Initial Registration with the Employment Service

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   In brief

   To receive unemployment benefits or income support, you need to show willingness to work. Register with the Employment Service as a job seeker and be prepared to take any job that suits your health and physical condition.

2. 2

   Who is this relevant for?

   This guide is for anyone who wants to submit a claim for unemployment benefits or income support from the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi).

   • Unemployment benefits claimants: It's recommended to register with the Employment Service immediately after stopping work — even if your entitlement to benefits begins later (for example, if you resigned).
   • Income support claimants: You need to register during the first week of the month, at the same time as your eligibility is being assessed by Bituach Leumi.
3. 3

   Who to contact and how

   Register at the Employment Service office in the area where you live.

   • If your actual address differs from the address recorded in the Population Registry, you'll need to update your address in the Population Registry (see the address-change request on the Population and Immigration Authority website).
   • If you don't want to update your address in the Population Registry, you can register and report to the office that covers the locality where you actually live, and fill in a declaration to that effect.
4. 4

   Online registration

   To shorten the registration process at the Employment Service office, you can complete your initial registration online on the Employment Service website, and then visit the office to finalise your registration within 14 calendar days of registering online.

   At the same time as registering at the office (and after completing the initial online registration), you can submit your claim — for unemployment benefits or for income support — to Bituach Leumi.

   Unemployment benefits claimants can also register with the Employment Service and submit their claim to Bituach Leumi using a single combined form in their personal area on the national identity system.

   At the end of the initial online registration process, choose a date to visit the office linked to your residential address.

   For those found eligible, unemployment benefit calculations and the count of reporting days at the office will be calculated and applied retroactively from the date of initial online registration.

5. 5

   Registration at the office and employment interview

   If you did not complete an initial online registration, go to the Employment Service office nearest to where you live to register and attend an employment interview.

   When you arrive, go to the reporting kiosk (the biometric device) at the entrance to the office, enter your ID number, and wait in the queue for the placement coordinator.

   The placement coordinator will carry out a short introductory interview so they can search for a suitable position for you. Your details will also be entered into the Employment Service's computerised database, so you can receive job offers from employers registered with the Employment Service.

   Bring the following documents with you:

   1. A government-issued photo ID: identity card, driving licence, passport, military ID, or similar.
   2. Certificates and documents showing your professional training and experience.
   3. If applicable — a licence for a profession that requires licensing or certification, or a completion certificate from a vocational training course in a field that requires professional certificates (originals are not mandatory).
   4. If you have medical limitations, present up-to-date medical documents as soon as possible and within 7 days, so that you can be summoned to a work-capacity committee. You can submit these documents up to and including during the committee hearing itself.

   It is recommended to bring an up-to-date CV.

6. 6

   Reporting to the Employment Service

   After registering with the Employment Service, you need to report to the office on the date set for you.

   For more information, see the guide on reporting to the Employment Service.

   In certain cases, income support recipients are exempt from the obligation to report. For more information, see the guide on exemption from reporting to the Employment Service for the purpose of receiving income support.