Work Permits in Israel
It is our pleasure to present comprehensive information on the procedure for obtaining work permits in Israel. In general, an employer of foreign experts is required to undergo two separate procedures which are interdependent. First, an application for a permit to employ foreign experts must be submitted with the Ministry of Industry. Usually an application is submitted on the basis that the foreign expert in question will be remunerated at twice the average Israeli salary (a monthly salary of ca. 17,500 NIS would meet such criteria). Submission of various documents is required and we routinely enclose an explanatory letter specifying the importance of the project and the necessity to employ the experts in question. The current application fee at the Ministry of Industry currently amounts to stands at 2,000 NIS per employee. Second, after obtaining the permit from the Ministry of Industry, an application must be submitted to the Ministry of Interior. Third, submission of additional documents is required and when the application is approved, a bank check in the amount of just under 10,000 NIS is required to be transferred for each employee. It is important to note that the employee in question must physically reside outside of Israel at the time the permit from the Ministry of Interior is granted (they approved (the Ministry of Interior has the facility to check this remotely through a computerized system). With approval of the permit by the Ministry of Interior, an employee is required to send his or her passport to the Israeli Consulate in Berlin which will grant a work permit with which the employee may enter the country and begin employment. If application is submitted for a multiple entry visa, the employee is required to personally report to the Ministry of Interior with his or her passport in order to apply specifically for a multiple entry visa (our attorneys routinely offer guidance in this respect, and we will accompany an employee to and from the Ministry, directly from the place of employment, if required). All official documentation is transferred to us over a minimum of four weeks. Our attorneys avail of all facilities together with German-speaking personnel to handle submission of client applications. We correspond with the relevant parties in English or German, offer guidance regarding documents for submission, follow up on documents to ensure receipt, after which we submit the applications and ensure payment of fees to the Ministries of Interior and Industry.