Medical Tourism in Israel: A Guide for Non-Resident Patients

Roughly 50,000 non-residents travel to Israel each year specifically for medical treatment. The figure has grown steadily, driven by the combination of internationally accredited hospitals, specialties that are either unavailable or significantly more expensive elsewhere, and a medical workforce where English fluency is standard rather than exceptional. For the non-resident patient, the practical questions are not about whether Israeli medicine is credible — it is — but about how to access it from abroad, what it will cost, and what legal protections apply when you are a foreign national in an Israeli hospital.

This guide answers those questions in order.

Why Non-Residents Choose Israel for Treatment

Israeli medicine's strongest concentrations are in areas where outcomes and innovation both matter: oncology, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and fertility. Sheba Medical Center was ranked among the top ten hospitals globally by Newsweek in multiple recent surveys — a recognition that reflects research output as much as clinical volume.

For patients specifically: several treatment approaches available in Israel remain unapproved or hard to access in home countries. Israeli clinical trials in oncology and rare diseases attract non-resident patients whose home-country standard-of-care protocols have been exhausted. The fertility sector deserves separate mention — Israel's IVF legislation is among the most permissive globally, and the country performs more IVF cycles per capita than any other, with the clinical infrastructure and regulatory familiarity that concentration produces.

Cost is a factor too, in both directions. For patients from North America, Israeli private rates for complex procedures often sit significantly below US private-pay rates for comparable care. For patients from parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, the quality-to-cost ratio favours Israel over both domestic options and more expensive Western alternatives.

The Major Israeli Medical Centres

Three hospitals handle the largest volumes of international patients and operate the most developed international patient departments.

Sheba Medical Center (Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan — adjacent to Tel Aviv) is Israel's largest hospital and the one most frequently cited in international rankings. Its international patient division, the Global Health Division, manages pre-arrival coordination, treatment scheduling, and accommodation logistics. Oncology, cardiac surgery, bone marrow transplants, and complex paediatric cases are among its leading referral areas.

Hadassah Medical Center (Jerusalem — two campuses, Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus) is a teaching hospital affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its international patient unit is long-established and experienced with patients from the Middle East, North America, and Europe. Specialties with significant international referral volume include haematology, oncology, bone marrow transplantation, and neurology.

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov, Tel Aviv) is the largest hospital in Tel Aviv and a major destination for cardiac surgery, orthopaedics, and oncology. Its international patient department coordinates treatment and serves as the liaison between the treating physician and the patient's home-country medical team.

Other significant centres include Rambam Medical Center (Haifa), which serves as a regional trauma and referral hospital in the north, and Shaare Zedek Medical Center (Jerusalem), which has a strong international patient unit and specialises in internal medicine and obstetrics.

Planning Treatment from Abroad

International patient departments are the starting point. They manage pre-arrival logistics, confirm appointment availability, provide cost estimates, and designate a medical coordinator who is the patient's point of contact from initial inquiry through discharge.

Initial inquiry. Most departments accept written inquiries by email with a summary of the patient's current diagnosis, recent test results, imaging (CT, MRI, PET) on disc or digital upload, and a referral letter from the home-country physician if available. The department forwards this to the relevant specialist for an opinion on whether and how Israeli treatment adds value. This initial review typically takes 5–14 days and often comes at no cost for established hospitals.

Pre-arrival documentation. Once a treatment plan is agreed, the hospital will issue a treatment plan and cost estimate. The patient is required to pay a deposit before arrival — the amount depends on the treatment type and hospital, but typically runs USD 5,000–15,000 for outpatient treatment courses and USD 20,000–50,000 or more for major inpatient surgical procedures. The deposit is applied against the final bill; any unused balance is refunded.

Medical facilitators. A secondary market of medical tourism facilitators — companies that coordinate between foreign patients and Israeli hospitals — operates alongside the hospitals' own international departments. Facilitators can add value for patients who need translation support, accommodation arrangement, or coordination across multiple specialties. They add a commercial layer, and their quoted prices should always be verified directly against the hospital's own cost estimate.

In Practice: Under the Patient Rights Law 1996 (Chok Zchuyot HaChole), Section 13, every patient — including a foreign national — must receive a written estimate of the expected costs of treatment before admission to an Israeli medical institution. This requirement applies to private-pay patients and cannot be waived by the hospital. The written estimate (hafnaya) must itemise the main anticipated charges: specialist fees, operating theatre fees, anaesthesia, inpatient room category, and any specialist equipment. At Sheba Medical Center and Hadassah, initial specialist consultations for international patients run NIS 1,500–2,800 (approximately USD 400–750); a standard orthopaedic surgery inpatient admission for a hip or knee replacement runs approximately USD 18,000–30,000 all-inclusive at private rates. Disputes over billing that exceed the written estimate can be brought to the hospital's patient rights officer (memune zchuyot hachola) — each Israeli hospital is legally required to designate one under Section 21 of the same law.

Visa and Entry for Medical Patients

Citizens of most Western countries enter Israel without a pre-arranged visa — the United States, United Kingdom, European Union member states, Canada, and Australia are all covered by bilateral visa-exemption arrangements. Entry is on a standard tourist entry permit, typically valid for 90 days.

For treatment that fits within 90 days, no special visa arrangement is needed. The patient enters as a tourist and is treated as a private-pay patient.

In Practice: Under Section 3B of the Entry to Israel Law 1952 (Chok HaKnisa LeYisrael), a non-resident may apply for an extension of their stay for medical reasons through the Population and Immigration Authority (Reshut HaHagirah VeHaAliya). The application must be submitted before the original entry permit expires — ideally 2–3 weeks before — at the authority's local office or, for some nationalities, online. The extension application requires a letter from the treating Israeli hospital or physician confirming the ongoing medical need, the expected treatment duration, and the patient's appointment schedule. Extensions for documented medical treatment are routinely granted in 90-day increments, and there is no fixed statutory maximum for ongoing treatment. Processing takes approximately 14–21 days from submission of a complete application.

For patients from countries that do require a pre-arranged visa to enter Israel (several Middle Eastern, African, and Asian nationalities), the Israeli consulate in the patient's home country processes medical visas on presentation of a letter of acceptance from the treating hospital. Processing times vary by consulate and should be initiated at least 4–6 weeks before the planned travel date.

Your Rights as a Foreign Patient

The Patient Rights Law 1996 is the governing statute for all patients in Israeli medical institutions, and it makes no distinction between Israeli citizens and foreign nationals. Its protections apply in full to non-resident patients.

Key rights under the law:

Informed consent. Under Section 13 of the Patient Rights Law 1996, no medical procedure may be performed without the patient's informed consent. Informed consent requires the physician to explain the diagnosis, the proposed treatment, the expected outcomes and risks, alternative treatments, and the consequences of declining treatment — all in a language the patient understands. A general admission consent form does not satisfy this requirement for specific procedures. Each significant procedure requires its own consent process.

Right to medical records. Under Section 17, patients are entitled to copies of their complete medical records upon request. Major Israeli hospitals provide international patients with records in English as standard practice through their international departments. Imaging (CT, MRI, PET) should be requested on CD or via digital transfer before discharge; retrieving imaging remotely is slower and requires specific authorisation forms.

Right to a second opinion. Section 16 explicitly guarantees the right to seek a second medical opinion. A hospital cannot condition continued treatment on the patient's waiver of this right.

Patient rights officer. Every Israeli hospital is legally required to designate a memune zchuyot hachola (patient rights officer). This person handles complaints, billing disputes, and access-to-records requests. For non-resident patients with concerns during treatment, the patient rights officer is the first internal escalation point — faster than legal proceedings and typically effective for procedural complaints.

IVF and Fertility Treatment

Israel's fertility sector warrants specific attention because it operates under a statutory framework that is substantively different from most countries.

The National Health Insurance Law 1994 funds IVF for Israeli residents up to two live births, an entitlement that does not extend to non-residents. Non-residents pay private rates: a complete IVF cycle including monitoring, egg retrieval, embryo transfer, and medication typically costs USD 4,000–8,000 depending on the clinic and protocol.

What draws non-residents is less the cost than the regulatory environment. Israel permits IVF for single women, same-sex couples, and patients up to age 54 (in some cases higher with medical approval) — categories that face restrictions or outright prohibition in many home countries. Egg donation, embryo donation, and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) are all conducted within a regulated framework supervised by the Ministry of Health.

Surrogacy in Israel is governed by the Embryo Carrying Agreements Law 1996, substantially amended in 2022 to permit same-sex male couples and single men to commission surrogacy. A critical limitation for non-residents: under the law, the gestational surrogate must be an Israeli citizen. Non-residents who wish to use Israeli surrogacy must therefore work with an Israeli surrogate under Israeli oversight — a process with specific legal formalities and approval requirements from a designated government committee (va'ada me'asheret). This pathway exists but is complex and requires Israeli legal guidance from the outset.

Coordinating Follow-Up Care from Abroad

Discharge is not the end of the medical relationship. For non-resident patients returning home after treatment, the coordination between Israeli treating physicians and home-country practitioners is a practical necessity.

Request before discharge:

• Complete discharge summary in English, including diagnosis, procedure performed, operative report (for surgical cases), medications prescribed, and follow-up recommendations
• All pathology and laboratory results in English
• Imaging on CD or via secure digital transfer
• A contact email for the treating physician or department for follow-up questions
• The international patient department's contact for any administrative matters after discharge

Israeli hospitals — particularly those with developed international patient departments — are accustomed to providing English-language documentation and maintaining communication with foreign medical teams for ongoing cases. For oncology and haematology patients, the treating Israeli centre often remains a formal part of the care team even after the patient returns home, conducting virtual consultations and reviewing treatment at intervals.

What Frequently Goes Wrong

Common Mistake: Non-resident patients who receive a package price from a medical tourism facilitator and treat it as a firm commitment sometimes find the final Israeli hospital bill significantly higher. Facilitator quotes frequently exclude anaesthetist fees (billed separately by the anaesthetist as an independent practitioner), post-operative specialist consultations, laboratory fees not included in the surgical package, and room category upgrades if the quoted room type was unavailable. Under the Patient Rights Law 1996, Section 13, the patient's right to a written cost estimate runs against the hospital — not the facilitator. Obtaining the estimate directly from the hospital's international patient department before signing any facilitator agreement, and confirming that the facilitator's quote is consistent with the hospital's own estimate, is the only reliable way to establish what the treatment will actually cost.

Practical Checklist

• Contact the international patient department of the target hospital directly — do not rely solely on a facilitator's description of the hospital's services
• Request a written, itemised cost estimate from the hospital before arrival, covering all anticipated charges including specialist fees, anaesthesia, theatre, room, and post-operative care
• Confirm your country's entry requirements for Israel well in advance — most Western nationalities enter visa-free; others require pre-arranged medical visas
• For stays expected to exceed 90 days, initiate the visa extension application through the Population and Immigration Authority at least three weeks before the original entry permit expires
• Arrange travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and on-the-ground private medical costs in Israel — most standard travel policies exclude pre-existing conditions
• Before each significant procedure, confirm that proper informed consent has been obtained in a language you understand — do not sign general admission consent as a substitute for procedure-specific consent
• Request complete discharge documentation in English before leaving the hospital — do not wait to request records from abroad
• Designate a family member or local contact in Israel who can liaise with the hospital in your absence or in an emergency

Speak With an Israeli Attorney

Non-resident patients navigating billing disputes, visa extension applications, access-to-records requests, or more complex matters involving surrogacy arrangements require legal assistance that understands both Israeli medical law and the practical realities of acting from abroad.

Contact us for a confidential initial consultation.