Ordering vitamins and supplements to Israel from abroad

The short answer: for personal use, you can order up to five of any one supplement and up to 15 supplement items in a single package, and no more than six packages containing food a year. Supplements are taxed like any other goods: nothing to pay up to $75, and 18% VAT above it.

We last checked these rules on October 18, 2026.

How many supplements can I order?

Israel lets you import food, supplements included, for personal use in a “reasonable quantity.” For supplements, the Ministry of Health spells that out (Ministry of Health, personal import, in Hebrew, published March 28, 2022):

• Up to five items of any one supplement per package. Five bottles of the same vitamin D is the limit; a sixth takes the package past personal use.
• Up to 15 supplement items in total per package, across all products.
• No more than six packages containing food in a calendar year, counting supplements and any other food.
• Factory packed and labeled. The product must be in the maker’s own packaging, labeled so it can be identified as food.

When the package arrives, you declare that it’s for personal use only. The declaration goes to Israel Post or the courier delivering it. The Ministry’s page notes that the Customs (Personal Import) Order, 2019 is the binding text if the two ever differ.

A package over these limits can be held by customs. Stores that ship to Israel usually build the limits into checkout; iHerb, for example, states the same five-identical and 15-item caps on its shipping page for Israel.

Is anything not allowed?

Yes. Israel sets maximum amounts for vitamins and minerals in a supplement, and a product above them can’t be imported or sold as a supplement here (Public Health (Food) (Dietary Supplements) Regulations, 1997, via Nevo). Some ingredients aren’t allowed in supplements at all: in September 2025 the Ministry of Health warned against products containing shilajit (mumio), which isn’t approved for supplements in Israel (Ministry of Health notice, in Hebrew, September 14, 2025).

Products registered as medicines aren’t supplements under the same regulations, and medicines follow the Ministry of Health’s separate rules for personal import. If a product is sold as a medicine in Israel, check before you order it.

Stores also restrict some categories for Israel. iHerb lists hemp and hemp-derived products, green tea, eye drops, baby formula and certain medicines among the items it may not ship here (iHerb shipping page).

What will I pay in tax?

Supplements follow the same import-tax rules as everything else. Up to $75 in goods per package, there’s no VAT; above it, 18% VAT applies to the whole value. Packages from the same supplier within 72 hours are added together. Our import tax guide explains each rule with its source.

Two details catch people near the line. iHerb warns that an order valued very close to the limit may still be taxed, because the dollar rate can move between the order date and customs clearance. It also lists a customs computer fee on larger orders, on top of the VAT. Both are on its shipping page, checked October 18, 2026.

This is a shopper’s summary, not tax advice. For your specific case, check the Israel Tax Authority calculator or ask a customs broker.

How does delivery to Israel work?

Using iHerb as the example, because it publishes its terms for Israel (shipping page, checked October 18, 2026):

• Two ways to receive it: home delivery, or a locker or pickup point you choose at checkout.
• Order limits: both have the same cap on order value, shown on the shipping page. Home delivery allows up to 15kg; lockers up to 4kg.
• Carriers: iHerb picks Exelot, Gaash or Orian for you.
• Pickup windows are short. Exelot holds packages for 10 days. Gaash and Orian hold them for 72 hours at lockers and 10 days at pickup stores. After that the package goes back, and an unclaimed package may not be refunded.
• Where it doesn’t deliver: these services don’t deliver to Gaza or the West Bank.

iHerb ships to Israel by air from its US warehouses and shows an estimated delivery window at checkout; it doesn’t publish a fixed delivery time on the page. Once it ships, our package tracking guide explains who has it and what each status means.

Is it cheaper than buying locally?

Sometimes. The only fair comparison is the price per serving of the same product: same brand, same form (capsule, tablet, gummy, powder) and same amount per serving.

1. Find the serving size and the number of servings on each label.
2. Divide each price by its number of servings.
3. For the order from abroad, use the total you’ll pay: shipping, plus VAT if the order is over $75.

A bigger bottle from abroad can look cheaper and turn out pricier per serving once tax is added. And a product sold in Israel may not be the same formula as the US version: supplements imported for sale here need Ministry of Health approval and Hebrew labeling (Dietary Supplements Regulations, 1997), so local and imported versions can differ.

Reading an English supplement label

Most supplements sold to Israel from the US carry a Supplement Facts panel. According to the US Food and Drug Administration’s labeling guide, it lists the serving size, the servings per container, and each ingredient with its amount per serving. “Serving size” is the amount the label itself describes as one serving. It tells you how to compare products, not how much anyone should take.

Some labels carry a third-party testing mark. Two common ones:

• USP Verified: the US Pharmacopeia says the mark means the product contains the listed ingredients in the declared amounts, has no harmful levels of specified contaminants, and was made under good manufacturing practices.
• NSF’s mark for sport: NSF says products carrying it are tested to match their labels, screened for contaminants and for substances banned in sport, and made in audited facilities.

These marks are about what’s in the bottle. They say nothing about what a supplement does.

Buy from a source you know

The Ministry of Health has found “natural” products sold online that contained undeclared drug ingredients, and it advises buying supplements from pharmacies and known retailers rather than through social media or unfamiliar websites (Ministry of Health, falsified supplement products, in Hebrew, updated January 19, 2025). Ordering from a large store that ships the maker’s sealed product is the same principle applied to buying abroad.

When to ask a pharmacist or doctor

We don’t give advice on which supplement to take or how much. Ask a pharmacist or your doctor before starting one if you take any medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are buying for a child. A pharmacist can also tell you whether a product you’ve seen abroad is sold in Israel.

Checklist before you order

• No more than five of any one product, and 15 supplement items in total, in one order.
• Count your food packages: six a year is the personal-use limit.
• Check that the product and its ingredients are allowed in Israel.
• Look for a sealed, factory-labeled product from a store you know.
• Check whether tax is collected at checkout or on delivery.
• Pick a locker only if you can collect within its pickup window.
• Compare price per serving, including shipping and any VAT.

Questions people ask

How many bottles of vitamins can I order to Israel?

Up to five of any one supplement and up to 15 supplement items in total in one package, for personal use. You can receive up to six packages containing food in a calendar year. Over those limits, the package no longer counts as personal import, and customs can hold it.

Do I pay VAT on supplements ordered from abroad?

Only above the personal-import threshold. Up to $75 in goods per package, supplements arrive with no VAT. Above it, 18% VAT applies to the whole value. Some stores, such as iHerb, collect it at checkout so nothing is due on delivery.

Do I need a permit to import supplements for myself?

No, as long as the order stays within the personal-use limits: five of one product, 15 items in total, six food packages a year, in the maker’s packaging. The product must also be allowed in Israel; some ingredients and doses aren’t.

Can I collect a supplement order from a locker?

Yes, if the store offers it. iHerb lets you choose a locker or pickup point at checkout, with a lower weight limit than home delivery. Collect it quickly: some lockers hold packages for only 72 hours before they’re returned.

Sources

We checked every source below on October 18, 2026.

• Ministry of Health, National Food Service, Personal import (in Hebrew). Published March 28, 2022.
• Customs (Personal Import) Order, 2019, via Nevo.
• Public Health (Food) (Dietary Supplements) Regulations, 1997, via Nevo.
• Ministry of Health, warning on shilajit (mumio) supplements (in Hebrew). September 14, 2025.
• Ministry of Health, falsified supplement products (in Hebrew). Updated January 19, 2025.
• iHerb, shipping information for Israel.
• US Food and Drug Administration, Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide, chapter IV; US Pharmacopeia, USP Verified Mark; NSF, sport program.