Driving in Israel with a UK licence, and getting around Tel Aviv without a car
Your UK licence is good in Israel for a year after you arrive. New immigrants can then swap it, and drivers with five years' experience skip the test, but Tel Aviv's buses, light rail and bike lanes mean many Brits don't need a car at all.
The short version
- New immigrants, temporary residents and visitors can drive on a valid foreign licence for one year from their date of entry [1].
- New immigrants have five years from aliyah to convert a UK licence. With five years' driving behind you, there's no road test, just an eye test and paperwork [4].
- On a visit, the FCDO says to carry your UK licence and a 1968 International Driving Permit, which you must buy in the UK for £5.50 [2][3].
- A Tel Aviv bus fare is ILS 8 (about £1.85), with unlimited transfers on the city's buses for 90 minutes [5].
- Buses, trains and the light rail mostly stop for Shabbat; free municipal weekend buses fill some of the gap [5].
Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = ILS 4.3162).
Your UK licence after you move
The FCDO's Living in Israel guide says new immigrants, tourists, temporary residents and returning citizens who've lived abroad for at least a year may drive on a valid foreign licence for one year from their date of entry [1]. After that, you need an Israeli licence. For new immigrants, Nefesh B'Nefesh adds that the year only restarts after six full months in a row outside Israel [4].
Visiting first?
The FCDO travel advice says to carry your UK licence and a 1968 International Driving Permit, and warns that "You cannot buy an IDP outside the UK" [2]. You get one in person at a shop with PayPoint for £5.50; if you still have an old paper licence, GOV.UK says to update it to a photocard or get an IDP [3]. You also need a green card (proof of insurance) if you take your own car [1][2]. Our guide to driving abroad on a UK licence covers the UK side.
Converting your licence
Conversion is handled by the Ministry of Transport's licensing authority, Misrad HaRishui. New immigrants have five years from their aliyah date to apply, but since you can only drive on the UK licence for the first year, most people get on with it straight away [4].
How much of a faff it is depends on how long you've been driving:
| Driving experience before aliyah | What you need |
|---|---|
| Five years or more | Eye test and paperwork only, no road test (the expedited route) [4] |
| Two to five years | A short practical conversion test [4] |
| Under two years | A theory test (available in English) and the practical test [4] |
For the expedited route, your UK licence must be full, valid, issued before aliyah and show five years in a row of driving right up to your aliyah date. If your photocard doesn't show the original issue date, bring an older licence or an official record of your driving history [4].
The steps [4]:
- Apply online for the tofes yarok (the "green form") on gov.il, including a medical self-declaration. Answer yes to any medical question and you'll need a letter from an Israeli doctor.
- Eye test and photo at an optician approved for licensing, which costs roughly ILS 50 to 80 (about £12 to £19).
- Book an appointment at Misrad HaRishui. Bring your teudat zehut, teudat oleh, the UK licence with a copy of both sides, and proof of five years' driving. You leave with a temporary licence valid for six months.
- Pay the licence fee online or at a post office. The temporary licence isn't valid until you've paid.
- Wait for the plastic. The permanent licence usually arrives by post within two to three months.
If you need the practical test, you take it in a driving instructor's car, pay the instructor ILS 229 (about £53) and a test fee of ILS 152 (about £35) [4]. Conversion offices near Tel Aviv include Holon, Ramat Gan and Petah Tikva [4].
The route above is set out for new immigrants. If you're on a work visa or another temporary status, ask Misrad HaRishui how the rules apply to you before your first year runs out.
Driving and parking in Tel Aviv
Driving here is a contact sport compared with the M25. The FCDO notes frequent accidents linked to erratic driving, radar speed traps and heavy fines for speeding [2]. You drive on the right, of course.
Parking is the real headache, and it's all about the kerb [7]:
| Kerb | What it means |
|---|---|
| Grey (unpainted) | Park, subject to the signs at the start of the street |
| Blue and white | Paid parking for non-residents from 9am to 5pm; after 5pm usually residents of that zone only |
| Red and white | No parking |
| Red and grey | Depends on the signs at the start of the street |
Pay with an app such as Pango, Cellopark or EasyPark. Paid hours are 9am to 7pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 1pm on Fridays and holidays, unless the street signs say otherwise [8]. If you live in the city and own a car, get a residents' parking sticker for your zone: it lets you park free in permitted spaces across the city by day and in your own zone at night, and gives you discounts at the municipal Ahuzot HaHof car parks [7][8].
Getting around without a car
Rav-Kav and the buses
The Rav-Kav is Israel's smart card for buses, trains and the light rail, rather like an Oyster card. An anonymous card costs ILS 5 (about £1.15) from tourist information points, including at the Central Bus Station and Arlozorov station, and you can top it up through apps such as HopOn or Rav-Kav Online on an NFC phone [5]. You can also tap a bank card or Apple Pay on the buses [5].
A bus fare is ILS 8 (about £1.85), and covers unlimited Tel Aviv buses for 90 minutes [5]. Moovit and Google Maps handle route planning. Late-night lines link residential areas with nightlife: they run most nights in summer and school holidays, and on Thursdays and Saturday nights in term time [5].
The light rail
The Red Line opened in August 2023 [6] and runs roughly 24 km (15 miles) from Petah Tikva through Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan, central Tel Aviv and Jaffa to Bat Yam, with a few dozen stops, around ten of them underground, according to reports at the opening [9]. More lines are on the way: the city expects the full light rail network to link Tel Aviv with towns from Herzliya to Rishon LeZion by 2029 [6]. The Red Line didn't run on Saturdays or Jewish holidays when it opened [9]; check the operator's current timetable before you rely on it at the weekend.
Trains, sheruts and taxis
- Israel Railways runs from four stations along the Ayalon motorway, with Tel Aviv Merkaz (Arlozorov) and HaShalom best for the centre. Trains go to Ben Gurion Airport, Haifa, Be'er Sheva and Jerusalem, and stop from Friday afternoon until Saturday after sunset [5].
- Sheruts are yellow shared minibuses with fixed fares close to bus fares. Line 4 runs along Allenby and Ben Yehuda, and line 5 along Rothschild and Dizengoff Street. Flag one down anywhere on the route [5].
- Taxis are metered in town, with set inter-city fares and 25% more at night, on Saturdays and on holidays. Insist on the meter [5]. Taxi apps include Gett and Yango [5].
Bikes and e-scooters
Tel Aviv is flat and has a growing network of bike lanes, but the rules on electric bikes and scooters are strict and well enforced [10]:
- You must be 16 or over, and e-bike riders also need to pass a competence test.
- Helmets are compulsory on e-scooters and e-bikes, and on ordinary bikes for under-18s, with an ILS 1,000 fine (about £232).
- E-bikes and e-scooters must carry a number plate.
- Ride in bike lanes or on the road, never on the pavement (ILS 250, about £58). No passengers on scooters, no phones and no headphones.
Weekends are a different story: see our guide to Shabbat in Tel Aviv for what runs and what doesn't.
Got a tip for parking in the Old North or an opinion on the Red Line? Share it in our community group for Brits in Israel.
Sources
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Israel and Palestine (last updated 14 November 2024)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Israel travel advice, Safety and security (updated 27 October 2026, still current at 7 November 2026)
- GOV.UK: International driving permits
- Nefesh B'Nefesh: Converting your foreign driver's licence (updated 10 September 2026)
- Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality: Public transportation (checked 7 November 2026)
- Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality: Light rail
- Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality: Parking regulations
- Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality: Parking payment options
- Jewish Press: Tel Aviv light rail opens (18 August 2023) and Urban Transport Magazine: Tel Aviv starts light rail service (18 August 2023)
- Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality: Bicycles and scooters