Health insurance on a B/1 licence: before the A/5 stage

Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority

Published: 5 November 2026

The short answer

While the foreign partner holds a B/1 licence, the National Health Insurance Law does not cover them: state cover goes with being recognised as a resident of Israel by the National Insurance Institute, and a B/1 licence is not a status that allows that recognition. Until the A/5 licence is issued and the Institute recognises residency, the partner needs other cover: the policy an employer must arrange, a non-resident plan of an HMO, or a private policy.

The Authority's procedures govern the licences but say nothing about health insurance; the rules below come from the Institute, the Foreign Workers Law, Kol Zchut and the HMOs' pages.

Why a B/1 holder is outside the law

The Institute's residency page says a person can be recognised as a resident only when lawfully in Israel and holding Israeli citizenship, a permanent residence licence, or an A/1, A/2, A/4 or A/5 visa, and then only after a centre-of-life test: residence, family, work and assets.

A B/1 licence is missing from that list: the general B/1 given for up to six months while the application is reviewed, and the B/1 years of the Gradual Process (three for shared-life partners of a citizen, four with a permanent resident). The Institute's page for foreign workers states: a foreign worker who is not a resident is not insured under the law.

If the foreign partner is employed: the employer's duty

The Foreign Workers Law defines a foreign worker as an employee who is not a citizen or resident of Israel, so it reaches a partner working on a B/1 licence. Section 1D requires the employer to arrange, at its own expense and for the whole period of employment, medical insurance with the basket set by the Minister of Health in the Foreign Workers Order.

Cover: the treatments of the second schedule of the National Health Insurance Law and the drugs of the basket; birth, psychological services, genetic tests, fertility treatment and nursing care need not be included.
Who pays: the employer, which may deduct up to one third of the premium from the wage, from January 2026 no more than 147.11 NIS a month outside caregiving (half, up to 168.80 NIS, in caregiving), per the Authority's 2026 booklet and Kol Zchut.
Limits: a condition that existed before the policy began is excluded for three years, and pregnancy services for the first nine months of employment in Israel; emergencies stay covered.
No waiting period: cover starts when the policy is paid and issued. The policy runs for one year, and the worker receives a summary in a language they understand.

Working in Israel during the Gradual Process

If the foreign partner is not employed: HMO plans and private policies

The duty runs only while the partner works for that employer; otherwise you arrange cover yourselves. Two HMOs describe such a plan on their own pages; we repeat only what we read there and recommend none.

Maccabi's Well-Come plan lists family members of Israelis who have not received resident status as eligible to join, subject to medical underwriting, with no age limit and no time limit on membership. The first four months are paid in advance; in the October to December 2026 rate table, an adult aged 25 to 45 pays 443 NIS a month.
Meuhedet's plan for non-resident customers takes a person in Israel who is not insured under the law and is under 65, after a health declaration; cover begins once four months' dues are paid, and a couple pays by the older partner's age. Its price table is dated March 2021, so ask for current figures.
A private policy from an insurer is the third route; the order's basket is a useful benchmark for what it leaves out.

What to check in any policy

Pre-existing conditions: excluded for three years in the worker's policy; the HMO plans use underwriting or a health declaration. Ask in writing what is excluded.
Pregnancy and birth: the order excludes pregnancy services for nine months and does not require birth cover; the Meuhedet page mentions only amniocentesis from age 35.
Waiting periods and payment: none in the worker's policy; both HMO plans take four months up front.
Continuity: a worker's policy lasts a year and ends with the job; note its renewal date next to the licence date.
Access: ask which clinics the policy uses; Kol Zchut notes the foreign workers' insurers have an agreement with Clalit, which provides the services.

The switch to public cover on the A/5 licence

With the first A/5 licence the office issues the foreign partner an identity card. A/5 is on the Institute's list, but recognition is not automatic: its circular on A/1, A/2, A/4 and A/5 holders says the residency field stays empty when the record is opened; a clerk decides.

The Institute's questionnaire for temporary-residence visa holders (form BL/625, May 2026 edition) sets the test: recognition only after 183 days in Israel, continuous or not, within a year, and after proving residency; the six months before the visa date may count if the partner lived in Israel lawfully. The form goes to the branch nearest your home with evidence of your centre of life, and includes the HMO choice. Once recognised, the partner is insured under the law, pays health insurance contributions through the Institute, and the HMO must accept them whatever their health or age.

National Insurance after the A/5 licence

How IsraelVisa helps

IsraelVisa helps you keep the policy's dates next to the licence dates, store the policy summary and the Institute's forms with the rest of your file, and prepare the centre-of-life evidence for the residency questionnaire, yourselves and at your own pace. IsraelVisa does not give legal advice; if you wish, you can find independent lawyers through IsraelVisa.

Frequently asked questions

We are married. Is my partner covered by my HMO?

No. Cover under the National Health Insurance Law goes with being recognised as a resident by the National Insurance Institute, not with the Israeli partner's membership. On a B/1 licence the foreign partner is not a resident; an HMO's plan for non-residents is a paid plan with its own terms.

My partner works on the B/1 licence. Must the employer insure them?

Yes. The Foreign Workers Law requires the employer to arrange medical insurance at its expense for the whole period of employment. It may deduct up to one third of the premium from the wage, and in 2026 no more than 147.11 NIS a month outside caregiving.

When does public cover start after the A/5 licence?

After the National Insurance Institute recognises residency. Its questionnaire for A/5 holders, form BL/625, says that takes at least 183 days in Israel within a year, with proof of residency; the six months before the visa may count.

What happens in an emergency without insurance?

According to the Authority's 2026 rights booklet for foreign workers, a hospital in Israel treats an emergency without conditions, but the patient is charged for the treatment when there is no adequate insurance.

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The information in this article is general and does not constitute legal advice. The procedures are updated from time to time; check the current version on the website of the Population and Immigration Authority.