Giving Birth on an A/5 Visa in Israel

A/5 is temporary residency in Israel.

It usually includes:

• check_circleIsraeli ID number
• check_circletemporary resident status
• check_circleaccess to Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) and Kupat Holim (Israeli health fund) after residency is recognized
• check_circleannual renewals with Misrad Hapnim (Population and Immigration Authority)

Before birth, the most important question is whether the A/5 holder is already recognized by Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) as an Israeli resident.

Bituach Leumi treats A/5 holders as people who can be recognized as residents, but residency is checked separately.

The main points are:

• check_circleBituach Leumi checks center of life in Israel
• check_circleA/5 holders may need to submit a residency questionnaire
• check_circleBituach Leumi residency is important for health coverage and maternity benefits

If your A/5 was issued recently and you are not sure whether Bituach Leumi already recognized you as a resident, check this before birth.

Before birth, contact Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) and ask whether you need BL/303.

BL/303 is a form that confirms coverage of childbirth-related hospital expenses.

Bituach Leumi says an Israeli resident married to a non-Israeli resident should contact the nearest Bituach Leumi branch up to two months before the estimated delivery date and ask for form BL/303. The approved form should be given to the hospital when registering for delivery or arriving to give birth.

Official Bituach Leumi page.

Prepare:

• check_circleA/5 holder's Israeli ID
• check_circleIsraeli partner's ID
• check_circlemedical document showing the expected delivery date
• check_circlehospital where the birth is planned
• check_circleBituach Leumi residency information

After the birth, the hospital issues a birth notice.

In Hebrew this is called:

הודעת לידה
Hoda'at Leida
Birth Notice

This document is used later for registration with Misrad Hapnim (Population and Immigration Authority).

Before leaving the hospital, check that the details are correct:

• check_circlebaby's name
• check_circlemother's details
• check_circlefather's details
• check_circledates
• check_circlepassport / ID details
• check_circlespelling in English, if English documents will be needed later

If the father is Israeli and the mother is foreign, make sure the father's details are properly recorded. If the parents are not married or the family status is not clear in the population registry, paternity recognition can become a separate issue.

Official Bituach Leumi guidance says BL/303 confirms entitlement to coverage of childbirth-related expenses.

Official Bituach Leumi page.

It is known from practical experience that hospitals can ask for a security deposit if BL/303 was not arranged before birth or if coverage is not clear at the hospital.

To avoid this issue:

• check_circlecontact Bituach Leumi before birth
• check_circleask for BL/303
• check_circlebring the approved form to the hospital
• check_circleconfirm with the hospital how they want to receive it

The birth grant is a one-time payment from Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) for initial birth expenses.

According to Bituach Leumi, the birth grant is paid to the new mother to cover some initial birth expenses.

Official Bituach Leumi page.

For a first birth, the payment is sent to the bank account given at the hospital. For later births, it is usually sent to the bank account used for child allowance.

The birth grant depends on Bituach Leumi eligibility conditions, including residency.

Maternity allowance is different from the birth grant.

It is relevant for mothers who worked before birth and stopped working because of the birth.

Eligibility depends on work history and Bituach Leumi contribution periods before the birth.

In simple terms:

• check_circlebirth grant = one-time payment after birth
• check_circlematernity allowance = payment connected to work and insurance contributions

If the mother worked in Israel before birth, check maternity allowance eligibility with Bituach Leumi. Bituach Leumi explains that maternity allowance is paid to a working woman who takes birth and parenthood leave.

Official Bituach Leumi page.

The parents need to handle the baby's registration with Misrad Hapnim (Population and Immigration Authority).

For a child born in Israel to an Israeli father and a foreign mother, Gov.il has a specific service for applying for status and visas for a newborn up to 3 months old. Both parents apply together.

Official Gov.il service.

Prepare:

• check_circleIsraeli parent's ID
• check_circleforeign parent's ID
• check_circleforeign parent's passport
• check_circleparents' ID appendices / sefach (paper appendix attached to the Israeli ID card)
• check_circlehospital birth notice
• check_circlebaby passport photo, if applying for passport
• check_circleadditional documents requested by the branch

The baby's registration should be handled through the PIBA office responsible for the couple's spouse visa file.

A child born in Israel to an Israeli parent is generally connected to Israeli citizenship by birth.

In practice, the baby still needs to be registered with Misrad Hapnim (Population and Immigration Authority).

If one parent is Israeli and the other is foreign, Misrad Hapnim can check parenthood and family status before completing registration. This is especially important when the parents are not married, the relationship is not updated in the population registry, or paternity needs to be recognized.

If the mother had partner status for fewer than 300 days before birth, paternity recognition may become relevant.

The official PIBA procedure connected to this topic is Procedure 5.2.0004, which deals with granting status in Israel to minors born in Israel through recognition of paternity.

If the mother is foreign and the father is Israeli, and the parents are not clearly registered as married or recognized together, check paternity requirements with the PIBA branch before birth.

After the baby receives an Israeli ID number, register the baby with Kupat Holim (Israeli health fund).

This is important because newborns need medical follow-up soon after birth.

Practical steps:

• check_circlecontact the Kupat Holim used by one of the parents
• check_circleask how to add a newborn
• check_circleprovide the baby's ID number
• check_circleschedule the first pediatric checkup
• check_circleschedule Tipat Halav (mother-and-child health clinic) follow-up

If there is a delay with Misrad Hapnim registration, ask Tipat Halav (mother-and-child health clinic) directly where the baby can receive newborn care and vaccinations during the delay.

If the foreign parent has another citizenship, the baby may also be eligible for foreign citizenship.

This depends on the law of the foreign parent's country.

After receiving the Israeli birth certificate, contact the foreign parent's embassy or consulate and ask:

• check_circlewhether the baby receives citizenship automatically
• check_circlewhat documents are needed
• check_circlewhether an apostille or translation is required
• check_circlehow to apply for a foreign passport
• check_circlewhether the country allows dual citizenship

If you need an English birth certificate, request it from Misrad Hapnim (Population and Immigration Authority) and check that the baby's name is spelled correctly.