Releasing an Imported Food Product Shipment (Plant-Based Food)

• Only authorized importers with a valid food importer certificate. Additional requirements include import approvals, import registration approvals, or valid product declaration approvals for products in shipment or their representatives.
• The general public can import food products in limited quantities, as specified in the Personal Import Procedure (Hebrew).

An application for a shipment release can be submitted after the food shipment has left the country of origin.

Stage A: Online application submission at the quarantine stations' website

• Custom brokers and importers who submitted an online application will receive an email update regarding the progress of the release process:
  • Case registration
  • Missing documents or data notifications
  • Release notification
• An update can also be obtained from the Maslul System of the customs and the government service.
• To ensure data privacy, access to the Maslul System database requires a smart card (for details on purchasing a smart card (Hebrew)).

Stage B: Obtaining a computerized decision on the release of the food from customs or further inspection at the quarantine station:

• If you receive an online food release approval, you can submit the case directly for customs clearance without submitting it at the quarantine station. This message will be displayed at the end of the online submission process. Once you complete the online payment, you will receive a release confirmation by email. This option is only available for shipments with approved declarations that is not selected for sampling.
• In any other case not described in Section 1, you must submit the release case to the quarantine station with all the required documents.

Stage C: Submitting the case at the quarantine station (for cases that were not automatically released)

Addresses and operating hours of the quarantine stations and required documents are available below in this service.

Stage D: Quarantine station case processing (for cases that were not automatically released)

• Cases undergo an administrative review, including matching product approvals to a manufacturer or supplier account: product information, manufacturer, supplier, and country of origin.
• If regular products with an approved online product declaration are selected for sampling, the inspection will follow Procedure 05-001 (Hebrew). If a regular product shipment without an approved online product declaration was selected for sampling, the inspection will be conducted according to sensitive product procedures.
• Additionally, inspectors may proactively inspect the documents and take samples for physical or laboratory testing, following the National Food Service's special guidelines. This is done due to concerns about potential non-compliance with Israeli law or discrepancies with food records.
• For a sensitive product, the documents are inspected by the inspector, including a physical inspection of the container and products or a laboratory inspection of the products, following the procedures.
• The shipment of regular products containing at least one sensitive product will be treated according to the procedure for sensitive product inspection.

Stage E: Approval for case release from the quarantine station signifies approval for customs for the continuation of the release process

• Importers can request a conditional release to their warehouse before receiving laboratory results under the following conditions:
  • All required documents for the release have been completed.
  • The importer has deposited a bank guarantee with the National Food Services.
  • The importer commits not to market the goods until receiving normal test results.
• Bank guarantee
• Importers will submit the guarantee in the amount of 25,000 NIS payable to the account of the Ministry of Health.
• Payments are made at the bank branches.
• The guarantee will include the Ministry's address: Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Daniel Building, Zipcode 9438317
• The guarantee will include the sentence, "No marketing of the goods until the completion of the tests, with the approval of the National Food Services at the Ministry of Health".
• The guarantee will specify the full name of the importer and the number of the private company.
• The original guarantee should be submitted to the offices of the National Food Services at 236 Yaffo St., Jerusalem, Daniel Building.

Customs release fee payment 

• The fee amount is subject to occasional updates.
• For shipments containing multiple product groups, the fee will be multiplied according to the number of sensitive product groups in the shipment.
• Regular products within the shipment will be considered a single group.
• A shipment containing regular and sensitive products will have a fee calculated as the sum of the sensitive product group fees plus the fee for the regular product group.

• Printed application form for the release of imported food.
• Valid importer registration certificate.
• Valid declaration of receipt or food registration (for regular food) or advance permit to import sensitive food (for sensitive food) for each food item in the shipment.
• Supplier's invoice for the shipment.
• Gate pass, detection form, or electronic message of the shipping company.
• Copy of Bill of Lading.    
• Packing list, if available.
• Relevant analyses for sensitive products in the shipment.
• All additional certificates and documents required for import approval from the National Food Service.
• Payment via the payment website.
• Documents from an approved authority for regular foods, as declared by the importer at the time of completing the online declaration.

Haifa Quarantine Station

15a Pal-Yam Street, Haifa
Telephone: 04-8632959
Visiting hours and telephone support: Sunday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Telephone support by the secretariat: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Ashdod Quarantine Station

1 Habanim Street, Ashdod, Hakirya Building, 2nd floor
Telephone: 08-8565143
Visiting hours are by appointment only
Inspectors' telephone support: Sunday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
And Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Telephone support by the secretariat:
Sunday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Ben Gurion Airport Quarantine Station

Maman building, room 617, Ben Gurion Airport
Telephone: 03-9711169
Visiting hours and telephone support: Sunday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Telephone support: Sunday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (except for a break between 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

Nitzana Border Crossing  

Arie (Luba) Eliav Nitzana Terminal, rural delivery Halutza 80500
Senior citizens visiting hours: Sunday and Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (except for a break between 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Office Hours on other weekdays (departmental representative available for import-related inquiries): 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - File Submission
Nitzana fax: 056-579606
Yossi Grossmann: 050-6243747
Maya Rabani: 050-6243122
Be'er Sheva Health Bureau: 08-6263597

Eilat Crossing Station

Municipal Center, Red Canyon Shopping Center. Eilat Health Bureau
Telephone: 08-6374279
Visiting hours: By appointment with the food engineer at:
08-6374279, ext. 7, fax: 08-6372310.

Jordan River Quarantine Station  

Jordan River Border Crossing, Sheikh Hussein Bridge
Visiting hours: Sunday through Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Telephone: 04-6060403
Fax: 04-6482191

According to the described process, the authority responsible for releasing products from the port is usually the customs broker, who is skilled in performing this operation with customs and certified authorities, such as the Ministry of Health.

What actions can be taken when the inspection is delayed?

• In cases where laboratory testing takes longer than expected, the shipment may be conditionally released from the port to the responsibility of the importers under the following conditions:
  • Deposit of a bank guarantee.
  • A commitment not to market the goods until receiving normal test results and approval from the National Food Service.
• All the imported food shipments are the sole responsibility of the importers! Conditional release may be performed under the described conditions.

Additional cases overseen by the quarantine stations or the border crossings without requiring the importer's registration or import approval (without paying a fee):

• Food shipments on behalf of UNRWA and contributions to the Autonomy.
• Imports for foreign embassies, airline companies, and ships.
• Returned export.
• Samples for laboratory testing.

• Initial case processing: up to 48 hours from submission (excluding Friday, Saturday, and holidays).
• Online processing of applications for regular food will be completed no later than one business day after the application is received, unless the online system is inactive or malfunctioning. In such cases, a certificate will be issued as soon as possible, provided the case has not been selected for sampling.
• A case selected for sampling will be overseen initially in the quarantine station within 48 hours, excluding Friday, Saturday, and holidays.
• If additional documents on behalf of the importers or manufacturers will be required or if the shipment is selected for sampling, the handling time will be prolonged.
• The handling schedule may depend on certain authorities such as the port, customs broker, and the laboratory performing the product testing.