Summoned to the Medical Institute for Road Safety? The licence is decided there, not in court.

The institute is a Ministry of Health body that tests medical and personality fitness to drive. It is neither judge nor prosecutor, but its recommendation is in practice the licensing office's decision. There is one appeal against the decision, within 30 days, and after it only legal questions. Whoever arrives at the test unprepared starts the way back from a year of disqualification.

Written by the team at the law office of Adv. Aviad Hayat · updated 1.10.2026

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The licensing authority may disqualify a licence holder, for a period or until conditions are met, if satisfied that they are unfit to drive (section 51 of the Traffic Ordinance). A decision on medical fitness is appealed to a medical appeals committee of three doctors within 30 days (section 55a). The appeal carries a fee of 1,234 shekels (2026). The committee's decision can be appealed to the administrative court, on a legal question only.

Seven rules from the moment you receive a summons to the institute

1Do not ignore the summonsThe licensing authority may suspend the licence until you are examined (section 52). Whoever does not show up does not "gain time", they stay without a licence. Book an appointment at once, since the wait is long anyway.
2Find out why you were referredDrunk driving, drugs, 72 points, an accident, a doctor's report, age, a professional licence, disability. The referral ground decides what will be tested and which documents to bring. Ask the licensing office for the referral in writing.
3Build a medical file before the testAn opinion from your treating doctor, treatment summaries, clean drug tests over months when that is the ground, a letter from a psychiatrist or psychologist when there is a mental-health history. The institute decides by what is in front of it on the day of the test.
4The test is the conversation, not only the formsThe questionnaire, the interview with the psychologist and the medical examination are read together. Contradictions between what you wrote and what you said, blanket denial of a documented past, or dismissiveness about offences, translate into "personality unsuitability". Answer honestly, briefly, and without arguing.
5Do not drive if the licence was suspendedDriving during suspension or disqualification is a criminal offence with imprisonment, and it is also the last thing the institute wants to see in your file. Ask for cancellation or shortening; do not go around it.
6Keep the decision and the date you received itFrom the day the decision was delivered to you, by letter or at a hearing, you have 30 days to appeal. A late appeal is rejected without a hearing. This is the most important date in the whole process.
7Come to the appeal with a counter-opinionThe appeals committee is doctors, and it is persuaded by medical documents, not arguments. An opinion from a specialist in the relevant field (psychiatrist, neurologist, occupational physician) that addresses the institute's reasons is the heart of the appeal.

These are general rules. At the meeting we read the referral and the institute's decision if already given, and decide what to bring and what to write.

Who is referred, what is tested, and what can be done

1Who is referred to the instituteThe decision to refer is the licensing authority's, based on information that reached it: a conviction for drunk or drugged driving; accumulation of 72 points (then also a medical test and exams); an accident with casualties reported by the police; a doctor's report of a condition endangering driving (epilepsy, loss of consciousness, heart disease, unbalanced diabetes, a mental condition); an application for a public or heavy vehicle licence; older drivers; a National Insurance or Ministry of Defence disability; and discharge from the army on mental-health grounds. A court may also refer.Traffic Ordinance, sections 12b, 51 and 52; Traffic Regulations, regulations 544 to 551 (points system)
2What is testedTwo parts: medical fitness (the institute's doctor, and if needed referral to a specialist) and personality fitness (questionnaires, psychological tests and an interview). In drunk and drug driving cases the pattern of use is also examined, and laboratory tests are sometimes required. The result: fit, fit with conditions (glasses, adapted vehicle, re-examination), or unfit for a period, usually a year, followed by re-examination.Minister of Health Order (Medical Institute for Road Safety); Ministry of Transport procedures
3The licensing authority's decisionThe institute recommends; the licensing authority decides, and in practice adopts. The decision must be reasoned, and the institute's reasons can be obtained. Disqualification "until conditions are met" is the common one: until re-examination or until documents are presented. If the institute decided "unfit", re-examination is usually possible only after a year, unless the appeals committee ordered otherwise.Traffic Ordinance, section 51
4Appeal: 30 days, three doctorsAn appeal is filed with the medical appeals committee within 30 days from the day the decision was delivered. Fee: 1,234 shekels (2026). The committee sits at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and you may appear before it with a lawyer and documents. It may uphold the decision, vary it, cancel it, or order a renewed examination at the institute. An appeal rejected without an order for a new examination leaves the disqualification in place until the next examination.Traffic Ordinance, section 55a
5Appeal to the administrative courtA licensing authority decision given on medical-fitness grounds after the appeals committee can be appealed to the administrative court, on a legal question only: a flaw in the process, an extraneous consideration, lack of reasons, denial of the right to be heard. The court will not enter the medical question itself. So the medical arguments must be made at the appeals committee, and the legal ones kept for the court.Traffic Ordinance, section 55; Administrative Courts Law, Second Schedule
6The waitThe Ministry of Health reported an average wait of about five months for a test, after years of longer waits, with a target of under three. A professional driver whose licence depends on the test may wait months without work. Sometimes the solution is an application to the licensing authority for a temporary or limited licence until the test, and sometimes an administrative petition against the delay.Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport reports, 2024 to 2026
7The doctor's phone callA doctor treating you who diagnoses a condition that may endanger driving must report to the licensing authority, without asking your consent. The referral to the institute then arrives without warning. It is lawful, and there is no appeal against it, but you have the right to receive the report and respond to it at the institute.Traffic Ordinance, section 12b

The amounts and dates here are correct for early 2026. Fees and institute procedures change, so we check them again in every case.

From the referral to the decision

Step 1The referralPolice, a court, a doctor, National Insurance or the licensing office itself. Usually a letter from the licensing authority announcing the referral and sometimes also suspension of the licence until the test.
Step 2Appointment, payment and waitingBook an appointment, pay the fee, wait. In this time build the medical file. If the licence was suspended and you are a professional driver, check the option of a limited licence.
Step 3The testQuestionnaires, a medical examination, psychological tests and an interview. Sometimes referral to an external specialist and continuation on a further date.
Step 4The institute's recommendation and the licensing authority's decisionFit, fit with conditions, or unfit for a period. The licensing authority notifies in writing. From this day: 30 days to appeal.
Step 5Appeal to the medical appeals committeeA reasoned appeal, a fee, a counter-opinion, and an appearance before three doctors at Tel Hashomer. The committee may uphold, vary, cancel, or send for a renewed examination.
Step 6Administrative appealOn a legal question only, to the administrative court. Suitable when the process was flawed, not when the doctors "got it wrong".
Step 7Re-examinationAfter the disqualification period, usually a year, a re-examination at the institute. You come to it with documentation of the period: treatment, clean tests, stability. This is the second chance, and it is built from day one.

Most cases are decided at step 3. Whoever comes to the test with an orderly file saves a year.

How it can end

FitThe licence staysThe institute found you fit. The licence is returned or renewed, sometimes with periodic examination. If there was a parallel criminal proceeding, the court is informed.
Fit with conditionsRestrictions on the licenceGlasses, automatic vehicle, restriction of hours or vehicle type, re-examination in a year or two. The conditions themselves can be appealed.
UnfitDisqualification for a periodUsually a year, followed by re-examination. The decision can be appealed within 30 days. In that period you build the file for the next test: treatment, tests, documentation.
Cancelled on appealOr a renewed examinationThe appeals committee varied the decision, cancelled it, or ordered a renewed examination at the institute. To the renewed examination you bring the documents the committee saw.

Sources: Traffic Ordinance, sections 12b, 51, 52, 55 and 55a; Minister of Health Order on the Medical Institute for Road Safety. In an institute case the medical documents are the whole defence.

What we actually do

First checkSend us the summons or the decision. We check the referral ground, the licence status, the deadlines, and whether a criminal proceeding preceded it. We say honestly what the risk is and what can be achieved.
Preparation for the testWe define which documents to bring, arrange a specialist opinion when needed, and go over the questionnaire and the interview: what is asked, how to answer, and what not to say. We do not teach how to "work" the institute; we teach how to arrive prepared.
Appeal and further appealWe write the appeal, attach a counter-opinion, appear with the driver before the appeals committee at Tel Hashomer. If there is a legal flaw, we file an appeal to the administrative court.
In parallelIf the referral came from a drunk or drug driving case, we run the criminal case with an eye to the institute: an arrangement that leaves a way back to driving. And if the wait hurts your livelihood, we apply to the licensing authority or the court.

The fee is set in advance, in writing. Preparation for the test, appeal and further appeal are separate stages.

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Questions we are asked about the institute

May I drive until the test?

It depends on the letter. If the licensing authority suspended the licence until the test, no. If you were only referred, the licence is valid. Read the letter word by word, and if unclear, ask the licensing office in writing. Driving during suspension is a criminal offence.

Why was I referred? I had no accident.

The common grounds: a conviction for drunk or drugged driving, 72 points, a doctor's report, age, or an application for a professional licence. A doctor who diagnosed a dangerous condition must report without telling you. Ask the licensing office for the referral in writing.

What is "personality unsuitability for driving"?

The psychologist's conclusion from the questionnaires and the interview: a pattern of risk-taking, denial, lack of self-criticism. It is the common ground in disqualifications of drunk and drug drivers. It is attacked on appeal with a counter psychological or psychiatric opinion.

How long is the wait for a test?

The Ministry of Health reported an average of about five months, with a target of under three. In the past the wait was longer. If the licence was suspended and you are a professional driver, you can ask the licensing authority for an interim solution, and in exceptional cases petition.

I was disqualified for a year. What do I do in that year?

First, an appeal within 30 days if there is a basis. Then build the re-examination: documented treatment, clean drug tests over time, a letter from the therapist, employment stability. The re-examination is decided by that year.

How much does the appeal cost, and is it worth it?

The fee is 1,234 shekels (2026), and the lawyer and the expert charge separately. It is worth it when there is a real counter-opinion or a flaw in the decision. When the decision is well founded, sometimes it is right to invest in the re-examination instead of the appeal. We tell you honestly.

Can I go straight to court?

No. First the appeals committee, and only after it an appeal to the administrative court, and only on a legal question. The court will not replace the doctors. So the medical arguments are made at the committee, and the legal ones kept for the court.

I have an open drunk-driving case in court. Is it connected?

Very much. The conviction is the ground for the referral, and the institute will read the sentence. So the arrangement in the criminal case is built with an eye to the institute too: facts, penalty and treatment that show change. Read the traffic page.

I am a bus driver. I failed the periodic test. Am I out of work?

Not necessarily. We check whether the disqualification covers the whole licence or only the professional grade, file an appeal with an occupational opinion, and apply to the licensing authority for a limited licence in the meantime. In cases of unreasonable delay there is a petition.

How much does it cost?

You will know the fee exactly, in writing, before committing. Preparation for the test, appeal and further appeal are priced separately, and an expert opinion is a separate expense. No surprises.

In the media, on traffic and licences

20.04.2022 · MaarivIndictment against a motorcyclist cancelled in the Jerusalem Traffic Court 29.01.2020 · N12Ten years for the driver; the prosecution asked for 13 31.10.2018 · ynetDead Sea crash: representing the driver at the detention hearing. "He cannot stop crying"All mentions, by date

When is the test, or when did you receive the decision?

Name and number. A lawyer calls back fast, checks the deadlines and tells you what to bring. You can photograph the summons or the decision and send it on WhatsApp.