Israeli Aliyah Customs Shipment Planner
Trusted86/100Plan the 3-shipment customs exemption for new olim to Israel: classify belongings against per-family caps (3 TVs, 3 computers, 5 phones, 25% carpet area, one of each appliance), split inventory across 3 shipments within the 3-year window from teudat oleh, and draft per-shipment customs declarations. Use when a user asks about olim shipping rights, lift planning, how many TVs can I bring, meches olim, or teudat oleh customs benefits. Do NOT use for general aliyah absorption questions (sal klita, ulpan, Misrad HaKlita) - use israeli-aliyah-navigator instead.
Trust score 86/100 (Trusted) · 27+ installs · 2 GitHub contributors · MIT license
New olim (immigrants) to Israel are entitled to three duty-free shipments of household goods within three years of aliyah, but the rules are riddled with per-family caps (TVs, computers, cell phones, appliances, carpeting) and a six-year retention rule that blocks resale. Most olim pack by emotion, then discover at the port that a third computer or a fourth appliance triggers full duty plus VAT plus purchase tax. This skill plans the split across three shipments, flags over-limit items before packing, and drafts a clean declaration per shipment.
skills-ilHow to use this skill
Not sure how? Read the guide- 1. Click "Download ZIP" to download the skill files.
- 2. Open Claude Desktop and go to Customize > Skills.
- 3. Click "+" and select "Upload a skill", then upload the ZIP file.
- 4. Start a new conversation. The skill will activate automatically when relevant.
Developers? Install via command line (CLI)
npx skills-il add skills-il/government-services@v1.2.0-israeli-aliyah-customs-shipment-planner --skill israeli-aliyah-customs-shipment-planner -a claude-codeWhen to Apply
- When a new oleh is packing for their move to Israel and wants to maximize the duty-free exemption
- When deciding how to split belongings across the 3 permitted shipments within the 3-year window
- When categorizing items as within-limit vs over-limit per the family caps (caps are reported differently by different sources, so confirm with a licensed customs broker)
- When drafting the customs declaration for each shipment
- When explaining the 6-year resale retention rule and its consequences
Try These Prompts
I am making aliyah from Brooklyn with my wife and 2 kids. Help me plan the 3 duty-free shipments from my household inventory
We have 4 TVs and 4 laptops in our household. Which ones will go over the exemption and what will they cost at the port?
I am a toshav chozer after 8 years abroad. Do I get the same 3-shipment exemption?
Draft a customs declaration for shipment 1 of my aliyah goods, mostly kitchen items and books
Frequently Asked Questions
Changelog
v1.2.0: Corrected vehicle resale restriction from 5 years to 4 years per NBN; added olim car-tax breakdown (50% car-tax + 18% VAT vs standard 83%); added 6 CRITICAL items: hand-tools $1,650 USD cap, business machinery $36,000 USD cap, pet import sub-process (4mo min age, rabies antibody >=0.5 IU/ml, ports BG/Haifa/Ashdod/Eilat), +1yr study extension with 5-yr ceiling and IDF service pause, postal-clothing window (30 days before through 3 months after entry), and hand-luggage sub-caps (perfume 250ml + gifts $200 USD per entrant). Belong elevated to authoritative source for 3 TVs / 3 PCs / 1-of-each (previously over-hedged as "verify with broker").
May 26, 2026
Added hand-luggage allowance on the aliyah flight itself ($200 clothes/toiletries per person, 1L spirits + 2L wine for 18+, 250g tobacco or 200 cigarettes). Distinct from the 3-shipment exemption. Added Shivat Zion reference link.
May 23, 2026
Softened the unverified TV/computer/phone caps into broker-verify ranges since sources conflict, fixed the carpet rule by owner vs renter, and fixed a precedence bug in the planner script.
May 14, 2026
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