1. Aliya Shipping Terms
2. Aliya Shipping Rights and Import Duties - What to bring
3. Aliya Shipping Getting an Estimate
4. Aliya Shipping Prepacking Preparations
5. Aliya Shipping Customs Clearing Methods and Time Constraints
6. Aliya Shipping Accepting Delivery
7. Aliya Shipping Post Delivery
8. Aliya Shipping FAQ
Congratulations on your decision to come home to Israel! This exciting experience is well worth it. We hope this page will make your Aliya shipping experience as smooth as possible. This guide has been specifically written for Aliya Shipping.
An Oleh can import 3 "Oleh" shipments of any size within 3 years of making Aliya. If a shipment is larger than a full container, it will count as 2 shipments unless both shipments come in on the same ship and are cleared through customs at the same time. What you bring with you on your Aliyah flight will not count as one of these three imports. Your shipments can come from any country, not only the country from which you are making Aliya.
Benefits
- Olim are exempt from paying the 1.02% port tax on the value of their Oleh Shipments.
- Olim get a 50% discount on storage at the port, however port facilities are not ideal for long-term storage.
- Tax free items that may be imported:
- Furniture, books, clothing, linens, kitchen utensils, pictures, decorations, media, and general "Personal Effects".
- One of each type of appliance or electronic equipment. (These are for household use, not office equipment such as a fax).
- Carpeting up to 25% of the area of the Oleh's home in Israel.
- Olim can import Air Conditioners, Fans, and Heaters relative to the number of rooms in their new home in Israel.
- Olim can buy an Israeli Made refrigerator or air conditioner in Israel VAT free. There is a process for doing this, so don't walk into a store with your Teudat Oleh and expect to get a discount. You need to go to a participating store, get a pro-forma invoice, take that to Meches, get it stamped, and then return to the store.
- Olim can either buy a car in Israel or import a car and only pay 72%-80% in Taxes (as opposed to 120% - 125% for citizens). If you want to use your rights when buying a used car, you must buy from someone who previously bought with Oleh rights (called passport-to-passport).
Importing a Car
In order to import a car (or motorcycle) you will need a clean title (no liens) on the vehicle and the title must be in the Oleh's name. You will also need:
- Your Israeli Driver's License.
- A letter from Ministry of Transport approving personal import for the specific vehicle.
- A letter from the vehicle's authorized importer stating they are willing to supply parts for the vehicle (you are not required to order parts through them).
- Your driver's license from overseas.
Notable Exceptions to Tax Free Imports
- Sports Equipment.
- Camping Equipment.
- Bar-b-q Grills.
- Fax Machines.
- Outdoor furniture and swings.
- Pool tables and ping-pong tables.
- Building supplies and non-household goods.
- A motorized wheelchair needs approval before being imported.
- Alcohol is highly taxable, and any import over 5 liters must have proper approvals before importing.
- Weapons are highly restricted and should not be imported.
- Olim pay 15.5% VAT on all Israeli services such as Israeli customs clearance and delivery in Israel, even when shipping for aliya.
All goods imported with rights must stay in your possession for six years from the date of import or depreciated taxes must be paid to Meches. (A car must stay in your possession for five years).
This review will help you decide what goods to buy for shipping on aliya:
There has been a lot of news, and in fact, many reductions in the Israeli Import tax structure. The government estimates several hundred million NIS to be saved as a result of these reductions.
But what does this mean to an individual considering doing Aliya Shipping? Sadly, very little.
The reductions for general household goods were for a variety of items, and in the range of 1.5%-2%. While this will lower prices slightly in stores, it will be off-set by inflation or slightly higher profit margins for distributors and retailers. The difference is not enough to change the decision of importing a piece or buying it locally here in Israel, almost across the board.
High Quality wood or leather furniture makes a lot of sense to import, so if you're thinking Broyhill or Stickley, Lane or Barcalounger, the answer is to import.
If you want a 30 inch wide (standard American size) freestanding range (GE JGBP), or a 30 inch built in oven (or larger), import.
If you want anything by Dacor, Viking, or Subzero, import.
For a TV of over 40 inches, import. (Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer, Panasonic)
Also, side-by-side refrigerators are still worth bringing in.
Lastly, the full-sized US washer and Dryer are worth importing, for higher end models.
You should start to plan your shipping for aliya 60-90 days in advance. Start by going through the house and determining what must go, what will not go, and what would be nice to go (not sure).
Shipping (even for Aliya) is expensive, so don't send something just because you have it. Many people making Aliya move to smaller apartments here in Israel than back in your origin country, and many places here have limited storage space. Many Israeli apartments don't even have closets, although in newer housing, closets are more common.
Once you have a rough idea of what is being shipped, contact us, and we will give a very rough estimate based on your description. This will give you an idea of how much items will cost to ship based on their volume. Obviously, if you can buy an item in Israel for less than it costs to ship, don't ship it.
The next step is to ask us for a free visual survey. This is the only way to get an accurate estimate. Ultimately, you will pay for the volume of what you are shipping for aliya.
When comparing estimates, read the entire estimate. Note that many companies not based in Israel will not include Terminal Handling Charges (Destination Port Charges) in the "Door-to-door" total. "Door-to-port" or "Port-to-port" estimates almost never include them, even though you will need to pay these fees (even when shipping for aliya!)
If you are shipping an FCL (Full Container Load) you are only allowed 4 days free storage and demurrage (container rental charges) before expensive daily charges start to accrue. This means we must start the customs clearing process as soon as the ship arrives, and we must have your aliya Shipping documents before the ship arrives. You also must be able to accept delivery on one day's notice (as we try to deliver the day following customs clearance). If this is not practical, let your Aliya Shipping Specialist know before pick-up. It may make sense to ship as an LCL (less than container load) if you need storage.
International shipping is very competitive, so if you get an estimate based on a visual survey that is (or seems) less than our estimate, let us know and we may be able to point out why there seems to be a difference in cost. It could be that one estimate is actually less than the other, it could be that one estimate is more inclusive of costs which you will need to pay.
Sonigo International will do everything possible to be competitive for shipping your Aliya shipments!
Next, get references. Don't just ask the company (although we can provide references on request), ask others that have shipped to Israel for Aliya. All of the above groups mentioned in "Aliya Shipping Terms" above are good sources of recommendations.
Now that you've chosen your pick-up date, it's time to get ready for the crew to show up. Please follow these simple steps:
A - Notify us of any items you will be buying that will be shipped directly to our warehouse, BEFORE the store sends them. This way we will know to add them to your Aliya Shipment.
B - If you choose to insure your goods while shipping for aliya, make the itemized insurance list in advance. It is easier to make this list while the goods are visible and unpacked.
C - If you are packing your own goods, make sure boxes are packed before the crew arrives. For owner packed goods, number each box and write the contents of each box on a numbered packing list.
D - Before the crew arrives, separate and mark (ie. with a big X on a sheet of paper) what is staying from what is being shipped. You will not have time, while our crew is there, to sort the items. Make it as clear as possible, for example "Everything in this room goes, everything in that room stays" or "Everything on this side of the big rope goes, everything on that side of the big rope stays".
E - Keep the entire day available. Even if you are only shipping a small amount of goods, it makes sense to be ready early. This is a good day to send pets and small children to a neighbor's house. Have plenty of cold water and a bathroom available for the packing crew.
F - Before the packers leave, take a look around to make sure they packed everything they were supposed to, and nothing they were not supposed to. Once the crew has left, they can only come back for a fee.
G - Tips are never expected, always appreciated.
If you have any questions or problems during pick-up, call your Sonigo Aliya Shipping Specialist while the crew is there. If it is after office hours, call our direct cell phone, and we will promptly call you back to save the phone charges.
If you are shipping an FCL (Full Container Load) you are only allowed 4 days free storage and demurrage (container rental charges) before expensive daily charges start to accrue. This means we must start the customs clearing process as soon as the ship arrives, and we must have your aliya Shipping documents before the ship arrives. You also must be able to accept delivery on one day's notice (as the day we clear customs is the day before we will want to deliver). If this is not practical, let your Aliya Shipping Specialist know before pick-up.
LCL loads receive thirty days free storage. Port facilities are fine for short term storage, but not for storage of over 30-60 days. If your Aliya shipping needs require long-term storage, Sonigo suggests and storing in our secure, clean, alarmed warehouse after clearing customs.
We will need the following documents to clear your shipment through customs. You do NOT need to be present, or even leave your house (depending on which option below you choose).
Option 1 - Stay at home.
We will need the following original documents (for you and your spouse, but not children) sent by courier to our office in Ashdod:
- Foreign Passport
- Tuedat Zahut (copy only - not original)
- Tuedat Oleh
- Israeli Passport (if you have one)
- Completed, Signed Customs Declaration (ask your Sonigo Aliya Shipping specialist for help) (Download here)
- Signed Power of Attorney (Download Here)
- Lease or housing agreement
We will return the original documents when we deliver your shipment.
Option 2 - Keep your originals.
In order to clear your Aliya Shipment without giving us original documents, take your original documents (numbers 1-5 below) to the local meches office. Ask them to "Open your Tik" in the computer as an Oleh Hadash. Meches offices are open Sunday - Thursday 8:30 - 1:00 and are located in:
- Jerusalem - 66 Kanfei Nesharim St., Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, 95465
- Tel-Aviv - 42 Yaffet St., Jaffa 61081
- Haifa - Customs House, 1 Ha'atzmaut St., Haifa
Israel Custom
Then, email us scans of the following pages:
- 1 - Foreign Passport (Picture Page)
- 2 - Foreign Passport (Aliya Visa Page)
- 3 - Tuedat Zahut
- 4 - Tuedat Oleh (Picture Page)
- 5 - Israeli Passport (if you have one)
- 6 - Lease or housing agreement
and Snail Mail us these originals:
- 7 - Completed, Signed Customs Declaration (ask your Sonigo Aliya Shipping specialist for help) (Download here)
- 8 - Signed Power of Attorney (Download Here)
- 6 - Aliya Shipping Accepting Delivery
Once your Aliya shipping has cleared customs, we receive the "Gate Pass" allowing us to remove the shipment from the port. Unless you tell your Sonigo Aliya Shipping Specialist otherwise, we will want to deliver your goods as soon as possible.
Keep the day clear, even if you have a small shipment. Once again, this is a good day to send the kids/pets to a neighbor's house. Goods will be delivered and unloaded into the rooms. We suggest following these simple steps:
- Before the crew arrives, number each room. While not everyone speaks every language, everyone understands 1, 2, 3. Tape a piece of paper to each door, or on an easily visible wall, with the room number on it.
- Have plenty of cold water and a bathroom available for the delivery crew.
- Have one person stand by the back of the truck and "tick" off each number (on the box) as it comes off the truck.
- Have one person at the house entrance (not blocking the way, of course) telling the crew in which room number each piece goes.
- Note any visible damage on the delivery receipt.
If you have any questions or problems during delivery, call your Sonigo Aliya Shipping Specialist while the crew is there. If it is after office hours, call our direct cell phone, and we will promptly call you back to save the phone charges.
Once the goods are delivered, you have 30 days to notify us of any damages (for UTS Full replacement insurance. If you chose another insurance option, please ask your Aliya Shipping Specialist for the terms).
Check all boxes and let us know if anything has been damaged. In the event more than one item was damaged, you may file only one claim for all items.
Q - I do not yet have a date for aliya. Is it to early to do a visual estimate?
A - Even if you don't have your exact flying date, we can perform the visual estimate.
Q - I won't have an address in Israel until after I get there. Can I still arrange pick-up?
A - We can pick up and even ship your goods without a final destination. Obviously we can't deliver the goods without a final destination. Please ask your Aliya Shipping specialist for more details.
Q - What should my goods be insured for?
A - UTS Insurance specifies goods be insured for "Replacement Value at Destination" so you should insure your goods for what it would cost to buy a new one here in Israel. If you have no idea of prices here in Israel, ask your Aliya Shipping Specialist for online stores, or general guidelines for price differences.
Q - I'm getting a grant from an organization to help pay for my aliya shipping, but I won't get the money until after the first payment is due. Are the terms flexible?
A - Our terms are pretty strict, however please let your Aliya Shipping Specialist know which organization is supplying the grant or loan. Chances are good we can work with them to help you with shipping for aliya. Ultimately, however, the final payment is due before delivery, so please make sure you have the ability to pay before you ship.
For more common questions and answers, please see our "Ask the expert" pages.
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