Living in Israel during the Gradual Process
Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority
Between the first application and the end of the process, the foreign partner lives in Israel on temporary licences: a B/1 licence, which the procedures call a licence to stay and work, and later an A/5 temporary residency licence. Both allow work. What matters on any given day is the licence the foreign partner actually holds: a tourist licence is not a work licence, and a licence that has expired and has not been renewed gives no right to work until it is.
Social rights follow the licence, not the relationship. A B/1 holder is outside the National Health Insurance Law: an employer must insure a foreign worker, and a partner who is not employed arranges a health fund plan for non-residents or a private policy. With the A/5 licence the foreign partner can be recognised as a resident by the National Insurance Institute, after its residency questionnaire and the test of days spent in Israel, and then joins a health fund. A partner who gives birth in Israel on an A/5 licence meets the Institute's check before the birth and the child's registration after it.
Every licence has an expiry date, and a renewal is a fresh check. The couple applies online three months before the licence ends; before every renewal both partners are interviewed and asked for up-to-date proof of their shared life. Once 180 days have passed since expiry, only a new application is possible. Leaving Israel without a re-entry visa ends a temporary licence on departure. The couple must report every change in their circumstances, and a couple in the shared-life track who marry during the process move to the married-couples procedure without a new fee, with the time already spent counted under its rules.
The articles below take these subjects one by one: work, health insurance on B/1, National Insurance on A/5, giving birth, the renewal, and marrying during the process.
Working in Israel during the Gradual Process
Whether the foreign partner may work while the application is reviewed and during the Gradual Process: the B/1 stay-and-work licence, the A/5 temporary residence licence, a caregiver B/1 and travel abroad, under procedures 5.2.0008, 5.2.0009 and 5.2.0011.
Published: 20 October 2026
Health insurance on a B/1 licence: before the A/5 stage
Why a foreign partner on a B/1 licence is outside the National Health Insurance Law, the employer's duty to insure a foreign worker, the HMOs' non-resident plans, what to check in a policy, and how public cover begins on the A/5 licence once the National Insurance Institute recognises residency.
Published: 5 November 2026
National Insurance and health cover for the foreign partner: from B/1 to A/5
Why a foreign partner on a B/1 licence is not an insured resident, how an A/5 holder becomes a resident at the National Insurance Institute and joins a health fund (the BL/625 questionnaire, the 183-day test), and what a late renewal means, under procedures 5.2.0008 and 5.2.0009.
Published: 5 November 2026
Giving birth in Israel on an A/5 licence
A foreign partner on an A/5 licence who gives birth in Israel: the National Insurance check before the birth and form BL/303, the grants and the maternity allowance in outline, and the child's registration and status under procedures 2.2.0008, 5.2.0004, 5.2.0008 and 5.2.0009.
Published: 5 November 2026
Renewing the licence in the Gradual Process: when and how
When to apply to extend a B/1 or A/5 licence in the Gradual Process, what happens at the appointment and the interview, the rule when the decision is delayed, and what happens if you are late, under procedures 5.2.0008, 5.2.0009 and 5.2.0011.
Published: 20 October 2026
Marrying during the Gradual Process: what changes and what to submit
A couple already in the shared-life Gradual Process under procedure 5.2.0009 who marry: moving to the married-couples procedure 5.2.0008 without a new fee, registering the marriage, the documents to submit, and how the licence time so far is counted.
Published: 5 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can the foreign partner work on a B/1 licence?
Yes. The procedures describe B/1 as a licence to stay and work, and A/5 holders may work too. Check that the licence is valid on the day you start.
When does public health insurance begin?
Not on B/1, which is outside the National Health Insurance Law. On A/5 the foreign partner can be recognised as a resident by the National Insurance Institute and then joins a health fund.
When do we apply to renew the licence?
Online, three months before it expires. Before every renewal both partners are interviewed. After 180 days from expiry only a new application is possible.