Your first week in Netanya: what to do, in what order

Netanya has absorbed a lot of people: the city says about 70,000 olim have settled here since 1990, roughly a third of residents, from the former USSR, France, the US, Italy, South America and Ethiopia (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). That means the system is used to newcomers, and there is help in English, French, Russian and Amharic. Here is the order I would do things in.

Before anything else: the city's own checklist

The municipality runs an olim portal, olim2netanya.co.il, with a step-by-step arrival checklist in English, French, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Amharic, updated September 2026 (olim2netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). It also names a staff member who accompanies English-speaking olim. Keep it open alongside this guide. See the listing.

Step 1: address and bank

• Register your Netanya address on your Teudat Zehut through myVisit at the Population Authority branch, 18 Ben Zvi Blvd. Bring your rental or purchase contract (olim2netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). See the listing.
• Open an "oleh hadash" bank account so your sal klita can be paid into it.

Step 2: Misrad HaAliyah

Book your klita counsellor at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, also at 18 Ben Zvi Blvd (1599-500905 or myVisit). Bring your ID with the Netanya address appendix, your immigration certificate and the bank-account confirmation, and ask for your ulpan voucher (olim2netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). See the listing.

Step 3: arnona, and the paper you need for school

Olim get the arnona discount once, for one year, within the first two years after aliyah. Apply at the Revenue Division, 4 HaTzoran St, Elevator 7, 2nd floor (Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu 08:30-13:00; Wed also 16:30-18:00; closed Tuesday) or online (olim2netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).

On the same visit, ask for the property-holder confirmation. School and gan registration both require it. If you can't get it, a lawyer's declaration that you live in Netanya is accepted, and the Magistrates' Court at 57 Herzl St offers one at a subsidised price (same source). See the listing.

Step 4: health fund

Choose a kupat cholim at the airport, or later at a Postal Bank branch, within 90 days of aliyah. After 90 days you register at the Bituach Leumi branch, 68 Herzl St (olim2netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). More in the health guide.

Step 5: ulpan

The Netanya International Ulpan has run for about 30 years and is one of the largest in Israel: a roughly 500-hour programme over two levels, mornings for about 5 months or evenings for about 10, a 60+ track, and professional Hebrew for medical staff and psychologists. The office is at the Neot Herzl Community Center, 12 Shimon Bracha St, Tue and Thu 09:00-10:00 and 10:30-12:30 (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). See the listing.

Who helps, in your language

• Municipal Absorption Department, 4 Yoel Salomon St, 1st floor, by appointment, Sun-Thu. Staff speak English, French, Russian and Amharic (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). Listing.
• French speakers have their own municipal call centre and office at 2 Yoel Salomon St (09-8341110): education, water, the resident card, arnona, welfare, Bituach Leumi (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). Listing.
• Netanya AACI, 28 Shmuel HaNatziv St, is the English speakers' hub: counselling, lectures, trips, Hebrew classes and an English library (AACI (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). Listing.
• CASIFAN, 11 Kikar HaAtzmaut, helps French-speaking olim with paperwork and runs activities and trips (CASIFAN (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)). Listing.

Numbers and groups worth saving

• The 24/7 municipal hotline is 106, also on WhatsApp (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
• The Resident Service Center at 2 HaTzoran St works by appointment: public inquiries, parking permits and the resident card, but not arnona (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
• The city has official absorption WhatsApp groups for French and Russian speakers, and neighbourhood WhatsApp groups (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).
• There is also a "new residents" hub, newres.digitanya.co.il, for arnona and water registration, school registration and resident benefits (City of Netanya (נפתח בכרטיסייה חדשה)).

The newcomer checklist on this site turns all of this into ticks you can save on your phone.