Americans make up one of the largest groups of new Olim each year, and the US-to-Israel move has its own particular set of challenges that generic Aliyah guides tend to gloss over. The Aliyah process itself is the same for everyone, but Americans carry extra baggage: a worldwide tax system that follows you to Israel, Social Security questions, US retirement accounts that don’t behave the same way abroad, and the practical matter of figuring out what to do with a life built in a country with very different infrastructure than Israel.
This guide is written specifically for Americans moving to Israel from the US. It covers the Aliyah process as it applies from America, the financial and tax considerations unique to American Olim, practical logistics for the move itself, and what to expect when you land.
The Aliyah Application from the United States
The Aliyah application process from the US runs through the Israeli consulate system in coordination with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration (Misrad HaKlita). There are Israeli consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Boston, and Atlanta. You apply to the consulate in whose jurisdiction you live.
The core of the application is proving Jewish identity and civil status. For most American Jews, this means assembling a chain of documents going back at least one generation — your own birth certificate, your mother’s birth certificate, and sometimes your maternal grandmother’s. All documents need apostille certification from the Secretary of State of the issuing state, plus certified translation if they are not in English or Hebrew. Build in 4 to 8 weeks per document, more if there are backlogs.
Once your documents are submitted and reviewed, you will have an interview at the consulate — these are now mostly done by video call. If approved, your Aliyah visa is stamped into your US passport. You book your flight, and on the day you land at Ben Gurion, your Aliyah becomes official.
Dual Citizenship: US and Israel
One of the most common questions from Americans making Aliyah: do you have to give up your US citizenship? No. Both the US and Israel permit dual citizenship — you will hold US and Israeli citizenship simultaneously, with both passports valid. The US does not require you to renounce citizenship when you naturalize in Israel, and Israel does not require you to renounce foreign citizenship when you make Aliyah. Your US Israel dual citizenship is straightforward to maintain.
The US-Israel Tax Situation
The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live. Moving to Israel from the US does not change your US tax obligations. You remain a US person for tax purposes and must continue filing US returns every year, reporting your global income to the IRS.
Israel grants new Olim a 10-year exemption on foreign-source income — meaning income from US sources is generally not taxed by Israel for your first decade. The main tools available to American Olim are:
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE): If you qualify as a bona fide resident of Israel, you can exclude a portion of your earned income from US taxation (the 2025 limit was $126,500 per person). This covers salary and self-employment income, not passive income.
- Foreign Tax Credit (FTC): Taxes paid to Israel can be credited against your US tax liability on the same income.
- FBAR and FATCA reporting: If you have Israeli bank accounts, you must report them to the US Treasury (FBAR) if the aggregate balance exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year.
Tax advisors who understand both systems — US-Israel dual specialists — are not cheap, but getting this wrong costs more. Budget for professional tax advice in year one and every year after. For a full breakdown of how the Israeli tax system works for new Olim, see our Israeli tax guide for Olim.
Social Security and US Retirement Accounts
Americans who move to Israel mid-career often have built-up 401(k) or IRA balances. These accounts stay in the US, held by their existing custodians. The US-Israel Social Security totalization agreement means work periods in both countries can be combined to qualify for benefits, and you generally pay into only one system at a time. You can receive US Social Security payments while living in Israel with no restrictions.
Shipping Your Belongings
American Olim typically ship household goods by sea freight in either a full container (FCL) or a shared container (LCL). The journey from a US East Coast port to Haifa or Ashdod takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks. New Olim can import household goods free of customs duties within 3 years of Aliyah.
Key things to know before you pack: Israel runs on 220V/50Hz — large US appliances are generally not worth shipping. Israeli apartments are considerably smaller than the average American home. Books and clothing travel well and are expensive in Israel. You can import one vehicle with a customs reduction within 3 years of Aliyah.
Banking — Bridging the US and Israel
Keep your US account open. Your US financial life stays rooted there. For your Israeli account, the main options are Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Discount Bank, Mizrahi-Tefahot, and Bank Yahav. For transferring money between accounts, skip the bank wire — services like Wise or OFX offer substantially better USD-to-ILS rates and have become standard practice among American Olim.
US Driver’s License and Israeli Driving
Americans can convert their US license to an Israeli one without taking the full driving exam — you need a brief theory test, an eye exam, and some paperwork. Israeli road culture is different from American: drivers are more aggressive, lane discipline is loose, and roundabouts are everywhere. Give yourself time to adjust.
Where Do American Olim Actually Live?
Ra’anana has the largest concentration of American Olim in Israel. Strong English-language infrastructure, good schools, and a short commute to Tel Aviv. Modi’in is family-oriented, with good schools and a lower cost of living. Jerusalem draws Americans who want a religiously observant environment. Tel Aviv and the Gush Dan suburbs are where the tech jobs are. Beit Shemesh draws American Orthodox families with lower cost of living. The periphery offers low housing costs and government incentives.
Salaries and Employment in Israel for Americans
The Israeli job market is very accessible for English-speaking Americans, particularly in tech. The average salary in Israel varies significantly by sector — tech salaries are competitive globally, while most other sectors pay considerably less than equivalent US roles. The minimum salary in Israel is set by law and updated periodically (approximately NIS 6,300/month as of 2026 for full-time employment). Most American Olim find their first Israeli salary lower than what they earned in the US, with the gap narrowing over time as they build local experience and Hebrew proficiency. Jobs for Americans in Israel are most readily available in high-tech, finance, education, and healthcare. See our full jobs in Israel guide for a detailed breakdown by sector.
Does Israel Speak English?
Yes — Israel has one of the highest rates of English proficiency in the Middle East. In the tech sector, many companies operate almost entirely in English. In cities with large Anglo populations (Ra’anana, Modi’in, Jerusalem’s Anglo neighbourhoods), daily life in English is entirely manageable. That said, Hebrew is the working language of most government offices, schools, hospitals, and smaller businesses. The more Hebrew you have, the more of Israel opens up to you.
Healthcare for American Olim
One of the things Americans find most disorienting about Israel is that healthcare actually works. Wait times at primary care are short. Specialist referrals happen within days. Medications that cost hundreds of dollars per month in the US cost a few shekels with a Kupat Cholim prescription. You enroll in one of the four health funds upon arrival — Maccabi is the most popular choice among American Olim for its English-language digital services.
Children, Schools, and the American Curriculum Question
Israeli public school gets children to Hebrew fluency faster than any other option. Most children under age 12 adapt within one school year and are functionally fluent within two. American-curriculum schools like the American International School in Even Yehuda offer an English-language education but children in them integrate into Israeli society more slowly. For families committed to staying, the Israeli system is generally the better long-term choice.
What the First Year Actually Looks Like
The bureaucracy is real and takes time. The language gap matters more than most people expect. The social adjustment takes longer than the logistical one. But the things that are better than the US are also real: safety in most parts of Israel is high, the sense of Jewish community and shared culture is immediately felt, and most Americans who stay through year two do not leave.
How Olim Paveway Helps Americans
Olim Paveway works specifically with English-speaking Olim, and Americans are a large part of our client base. The areas where American families most often need support are document preparation and apostille coordination, neighborhood selection, school enrollment, the bank account and Misrad HaKlita registration sequence, and connecting with US-Israel tax advisors. If you are planning your move from the US and want to talk through your specific situation, get in touch.