Extended Stay & Living Q&A

A clergy member invited to serve a recognised religious community in Israel applies for an A/3 clergy visa under the Entry to Israel Law 1952. It is not a tourist visa and not a general work permit. A recognised religious institution must invite and sponsor the applicant, and the Population and Immigration Authority issues the visa for up to one year at a time, renewable while the person continues to serve that community.

It can, in two directions. Spending more days in Israel reduces your UK day count, which under the Statutory Residence Test may push you toward becoming UK non-resident, especially if you also cut your UK ties. At the same time, extended time in Israel can make you Israeli tax resident under the 183-day and 425-day presumptions, so you risk being resident in both places. Where that happens, the UK-Israel tax treaty tiebreaker decides which country wins. Both day counts need watching, not just one.

Yes. The Income Tax Ordinance 1961 counts every day of physical presence in Israel toward the residency day-count presumptions, and there is no carve-out for days spent receiving medical treatment. Extended treatment can therefore push a non-resident over the 183-day line or the 425-day three-year threshold. Those presumptions are rebuttable, though, and the underlying 'centre of life' test still governs, so someone whose life remains abroad can usually displace the presumption with evidence.

No. Buying an apartment or a house in Israel gives you full property rights but no immigration status, no residency, and no right to work. Entry and stay are governed by the Entry into Israel Law 1952, and a foreign owner still enters as a tourist on a B/2 visa, normally for up to 90 days at the border officer's discretion. Israel has no golden visa or investor-residency scheme. The only routes to status are the Law of Return or a family or humanitarian permit.

The ETA-IL is Israel's electronic travel authorization, mandatory since 1 January 2025 for citizens of visa-exempt countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and the EU who visit for tourism, business, or family for up to 90 days. It is not a visa but an online pre-screening you must obtain before you fly, for a fee of about NIS 25. Approval is valid for two years or until your passport expires, and airlines will deny boarding to anyone travelling without it.

Yes. A non-resident can buy a prepaid Israeli SIM or eSIM with just a passport, usually the same day, at an airport kiosk, a carrier shop, or online, with monthly packages commonly around NIS 50 to 99. Postpaid contract lines are harder because carriers run an Israeli identity and credit check, so most non-residents stay on prepaid. An Israeli mobile number matters more than people expect, because Israeli bank two-factor codes and many government services send verification texts only to a local number.

Usually not by civil ceremony, because Israel has no civil marriage: weddings are performed only through recognised religious authorities, chiefly the Chief Rabbinate for Jews, under the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction (Marriage and Divorce) Law 1953. A Jewish couple who can prove their status and eligibility can marry through the Rabbinate, but a couple who cannot, including interfaith couples, generally marry civilly abroad and then register the marriage with the Ministry of Interior. For most non-resident couples the practical answer is to marry outside Israel and register it here.

A new immigrant (oleh) can convert a valid foreign licence to an Israeli one, usually without the theory test but with an eye exam and a short practical test. You may drive on the foreign licence during a grace period, commonly the first year, but must convert before it ends to keep driving legally. The process runs through the Licensing Authority (Rashut HaRishui) at the Ministry of Transport under the Traffic Regulations 1961.

Yes. The Canada Pension Plan is contribution-based, not residence-based, so there is no residence test to keep receiving it abroad, and Service Canada will deposit it into an Israeli account. Canada generally applies non-resident withholding tax at a statutory 25%, subject to reduction or reallocation under the Canada-Israel tax treaty. On the Israeli side, a new immigrant is exempt from Israeli tax on the pension for ten years under Section 14 of the Income Tax Ordinance 1961, so an oleh commonly pays no Israeli tax on CPP during that period.

Yes. Since 2025 Israel requires an Electronic Travel Authorization, the ETA-IL, from visa-exempt travellers including UK citizens, and it must be held before boarding. It costs NIS 25, is usually approved within 72 hours, and stays valid for two years or until the passport expires, allowing tourist stays of up to 90 days per entry. It is not a visa; admission is still granted at the border officer's discretion under the Entry into Israel Law 1952, and dual Israeli citizens are exempt.

Yes. A B/2 tourist entry is granted by a border officer of the Population and Immigration Authority under the Entry into Israel Law 1952, not guaranteed by your passport, so a visa-exempt national can still be turned away at Ben Gurion. The usual triggers are a suspected intent to work or settle, a prior overstay, thin proof of onward travel or funds, or an unclear purpose for repeated long stays. A refusal can be challenged, and preparing your documentation before you fly is the best protection.

Yes, if you built up entitlement to the Israeli old-age pension (kitzvat ziknah) as an insured resident, the National Insurance Institute generally pays it to you while you live in Canada, and the Canada-Israel social security agreement helps bridge contribution gaps. Israel does not tax the National Insurance old-age pension, but Canada taxes it as foreign pension income on your T1. The pension can be paid to a foreign or Israeli account once your entitlement and identity are confirmed.