What the Teudat Oleh is
Olim who arrive on an aliyah flight receive the Teudat Oleh at the airport, from Misrad HaKlita (the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration), together with a temporary Teudat Zehut and the first sal klita payment. Nefesh B’Nefesh calls it the oleh benefits booklet: it is not an identity card, it is proof of your status as an oleh chadash and a record of the rights you use.
Two details on it matter again and again: your mispar zehut (Israeli ID number) and your date of aliyah (תאריך עלייה). Many benefit clocks start on that date, for example the five years you have to convert a foreign driver’s license and the first 24 months, within which you can use the arnona discount for one 12-month period.
Not everyone gets a Teudat Oleh. Someone with an Ezrach Oleh or Katin Chozer status receives a Teudat Zakaut (תעודת זכאות) instead, and former A-1 temporary residents and people making aliyah after a spouse do not receive their booklet at the airport. Nefesh B’Nefesh’s first-steps page explains which office handles each status.
Where you will be asked for it
Take the booklet, and a photocopy, to every one of these. What each office does with it comes from Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Tax Authority’s Form 101.
| Where | Why they ask | What you may hear |
|---|---|---|
| The bank | Opening your first account. Teudat Oleh holders can often open one within 30 days of arrival even before they have a Teudat Zehut. | יש לך תעודת עולה? |
| Misrad HaKlita | Your first meeting: sal klita payment dates and your ulpan referral. | תביאו את תעודת העולה ואת תעודת הזהות |
| Kupat cholim branch | Finishing the health fund registration you started at the airport. | יש לך את טופס הרישום? |
| The municipality | The oleh discount on arnona, together with a rental contract of at least 12 months. | צריך תעודת עולה וחוזה שכירות |
| Your employer | Form 101, section ח: the line for a new immigrant says a copy of the Teudat Oleh must be attached. | תצרף / תצרפי צילום של תעודת העולה |
| Misrad HaRishui | Converting a foreign driver’s license, within five years of the aliyah date written in the booklet. | תעודת עולה ורישיון זר, מקור וצילום |
The Hebrew around the Teudat Oleh
Words you will read on forms and hear at the counter when your oleh status comes up.
- תעודת עולהteudat olehThe oleh certificate: the benefits booklet from Misrad HaKlita.
- תעודת זכאותteudat zakautCertificate of eligibility. For an Ezrach Oleh or Katin Chozer it replaces the Teudat Oleh.The same words also name the mortgage eligibility certificate that olim get through the banks. Context tells you which one is meant.
- עולה חדש / עולה חדשהoleh chadash / olah chadashaNew immigrant, man / woman. The plural is עולים חדשים (olim chadashim).
- אזרח עולהezrach olehA citizen from birth (for example, born abroad to an Israeli parent) who comes to live in Israel with oleh rights.
- קטין חוזרkatin chozerReturning minor: someone who left Israel as a child and comes back as an adult.
- תושב חוזרtoshav chozerReturning resident. A separate status with its own, different benefits.
- תאריך עלייהtaarich aliyaDate of aliyah. Forms often spell it with one yod: תאריך עליה.
- מספר זהותmispar zehutYour nine-digit Israeli ID number, printed in the booklet.
- משרד העלייה והקליטהmisrad ha-aliya ve-ha-klitaMinistry of Aliyah and Integration, which issues the booklet. Everyone says משרד הקליטה.
- זכויותzchuyotRights, entitlements. A clerk may ask which rights you have already used.
- הטבהhatavaA benefit or discount, such as the arnona discount or the customs benefit.
- מעמדmaamadStatus, as in your immigration status (oleh, ezrach oleh, katin chozer).
- יועץ קליטה / יועצת קליטהyoetz klita / yoetzet klitaAbsorption counselor at Misrad HaKlita, man / woman.
- צילוםtzilumA photocopy. מקור (makor) is the original.
What to say when your status comes up
Where the form changes with gender, the male form comes first and the female form second.
| English | Hebrew | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| I’m a new immigrant. | אני עולה חדש / עולה חדשה. | ani oleh chadash / olah chadasha |
| Here is my Teudat Oleh. | הנה תעודת העולה שלי. | hine teudat ha-oleh sheli |
| My aliyah date is in the booklet. | תאריך העלייה כתוב בתעודה. | taarich ha-aliya katuv ba-teuda |
| I haven’t received my Teudat Oleh yet. | עוד לא קיבלתי תעודת עולה. | od lo kibalti teudat oleh |
| I have a Teudat Zakaut, not a Teudat Oleh. | יש לי תעודת זכאות, לא תעודת עולה. | yesh li teudat zakaut, lo teudat oleh |
| Do you need the original or a copy? | צריך את המקור או צילום? | tzarich et ha-makor o tzilum |
| Which of my rights have I already used? | אילו זכויות כבר מימשתי? | eilu zchuyot kvar mimashti |
| I lost my Teudat Oleh. What do I do? | איבדתי את תעודת העולה. מה עושים? | ibadti et teudat ha-oleh. ma osim |
| My wife / husband needs to be added to the booklet. | צריך לצרף את אשתי / בעלי לתעודה. | tzarich letzaref et ishti / baali la-teuda |
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Teudat Oleh an ID card?
No. Your ID is the Teudat Zehut. The Teudat Oleh is the booklet that proves your oleh status and records the benefits you use, so offices ask for both.
What is the difference between a Teudat Oleh and a Teudat Zakaut?
A new oleh receives a Teudat Oleh. Someone with an Ezrach Oleh or Katin Chozer status receives a Teudat Zakaut instead. Both give access to oleh benefits, but not always the same ones: Nefesh B’Nefesh notes, for example, that a Katin Chozer does not get the arnona discount.
I didn’t get a Teudat Oleh at the airport. Is that a problem?
Not necessarily. Former A-1 residents, people who made aliyah from within Israel and spouses who arrive after their partner receive it later, at an appointment. Nefesh B’Nefesh’s first-steps page explains the route for each status.
Can baba give me an official translation of the booklet?
No. baba translates so you can read and answer. When an office needs an official translation, it usually asks for a notarized translation (תרגום נוטריוני), and the requirement depends on the office.
Official sources
Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official page before you act on anything here.
- Nefesh B’Nefesh: Your first steps after making aliyahchecked September 29, 2026
- Nefesh B’Nefesh: Oleh glossarychecked September 29, 2026
- Nefesh B’Nefesh: Converting your foreign driver’s licensechecked September 29, 2026
- Israel Tax Authority: Form 101, employee cardchecked September 29, 2026