Before you start

Passport plus Teudat Zehut for residents and olim, or passport with visa or work permit for non-residents
An Israeli mobile number — a foreign number blocks app verification
Proof of a Haifa address: a lease, an arnona bill or a utility bill
For non-residents, proof of income or employment and a source-of-funds explanation

Step-by-step

1
Choose between a branch bank and ONE ZERO
Branch banks suit anyone wanting a named banker, a mortgage or business services, and all run an olim package. ONE ZERO is app-first on a flat monthly subscription instead of per-action fees.
OnlineWho: You
2
Ask explicitly for the cheapest plan or the olim track
Banks default you to the standard tariff and rarely move you unless asked. Raise it at opening, and again each year.
In personWho: You, with the branch
3
Attend in person for identity verification
Israeli regulation requires face-to-face or video verification for a first account, including at the digital banks. Central Haifa and Technion-area branches are used to English- and Russian-speaking customers.
In personWho: YouSame day to a few days for an appointment
4
Complete the tax-residency declarations
You sign CRS declarations, and a FATCA W-9 with your SSN if you are a US person. Incomplete FATCA paperwork gets accounts frozen or declined.
In personWho: You and bank compliance staff
5
Install Bit and PayBox
Person-to-person payments in Israel largely bypass bank transfers. Bit and PayBox are how you split a bill, pay a landlord or buy second-hand.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Teudat Zehut for residents and olim, or visa / work permit for non-residents
Proof of Haifa address — lease, arnona bill or utility bill
Proof of income or employment, commonly required of non-residents
Social Security Number for the FATCA W-9 if you are a US person

Things most newcomers don’t know

The fee plan is a negotiation, and almost nobody negotiates it.

Israeli retail banking stacks a monthly account-management fee on top of per-action charges, and the Bank of Israel regulates fee disclosure precisely because customers overpay by accepting the default plan. Asking for the cheapest maslul or an olim track at opening, and again yearly, is the highest-return five minutes of admin available to a newcomer.

Source: Bank of Israel — banking fees and consumer information

Even a digital bank needs you physically present once.

ONE ZERO is app-first and flat-fee, but Israeli know-your-customer rules require face-to-face or video verification for a first account regardless of the provider. Newcomers plan to open everything remotely before they fly and find they cannot. Book the verification for your first week.

Source: ONE ZERO; Israeli KYC requirements

Russian is a working banking language in Haifa in a way it is not elsewhere.

The 1990s aliyah left the city with a very large Russian-speaking population, and branches in Hadar and the Krayot commonly have Russian-speaking staff and signage. If Russian is stronger for you than Hebrew or English, choosing the branch on that basis will make the account agreement — which is in Hebrew — far less risky to sign.

Source: community-reported, corroborated across Haifa branch practice

Your arnona bill is the proof-of-address document that everything else accepts.

Banks, telecoms and government offices all want local address proof, and the municipal arnona bill in your own name is the cleanest form of it in Israel. That is a practical reason to register the tenancy with the municipality promptly rather than leaving the bill in the landlord's name.

Source: Haifa Municipality arnona registration; bank documentation practice

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting the standard fee tariff without asking for a cheaper plan or the olim track.
Arriving as a US person without a Social Security Number for the FATCA form.
Turning up without an Israeli mobile number, which stops app verification completing.
Expecting a non-resident account the same day — compliance review takes several business days and some branches decline outright.
Signing a Hebrew account agreement nobody has read to you in a language you are fluent in.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.