Visa Renewal and Application, Health Insurance tips

WHAT KIND OF VISAS ARE PROVIDED?

Here we report the link of the various content that you can find in the official webpage of the Lowy International school.

MAIN Page --> https://international.tau.ac.il/passport-visa

A/2 Student Visa --> https://international.tau.ac.il/student-visa

B/1 Working visa--> https://international.tau.ac.il/work-visa  --> update: also B1 visa holders need to fill the form linked above!

A/4 Spouse and Children visa --> https://international.tau.ac.il/visa-for-dependent

NOTE Typically, PhDs and Postdocs are considered A2 category from the immigration point of view, therefore they are NOT considered workers. One can work only upon these two types of visa:

A2 visa with “Permission to work” remark – This allows students who study towards a Master’s degree or above, to work only on a part-time basis (X hours per week), as a teaching assistant within the university, and in relation to the topic of studies.  The application process should be initiated before the beginning of the employment. It involves switching a regular student visa- which does not allow to work- with a new one with the permission to work remark.

B1 visa- This is a work visa, which allows to work as a lecturer or a researcher (also as a research assistant). This visa allows the employment on a full-time or a part time basis, with a monthly salary. The application process should be initiated at least 3 months before the beginning of the employment.  It involves an initial approval from TAU and the Ministry of interior. 

NOTE(1) Typically, Marie Curie Fellowship students are considered workers so they shall apply to B1 visa. However, this kind of scholarship will last only 3 years (in agreement with the European laws and conditions), so from the 4th year the scholar will receive the A/2 student visa and their scholarship readjusted according to the TAU regulations.

For any personal/special inquiry, please contact Tamar, the coordinator of the Visa office.

WHAT DO THEY REQUIRE?

Check the list updated 2025 at this LINK

NOTE(1) the transcripts required in the form * can be simply a screenshot of the courses you have taken from the platform "MyTAU" 

NOTE(2) in the form * the "proof of payment" for us Scholars is basically the auto-certification paper downloadable from MyTAU that shows your enrollment and the tuitions.

NOTE(3) to pay the Visa fees, they will accept only credit or debit cards. Even better if Israeli ones.

NOTE(4) around Ramat Aviv area there are some places where you can take passport pictures, if you can't provide them by yourself. One is a cabin very close to Japanika, but there are also some shops around that offer this service. Another one is close to the restaurant "Kaspi" on Aba Akhime'ir St 29, Tel Aviv-Yafo. 

WHERE DO I START FROM?

To renew the visa, you need to fill this FORM* provided by TAU International Visa Office before the expiration of your visa, to have enough time to organize the paperwork and obtain an appointment at the Ministry of Interior offices.

UPDATE 2025: given the current situation, new visas should be required three months in advance (before the expiration) to have a valid visa in immediate continuity. 

Make sure you have all of the documents required in your case; some documents need an apostille, so they need to be processed beforehand.

WHICH INSURANCE SHOULD I PURCHASE?

Here some guidelines from the Lowy International School LINK regarding the main insurance companies.

NOTE (1) that in the insurance there are always some exceptions and not all of the medical issues are covered. For example pregnancy after the sixth month, child delivery, psychological and psychiatric treatments are typically not included in the policies. UPDATE 2025: TAU is arranging new policies that are intended to cover also these costs. New details might come soon! 

NOTE (2) it is reported that if you get injured in a traffic accident, the insurance provider won't cover the costs. Instead, they will be covered by the responsible party's insurance or by the Karnit, a governmental fund (HERE a website with some more details in English). It should be the same also for injuries and accidents related to war (but we don't have a clear picture of this issue as of now). Importantly, this coverage is available as long as one has a valid visa.

NOTE(3) once the policy has been purchased, the insurance company will send you the Health Insurance card (if it is the first time) via postal mail and a series of papers via email; in between them, there should be a certificate to be attached to the Visa Renewal papers. This certificate proves that you are insured.

NOTE(4) the cost of the insurance changes every year according to the CPI (Consumer Price Index)

WHERE IS THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR?

NEWs2024: we were recently told that the whole Visa renewal process can be done ON CAMPUS! No more need to go to the Ministry of Interiors!

TAU was registered at the Misrad Hapnim (Ministry of Interior) of Salame 53, Tel Aviv. It's near Jaffa. 

As of now (2025) TAU is working with the Misrad Hapnim in Petach Tikva.

General recommendations

1. The process can take several weeks up to 2 months, so it is suggested to start preparing the papers and reserve a place in the waiting list 2-3 months ahead.
2. The people whose Visas status is pending are considered by law "not regular", but the de facto situation tolerates them, meaning that nobody will chase after them, and in case of trouble, TAU international office is ready to assist anyone as a International Student of TAU. 
3. Students should not go to the Ministry without an appointment, as they will not be accepted there without it.
4. Don't waste your time going into another office of the Ministry of the Interior, the chances that they will let you in are quasi zero. And your PI participation in obtaining the appointment at the Ministry of the Interior doesn't help, he/she does not have the power upon the Ministry.
5. For the people terminally leaving Israel, there is no need to take action. You should be able to leave the country even if your visa is expired.
6. For the people who want to leave and return to Israel, but their visa is expiring/expired, it is strongly NOT recommended to leave the country. Exceptional cases will be evaluated and possibly (no guarantee) there might be an arrangement for a last-minute-urgent appointment.
7. Having an expired visa means also that you can't travel to Jordan or to Sinai (and come back), regardless if you travel alone or you join a guided tour.
8. For the people in need to return to Israel after the expiration of the visa is NO longer possible to shift from the Tourist Visa to the Student Visa once you are in Israel. The visa must be obtained from the Israeli embassy in your own country. 
9. Lately, a new rule has been introduced into the Visa affairs: if you have been here for more than five years, your visa will not be automatically extended, and additionally it is not possible to extend your visa after 7 years. UPDATE: we were reported that the ones who have been here more than 5 years will need to provide an additional letter from the PI stating "why you have been here this long and why it’s important that you stay in Israel for your studies".

For the people applying for a conference abroad: 

1. We got to know that, for example, to go to the US, there is no need for a valid Israeli Visa, but rather to be in time for an appointment to the embassy, which could take months as well!
2. In case of a conference in Europe, the Schengen visa strictly depends on a valid Israeli visa.

Those are informal notifications we got from the community, so we recommend to double check and not take this information for granted. Also please, if you found some errors or you have some updates, notify us!