Western Europe
Making aliyah from Switzerland
960 people moved from Switzerland to Israel between 2015 and 2025, including 75 in 2025. Here is what the official record shows about them, and what the process looks like from Switzerland specifically.
Olim in 2025
75
granted oleh status on arrival
Total since 2015
960
11 years of the record
Busiest year
2016
122 arrivals
Most chosen town
Tel Aviv-Yafo
250 people
Settlement concentration
Not ranked: Switzerland has fewer than 1,000 olim on the detailed record, so its top three towns say more about one absorption programme than about a pattern.
The record
Aliyah from Switzerland, in the ministry's own files
Every arrival counted once, in the year they landed and the town they registered in.
Arrivals from Switzerland by year
Where they settled
Absorption town recorded on arrival.
- 1Tel Aviv-Yafo250
- 2Jerusalem239
- 3Ra'anana59
- 4Herzliya44
- 5Netanya34
- 6Haifa28
- 7Bnei Brak21
- 8Ashdod19
- 9Rishon LeZion18
- 10Beit Shemesh17
Age on arrival
20% arrived as children, 14% at 65 or over.
- 10-17190
- 218-24227
- 325-34208
- 435-49112
- 550-6490
- 665+133
What they did before moving
Occupation recorded at registration. "School pupil" and "student" reflect how many arrive as dependants.
- 1Not stated147
- 2Retired101
- 3School pupil91
- 4Student82
- 5Economist32
- 6Unskilled30
- 7Homemaker20
- 8Professional services19
Destination
More went to Tel Aviv-Yafo than anywhere else
250 of the 960 arrivals from Switzerland registered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, ahead of Jerusalem, Ra'anana, Herzliya.
That is 26% of everyone arriving from Switzerland, against 12.3% of olim from all countries.
The town is recorded once, on arrival, so the chart above shows where people registered rather than where they live now.
How it works
The process from Switzerland
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Commercial flights, with group flights organised around the summer and holiday periods in the larger communities.
Western European olim concentrate on the coastal centre: Netanya, Ashdod, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ra'anana.
Documents are the slow part everywhere: birth certificates, proof of Jewish descent, police clearance and, in most countries, apostilles. Start collecting before you open the file, not after. The full sequence is in the aliyah guide.
Before you go
Work out what your money is worth: the cost of living page has rent, groceries and salaries in real numbers, and the shekel converter gives today's rate.
A market stall in Jerusalem with prices marked in shekels.
Check the calendar you are moving into: holiday dates close the country for whole weeks in autumn and spring, and Shabbat times govern the week.
A sesame-topped challah loaf, freshly baked.
See how Switzerland compares with everywhere else on the full statistics explorer.
An open-plan office floor of screens and desks.
Aliyah from elsewhere in Western Europe
Total arrivals 2015 to 2025, in brackets.
Start here
The move itself, in six steps
Eligibility, opening the file, the documents, the visa, landing day and the absorption benefits that follow. The guide is the same wherever you are starting from.
Frequently asked questions
How many people make aliyah from Switzerland each year?+
75 in 2025, and 960 in total between 2015 and 2025. The strongest single year was 2016, with 122 arrivals.
Where do olim from Switzerland settle?+
Tel Aviv-Yafo takes the largest share, followed by Jerusalem, Ra'anana, Herzliya. 26% of olim from Switzerland settled in Tel Aviv-Yafo, against 12.3% of olim overall.
Who handles an aliyah application from Switzerland?+
The Jewish Agency for Israel runs the process through its regional office and the Israeli consulate.
Is aliyah from Switzerland mostly families or individuals?+
Of the 960 arrivals recorded, 20% were children under 18 and 14% were 65 or over. That skews towards adults moving without school-age children.
Source: Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, published on data.gov.il. Figures count people granted oleh status on arrival. Rebuilt 2026-08-05.