After seven years managing Aliyah shipments through Israeli customs, the single most important thing I can tell you is this: customs clearance is won or lost at origin, not at the port. By the time your container reaches Ashdod, it's too late to fix a missing document without paying for it — literally.
This checklist is structured around your sailing date, not your arrival date. That's the right way to think about it.
This guide covers Olim Chadashim — new immigrants making Aliyah for the first time. If you are a Toshav Chozer (returning resident), Ezrach Oleh, or Katin Chozer, your rights package is similar but the specific documents differ slightly. If you're moving on a B-1 work visa rather than Aliyah, see our separate guide for work visa holders.
First: understand your customs rights
As an Oleh Chadash, Israeli customs gives you significant import benefits designed to help you set up your home. Understanding the framework before you pack is as important as any specific document.
The three-shipment rule
You can import up to three shipments of any size, duty-free, within three years of your Aliyah date. What you carry on your Aliyah flight does not count as one of these three shipments. Your shipments can originate from any country — not only the country from which you made Aliyah.
If a single shipment is larger than one full container, it counts as two shipments — unless both containers arrive on the same ship and clear customs simultaneously.
What is and isn't exempt
- Furniture for household use
- Clothing, linens, kitchen utensils
- Books, pictures, decorations, media
- One of each appliance type — fridge, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, oven
- Two computers per family
- Two televisions per family
- Carpeting up to 25% of your Israeli home's floor area
- Air conditioners, fans, and heaters relative to room count
- New electronics and appliances — receipt required even if exempt from duty
- New furniture — receipt required
- More than one of any appliance type
- Office or manufacturing equipment
- Commercial goods of any kind
- More than 5 mobile phones (requires Ministry of Communications approval)
- Gas grills (requires Standards Institute certification)
All goods imported under Aliyah customs rights must remain in your possession for at least six years from the date of import. If you sell, give away, or transfer ownership of exempt goods before six years, you owe depreciated taxes to the Israel Tax Authority (Meches). The exception is a car, which must stay in your possession for five years. This applies even if you later leave Israel.
The checklist — organised by when you need it
Most document problems happen because families think about customs documents in terms of what to bring, not when to have it ready. Below is every document you need, with the honest deadline for each one.
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These are the foundation of your customs file. Without them, the file cannot be opened. Start gathering these the moment you have an Aliyah approval date — some take weeks to obtain or update.
- Valid foreign passport — including the page with your Aliyah visa stamp. Both spouses if married.Must be valid through your expected container clearance date, not just your Aliyah flight.
- Teudat Oleh (new immigrant booklet) — issued at Ben Gurion Airport on arrival.You won't have this before you land. Plan your container arrival 3–4 weeks after your Aliyah date so you have time to forward it to your shipping agent.
- Teudat Zehut (Israeli identity card) — issued at arrival or shortly after.Required for the customs file, but your agent can begin preparation without it — just get it to them as soon as you receive it.
- Israeli passport — if you already hold one (Ezrach Oleh or Katin Chozer status).
- Spouse's passport — required for all married couples, even if goods are in one name only.Many families overlook this. A missing spouse passport has delayed clearance by weeks.
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These documents are prepared by you and your shipping agent together. The packing inventory is the most commonly incomplete document in any delayed shipment — do not treat it as a formality.
- Detailed packing inventory — every box itemised with contents, quantities, and approximate values.Not "household goods." Not "personal effects." Every item, every box. Israeli customs will flag any inventory that isn't specific. For new items, include make and model number.
- Bill of lading — issued by your shipping agent when the container is loaded. They provide this automatically, but confirm it's in your file before sailing.
- Israeli Customs Form MB165 — the authorization for your customs agent to act on your behalf.This can now be submitted digitally via the World Gate portal, or signed manually. Your agent will provide the form. Sign it and return it immediately — don't let it sit.
- Electronic Power of Attorney (ePOA) — separate from MB165, authorising customs broker. Your agent will assist with this.
- Receipts for new or recently purchased items — anything bought in the last 12–18 months, especially electronics, appliances, and furniture.Even if the item is exempt from duty, customs requires proof of purchase value for new goods. Photograph receipts and store digitally before shipping.
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Customs requires proof that you have an address in Israel to receive your goods. This is more flexible than it sounds — a signed lease, a purchase contract, or even a letter from a relative confirming you're staying with them can suffice. But it needs to be real and available.
- Israeli lease agreement or purchase contract — the most straightforward proof of address.If you haven't signed a lease yet, a letter of intent or a letter from the property owner is acceptable in most cases. Speak to your agent about alternatives if your housing isn't sorted before the ship sails.
- Arnona bill (municipal tax bill) — accepted as proof of residence if you've been in Israel long enough to receive one.
- Relative's address letter — if staying with family initially, a signed letter from them confirming the arrangement works as a temporary measure.
arrival
When you land as an Oleh Chadash, you will receive several documents at the airport that your customs agent needs as quickly as possible. Do not file them away and forget about them.
- Teudat Oleh — your new immigrant booklet. Photograph and email this to your shipping agent the same day or the next morning.This is the document that proves your Aliyah date to customs. Your customs file cannot be finalised without it. Every day it takes to reach your agent is a day of potential delay at the port.
- Ministry of Aliyah and Integration certification — confirms your Aliyah status to customs. Usually forwarded automatically by the ministry, but your agent should confirm this is in place.
- Temporary Teudat Zehut — the temporary ID issued at the airport. Forward a photograph to your agent immediately; the permanent version comes later.
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after
This is the timing insight that prevents more delays than any document. Your container should be timed to arrive 3–4 weeks after your Aliyah date — not before, not on the same day.
If the container arrives before you land, your Teudat Oleh doesn't exist yet and the file cannot be completed. If it arrives the same week you land, you're scrambling to forward documents while simultaneously dealing with the chaos of your first days in a new country.
A 3–4 week buffer gives you time to land, receive your documents at the airport, forward them to your agent, and have a complete, clean file ready before the demurrage clock even starts ticking.
In summer (June–August), extend this buffer to 5–6 weeks. Customs processing times at Ashdod roughly double during peak Aliyah season.
Special situations — what changes
If spouses have different Aliyah status
If one spouse is an Oleh Chadash and the other has a different status (Toshav Chozer, or a non-Jewish spouse), you can only open one customs file per family. Open the file under the person with the larger rights package — typically the Oleh Chadash. You will need both passports present for the file to be processed. Speak to your customs agent about this before the container ships.
If you're bringing a car
Importing a car under Aliyah rights is a separate, parallel process to your household goods. The car must meet Israeli Ministry of Transport standards — including ESP (Electronic Stability Protection) and, if it doesn't have Mobileye installed, that must be added before the car can be released from customs. Critically, MOT does not offer pre-approval. Send your agent the car's full specifications before you ship — they can assess eligibility, but it is not guaranteed until customs sees the vehicle.
If you're shipping from multiple countries
Your three Aliyah shipments can originate from any country, not just the country you made Aliyah from. If you have belongings in storage in two countries, you can ship both under the same rights package. Your customs file covers all three shipments — keep your agent informed of any additional shipments so the file stays current.
If some goods are new (purchased in last 12–18 months)
New items are not automatically exempt, even within the general categories. Customs requires receipts for anything new — especially electronics, appliances, and furniture. Before you pack, go through your inventory and identify anything purchased recently. Photograph or scan every receipt and store them in a dedicated folder you can access and forward quickly. A missing receipt for a new appliance can hold up an entire container.
The one thing most families get wrong
Almost every delayed Aliyah shipment we've dealt with comes down to one of two things: an inventory that wasn't specific enough, or a Teudat Oleh that wasn't forwarded to the agent quickly enough.
Both of these are entirely preventable. The inventory should be prepared carefully with your shipping agent well before the container is packed — not written in a rush the day the packing crew arrives. The Teudat Oleh should be photographed at the airport and emailed before you leave Ben Gurion.
If you do both of those things, and your container is timed to arrive 3–4 weeks after you land, you will almost certainly have a smooth clearance. Not because the Israeli customs system is easy — it isn't — but because a complete, correctly timed file gives it nothing to find.
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