Sending and Receiving Mail in Israel

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Mail in Israel

Sending and receiving mail in Israel is in many respects similar to how it is done in your home country, but with a few tweaks. Follow the guidelines below to ensure that your mail arrives safely and that you avoid unneccesary customs charges.

Sending Mail from Israel

When sending mail from Israel:

  • Be sure to include your full name and return address on all items you send, and include “USA” in the recipient’s address if you are mailing to the States.
  • Write or stamp AIR MAIL on everything that you send.
  • While JUC staff is able to mail your outgoing letters and post cards, you will have to take any packages that you wish to send to the post office yourself. Make sure that you take your passport with you when you want to mail a package.
  • You can leave outgoing mail on the bottom shelf of the campus mailboxes or at the reception desk in the administrative offices. Staff members usually pick up and deliver mail at the main post office on Jaffa Road two times each week, but you are free to take your own personal outgoing mail to the post office any time.
  • Stamps are available for purchase at any post office or in the Administrative Office.
  • The main post office in Jerusalem is located at 23 Jaffa Road, a 15-minute walk from campus. It is typically open Sunday through Thursday from 8:00am to 6:00pm, and on Friday from 8:00am to 12:00 noon except for holidays. All post offices, except those in East Jerusalem, are closed on Saturday (Shabbat).

Receiving Mail in Israel

  • Have the sender use the following address, and make sure that your name appears in a prominent place on the front of the envelope or package:

Student Name
Jerusalem University College
3 Aravnah HaYevosi
P.O. Box 1276, Mt. Zion
9101202 Jerusalem, ISRAEL

  • Packages can be sent to Israel using USPS, Fedex, or UPS.
  • All incoming mail will be picked up at the post office and delivered to your student mail box on campus, unless there is a customs duty to be paid.
  • All incoming packages are X-rayed by Israeli customs personnel and any package that shows electronic items will be held at customs. You may have to pay import duty on them once they arrive to the post office. Packages that contain foodstuffs and sundry items are normally sent directly to the post office without being subject to customs duty.
  • If you are expecting a package, please tell the sender to mark clearly on the outside of the package that the contents have no value. If you are receiving something brand new, especially electronic items, it’s a good idea for the sender to take the object out of the original package in order to make it look used.
  • Please note that international mail delivery is not as reliable as mail delivery in the U.S. It is not unusual for an Express Mail via Fedex or UPS package to take many days or even weeks to arrive in Jerusalem.
  • Any mail that is received for you at JUC after you depart for home will either be marked “return to sender” or will be forwarded by surface mail.