Can a student/tourist drive on their foreign license?
An informational article by Shmuel Weinstein, owner and manager of Best Insurance Agency (2013) Ltd.
The information in this article is not intended to be a legal opinion. Anyone who drives in Israel and relies on their foreign driver’s license does so at the risk of being completely uninsured as all car insurance policies exclude from coverage claims where the driver does not have a driving license that is suitable for the type of vehicle driven and that is considered valid as defined by the laws and regulations of the State of Israel.
There are two general sets of laws and regulations, one for residents and another for non-residents.
In case of doubt, contact a qualified attorney for a legal opinion.
A) Residents
Regarding “residency”, some will pull out their passports and claim “Take a look at the visa the Israeli authorities stamped in my passport, it says I’m a student/tourist/worker/etc…”. The Israeli courts, however, consistently adjudicate that residency is based on where you actually reside, not the status of your visa.
If the law considers you a resident, then your foreign license is always considered invalid for use in Israel and it is illegal for you to drive without a valid Israeli driver’s license.
If you drive anyway, your insurance company will reject your claims and not pay any of the damages!
Here are some of the parameters Israeli judges look at to determine residency when examining the particulars of the case presented before them:
- Do you or your family have Bituach Leumi? If you do, then you actually requested and were granted residency!
- Where have you or your family physically resided for the majority of the past few years?
- Do your kids go to school here?
- Do you have an Israeli bank account and/or credit cards?
If Israel is where your life is centered, your attorney will have a hard time making the case in court that you are a “non-resident of Israel” and you can be sure that the attorneys for the insurance company will do their utmost to make the opposite case.
B) Non-residents
Non-residents are allowed to drive on their valid foreign license under certain conditions and for a limited period of time only. Once any of those conditions is not fulfilled or the time period expires, the State of Israel considers the foreign driver’s license of the non-resident no longer valid for driving in Israel, and it is illegal for them to drive!
If such individuals drive anyway, their insurance company will reject their claims and not pay any of the damages!
Below find a link to an article that summarizes the laws and regulations regarding non-residents written by attorney Joshua Pex, partner in the law firm Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co. The laws and regulations regarding non-residents are complex, and the information found in their article is not a substitute for legal advice from a qualified attorney (see the Terms of Service on their website for more disclaimers). Furthermore, Best Insurance Agency (2013) Ltd. takes no responsibility regarding the accuracy of the information found in their article.
link to article (you will be re-directed to an external website)
C) Getting an Israeli driver’s license
Getting an Israeli driver’s license based on your foreign one is usually quite straightforward, although the process may take some time. In most cases, all you will need are an eye exam, one driving class, and a short road test to make sure you know how to handle a vehicle. Call any licensed driving instructor; his job is to take you through the process from A-Z.
