National Insurance and health cover for the foreign partner: from B/1 to A/5
Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority
Published: 5 November 2026
The short answer
Working lawfully in Israel and being insured by the National Insurance Institute are two different things. On a B/1 licence the foreign partner is a non-resident: the employer pays contributions for a few branches of insurance, but state health insurance does not apply. An A/5 temporary residence licence is one of the permits that can carry residency; from then on the foreign partner can ask to be recognised as a resident and join a health fund. Recognition is not automatic: it takes a questionnaire, a presence test and a clerk's decision.
This article is based on procedures 5.2.0008 (edition 16, 20.07.2026) and 5.2.0009 (edition 17, 16.07.2026) of the Population and Immigration Authority and on the Institute's own pages and forms.
B/1: contributions without residency
The Institute's pages for foreign workers list the branches in which a non-resident worker is insured: work injury, workers' rights when the employer goes bankrupt or is wound up, and maternity. These are the branches for which the employer of a non-resident employee pays contributions.
What those contributions do not buy is state health insurance. The Institute says plainly that a foreign worker who is not a resident is not insured under the State Health Insurance Law; the law on foreign workers provides for private medical insurance instead. On a B/1 licence, assume there is no public health cover, whatever appears on the payslip.
National Insurance Institute: health services for a foreign worker
A/5: the resident test and the questionnaire
The Institute recognises someone as a resident only if they are lawfully in Israel and hold one of the permits that can carry residency: citizenship, a permanent residence licence, or a licence of type A/1, A/2, A/4 or A/5. The B/1 licence is not on that list. The handling begins at the Ministry of Interior, and residency means that the centre of your life (home, family, work, property) is in Israel.
For A/5 holders the Institute uses form BL/625, the residence questionnaire for holders of a temporary residence permit. Its first page sets the presence test: holders of an A/1, A/2 or A/5 permit can be recognised as residents only after 183 days in Israel, consecutive or not, within a year, provided they have shown their centre of life is here. Six months before the day the permit was issued may be counted towards the 183 days if the holder lived in Israel lawfully then, so months on a B/1 licence before the upgrade can count.
The questionnaire asks, among other things, for:
- The foreign passport and the entry-and-exit record from the Ministry of Interior.
- The permit and its dates, and the licence held before the A/5.
- The lease if you rent, bills, children's schooling, a bank account, a vehicle, and the purpose of the stay, marriage included.
- Pay slips, or the details of self-employment.
- The health fund you choose for yourself, your partner and your children.
Form BL/625: residence questionnaire for holders of a temporary residence permit
When cover starts and how to register with a health fund
The questionnaire is sent or brought to the Institute's branch nearest your home. Until a clerk decides, with reasons, a new A/5 record is treated as a non-resident for cover and contributions alike. The decision on the form names the date from which the holder is a resident; the form already includes the choice of health fund, and the applicant also completes the health fund registration form.
Under the State Health Insurance Law every resident is insured and must be registered with one of the four health funds. Most people register on the Institute's website or at a post office, but someone given temporary resident status is listed among those who must register at the branch nearest their home. Membership is immediate on registration.
National Insurance Institute: registering with a health fund
A licence that expires or is renewed late
The Institute's pages tie residency to a lawful stay with a qualifying permit. They do not say what happens to a recognised resident whose A/5 licence has lapsed, so ask the Institute's branch about your file before relying on cover during a gap.
What the procedures do say is how to avoid the gap. The application to extend each licence is filed online three months before it expires. Once 180 days have passed from the expiry of the foreign partner's licence, an extension can no longer be requested: the file is closed automatically, without notice, and only a new application can be filed.
Keeping the Institute informed
The Institute's file for an A/5 holder is opened from the population records, after the Authority has issued the first A/5 licence and an identity card. The procedures require you to report any change to the Authority, and the declaration on form BL/625 commits the foreign partner to notify the Institute immediately of any change in the details given. The Institute's pages do not describe an automatic update of renewals, so keep each new licence and present it if your cover is questioned.
It also runs the other way: the procedures allow the Authority to query the Institute in the centre-of-life check, so keep the same picture of address, work and family on both sides.
How IsraelVisa helps
IsraelVisa helps you keep the dates of the B/1 and A/5 licences and the documents the questionnaire asks for in one place, so that the application to the Institute and every renewal are ready on time, 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
Contributions are deducted from my partner's wages on a B/1 licence. Does that make them insured?
Only in the branches that apply to a non-resident worker, such as work injury and maternity. A foreign worker who is not a resident is not insured under the State Health Insurance Law.
Does the time on the B/1 licence count towards the 183 days?
Up to six months before the day the A/5 permit was issued may be counted, provided the foreign partner lived in Israel lawfully in that time.
Is residency recognised automatically once the A/5 licence is issued?
No. A new A/5 record is treated as a non-resident until a clerk decides, after the minimum presence period and the questionnaire with its evidence.
Can we register the foreign partner with a health fund online?
The Institute lists someone given temporary resident status among those who cannot register online or at a post office; registration is done at the Institute's branch nearest your home, together with the residency decision.
Related guides
Sources
- Procedure 5.2.0008 - status for a foreign spouse married to an Israeli citizen (edition 16, 20.07.2026), sections E.7, G.1, G.2 and G.8 (Hebrew)
- Procedure 5.2.0009 - applications for status on the basis of a shared life (edition 17, 16.07.2026), sections E and G.3 (Hebrew)
- National Insurance Institute - form BL/625, residence questionnaire for holders of a temporary residence permit (05.2026) (Hebrew)
- National Insurance Institute - who is a resident of Israel (Hebrew)
- National Insurance Institute - circular 1340 of 01.03.2006 on the residency of holders of A/1, A/2, A/5 and accompanying A/4 permits (Hebrew)
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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.