Converting a foreign driver's license to an Israeli license
By The Rishayon team · Updated 2026-11-12
In short: you can drive in Israel on a valid foreign driver's license for one year from the day you enter the country, and a new immigrant (oleh) can convert it to an Israeli license up to 5 years from the date on the immigrant certificate. With 5 or more years of driving experience you take no tests at all. With 2 to 5 years you take a practical driving test only. With less than 2 years you take both the theory test and the driving test.
Which tests you need (new immigrants)
The Ministry of Transport sets the requirements by how long you had been driving in your country of origin before you entered Israel. For new immigrants the service covers license classes A, A1 and A2 (motorcycles), B (car) and C1 (light truck).
| 5 years or more | No theory test and no driving test |
|---|---|
| 2 to 5 years | A practical driving test ("test"). No theory test |
| Less than 2 years | A theory test and a driving test. You will count as a "new driver" |
- If you fail the driving test, you can take it once more. If you fail a second time, you also have to pass the theory test. After you pass the theory test, there is no limit on driving test attempts.
- You are exempt from driving lessons as long as your foreign license is valid.
When to apply
The ministry says the process can take several months, and recommends applying as soon as you arrive, and in any case within 5 years of the date of status on your immigrant certificate (teudat oleh). If 5 years have passed, the conversion needs both a theory test and a driving test, even if you have been driving for more than 5 years.
Until then, you can drive on your valid foreign license for one year from the day you entered Israel. For this rule, the day of entry is the last time you entered the country after at least 6 months in a row abroad.
How to do it, step by step
- Fill in the digital application for a driver's license on the Ministry of Transport website: personal details, a health declaration and the license class you want. Each license class needs its own form. The form is valid for 3 years.
- Photo and eye test. After the text message that confirms your form, go to one of the photo stations with a valid ID (identity card or passport). The photo is free; you pay the station for the eye test.
- Tests, if you need them. You register and pay for the theory test in advance and take it on a computer at a test center. For the driving test you go through a driving school or a driving instructor, and pay the test fee and the instructor for the use of the car.
- Book an appointment at a Licensing Office (Misrad HaRishui) and come in person with your documents. Every branch handles conversions except Beit She'an, Safed, Yokneam, Daliyat al-Karmel, Kiryat Arba, Ariel, Ofakim and Rahat. You leave with a temporary license.
- Pay the fee. The permanent license is then mailed to your address as registered with the Population and Immigration Authority.
What to bring (new immigrants)
- Your passport or Israeli identity card.
- Your signed immigrant certificate (teudat oleh).
- Your valid foreign driver's license.
- A confirmation from the authority in your country of origin that shows when your permanent license was issued. A copy is accepted. You don't need it if the license itself shows a date that proves at least 5 years of driving.
- If the license is not in English: a translation by a notary in Israel who speaks the language of the license.
- Aged 75 or over: a medical examination form signed by an authorized doctor.
Bring original documents only.
Returning residents and foreign residents
For returning residents (toshav chozer) and foreign residents, a foreign license with at least 5 years of seniority in the country of origin can be converted. You can drive on the foreign license for one year from the day you enter Israel, as long as you were outside Israel for 6 months in a row. The ministry recommends starting at least 60 days before that year ends, and no later than 5 years after you arrive. Bring your passport or identity card, your national driver's license and a record of your entries to and exits from Israel from the Ministry of Interior.
What it costs
The Ministry of Transport's fee sheet from April 2026 lists a driver's license at ₪110 for 2 years, ₪269 for 5 years and ₪517 for 10 years. A driving test is ₪165, and there is a ₪32 surcharge for issuing a license at a Licensing Office. The sheet has no separate line for a conversion, so check with the branch which fee applies to you. You pay after you get the temporary license, with the license holder's own credit card: in the government personal area, in the payment apps, on the ministry's website or by phone at *5678. You can also pay at a self-service kiosk, a post office or a bank; a post office or bank payment takes 14 business days to register.
If you need the theory test
The theory test is offered in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, English, French and Spanish, so you don't have to take it in Hebrew. It has 30 questions in 40 minutes, and you pass with 26 correct. You can practice for free, with the official questions, in the English mock theory test, browse every official question in English, and learn the road signs in Israel.