Student visas and health insurance

Your seminary will tell you exactly which papers it needs and when. This guide explains what those papers are for, so the emails make sense when they arrive.

The student visa

A student who isn't an Israeli resident studies in Israel on an A/2 student visa. Israel's Population and Immigration Authority says it's given for up to one year. The Israeli consulate in Los Angeles describes it as allowing multiple entries and exits, and says holders can't work in Israel.

Two ways to get it

Through Masa, after you arrive. Masa says its participants enter Israel on the regular online travel authorization (called ETA-IL), then change to the student visa inside Israel using a passport photo, a copy of their birth certificate and a participation letter from Masa. Masa says students from the US, Canada, Western Europe and South Africa need no extra documents for this step.
At an Israeli consulate, before you fly. The government's list of documents includes an admission letter from the school, proof that tuition is paid, proof of funds, a passport valid for the whole stay, a photo and your birth certificate.

Most seminaries on Masa use the first way and walk students through it. Ask your school which one it uses.

Things that catch people out

Passport dates. The sources don't agree: the government page says valid for the whole visa period, the Los Angeles consulate says at least a year, and Masa says at least six months from entry. The safe move is a passport that's valid until well after the program ends.
Under 18. The Los Angeles consulate says applicants under 18 need written consent from both parents, signed in front of a consular official, and have to come in person.
An Israeli parent. The consulate says the child of an Israeli citizen can't get a student visa and has to register as a citizen instead, which also brings up army deferral paperwork. If either parent is or was Israeli, call the consulate early. This takes time.
Birth certificate. Bring the original or the kind of copy your school asks for. It's on every list.

Health insurance

Your home insurance generally won't be what you use day to day in Israel. Seminaries arrange a student policy, and Masa says medical insurance is included in the cost of a Masa program.

Schools set this up in different ways. Midreshet HaRova and Midreshet Lindenbaum both say basic health insurance is included in tuition and arranged through an agency. Nachlas says its tuition doesn't include insurance. So ask.

Questions to ask your school

Is insurance included in tuition, and which health fund or insurer is it with?
Does it cover conditions I already have? The policies we read exclude pre-existing conditions or charge extra for them.
What does a doctor's visit or a prescription cost me?
Is there a form with a deadline? HaRova's was due months before the year began.
What about dental, glasses and therapy? These are often not covered.

If you take regular medication or see a specialist, tell the school before you accept your place, and ask how students in the same situation have managed. We're not lawyers or insurance advisors, and visa rules change, so rely on your seminary and the consulate for your own case.

Sources

Read on 2 and 3 October 2026. Open them to check a figure or see whether it has changed.