Since January 30, 2009, all paramedical professionals require licensure in order to practice in Israel. The procedure for a licensed professional from another country to obtain this licensure in Israel is as follows.

Who qualifies for licensure in Israel?

One who:

• has at least a BA or BS
• has finished all required fieldwork
• has passed the exam given in Israel
• is at least 18 years of age
• is an Israeli citizen: to this date, no non-citizen has been granted licensure
• is not ill with a "dangerous disease"
• has not been accused or indicted for committing a crime that would make them unsuitable to work in a medically related field

The process of receiving licensure involves the following steps:

1. Send in the forms requesting licensure (bakashah l'teudah) and all required documentation to the appropriate Health Ministry branch (see below).
2. After receiving the request, the Ministry checks to make sure you qualify for licensure. If you do, you will receive an invitation to take the test.
3. Take the test. An English test may be requested, though the translation may make certain fields difficult to understand. If you take the test in English you must also take a Hebrew competency exam.
4. Upon passing the test, you will receive a license or a temporary license.

Forms You Will Need

• Request to receive licensure
• Applicant questionnaire
• Copy of teudat zehut (Israeli ID card) or passport, including the paper with the applicant's address
• Diploma from the university or a letter from the university saying that the applicant has fulfilled all requirements for the degree. (Although applicants have been told that they do not need a copy of the diploma and can use the aforementioned letter, applications were delayed for many months because a diploma was requested after review.)
• An official document stating the beginning and end of study
• When coming from out of Israel, one must also include:
  • official confirmation that all fieldwork requirements were met (check required hours for your specific profession using the addresses below)
  • "letter of good standing" from the appropriate agency stating that no professional or ethical complaints have been filed against you. This is usually the agency that issues licensure, e.g. the Department of Education in New York.
  • professional license from the country of origin
  • official work confirmation from the proper agency and beginning and ending dates for all work sites, when relevant
  • translation and notarization documents. See "Translation" below.

As stated above, each applicant is evaluated individually to see if he/she qualifies for licensure. As a result of this qualifier, many applicants have been asked to send in other forms of documentation. The most frequent request has been sealed official documents, and some have been asked for transcripts. It is therefore recommended to send them in with all the above documentation and not to wait for the application to be reviewed and found incomplete.

All of the above need to be submitted in duplicate with the Health Ministry forms, filled out twice and not copied.

Translation

For those who obtained degrees outside of Israel, additional documents of translation and notarization are required, as well.

• A copy of all forms needs to be submitted along with a notarized Israeli confirmation of the reliability of the copies and a copy of the Israeli notarization.
• The original translation of all above required documents by an authorized translator as well as a copy of all translated documents.

Note: Some therapists have found that although all documents were requested in English, they translated only their letter in good standing, diploma and license and that was sufficient. The cost of translation per document is approximately 200-300 NIS.

Form Submission

The material should be sent via registered mail. Save the receipt.

Residents of Jerusalem, Acre, Nazereth, Tzefas, Afula, Teveria, Be'er Sheva, and Eilat should send their forms directly to the Licensure Division of Medical Professions:

Agaf Rishuy Miktzo'ot Refuiim

Misrad Habriut

Rechov Ben Tabai 2

Jerusalem 93591

Residents of Haifa, Hadera, Netanya, Petach Tikvah, Tel Aviv, Ramle, Rechovot, and Ashkelon should apply through the local office of the Ministry of Health.

General Information

The test is given twice a year. Dates of test can be found on the Health Ministry website. A syllabus for the exam is found there as well. The exam can be taken in Hebrew, Arabic, or English, and it may be repeated many times if need be.

As of now, this process is free.

Licensing Office Contact Information

Phone: *5400/08-624-1010

Fax: 02-565-5969

Hours: 8:00 am-4:00 pm