are exempt from health contributions for six months, extendable to twelve while receiving Misrad HaKlita support.
By National Insurance Institute · checked 2026-07-27
See where this fits in your timeline
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