Taxi with kids in Israel: what the car seat law says
The regulation text, the official safety advice and the practical options for families arriving in Israel.
No. Israel’s Traffic Regulations require a child seat up to age 3 and a child seat or booster up to age 8, but regulation 83A lists taxis among the vehicles it leaves out. Riding without a seat is legal in a taxi and still risky: an adult belt cannot protect a baby, and the National Road Safety Authority advises a suitable seat up to age 10. If you land at Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) without one, bring your own or ask for a seat when you book.
The rules at a glance
- Private car, under 1
- Rear-facing child seat
- Private car, 1 to 3
- Child seat with a harness
- Private car, 3 to 8
- Child seat or booster
- Licensed taxi, any age
- No child seat required (regulation 83A(b))
- Seat belts in a taxi
- Required, except in the back seat on urban roads
- Rental car
- All the child seat rules apply
- Last checked
- 18 October 2026
What regulation 83A says about taxis
The child seat duty sits in regulation 83A(b) of the Traffic Regulations, 1961. It covers the front seat of any motor vehicle and the back seat of vehicles built from 1983 onwards, “except a bus that is not a private minibus, a taxi and a motorcycle”. Two duties follow. A child under 3 must be harnessed in a child seat that fits their height and weight, and a child from 3 to 8 in a child seat or booster. Neither applies in a licensed taxi.
The rear-facing rule for babies under one, regulation 83A(c), covers the same vehicles, so it does not apply in a taxi either. Regulation 83A(d) works differently. It bars a child seat or booster from facing an airbag that has not been switched off, and it makes no exception for any type of vehicle.
The exemption belongs to the taxi. In a rental car, a relative’s car or a private minibus, every rule in the list above applies, and each young child needs a seat.
Seat belts in an Israeli taxi
Regulation 83B requires the driver and every passenger to wear a seat belt in any vehicle fitted with belts. For taxis, the regulations add two qualifications.
- The back seat on urban roads
Under regulation 83C(5), passengers in the back seat of a taxi on an urban road are exempt, and so is the driver while carrying passengers there. Outside urban roads, every passenger must buckle up.
- What counts as an urban road
Regulation 1 defines it by road signs: a road inside a local authority’s area, from the sign marking the entry to an urban road zone to the sign marking its end.
- The belt sign in the cab
Under regulation 83B(c), a taxi that displays a sign telling passengers to wear their belts may carry them even if they do not. Do not count on the driver to check. Before you set off, make sure every child is buckled in.
- A baby in your arms
No clause covers it specifically. The Road Safety Authority notes that a seat belt is designed for adults, cannot protect babies and toddlers and may cause them serious injury. The Ministry of Health advises against seating a child of any age on an adult’s lap, and against two children sharing one belt.
The legal minimum and the official advice
Israel’s National Road Safety Authority and Ministry of Health advise more than the regulations require, for every car ride. Used correctly, a child seat cuts the risk of being killed in a crash by about 45% and of serious injury by about 50%, according to Road Safety Authority figures cited by the Ministry of Health.
| Topic | What the regulations require | What the authorities advise |
|---|---|---|
| Rear-facing | Until age 1 | Until at least age 2 |
| Seat with its own harness | Until age 3 | Until about age 5 |
| Seat or booster | Until age 8 | Booster until age 10 or a height of 1.45 m |
| Front seat | No minimum age; a child seat may face an airbag only if it is switched off | Back seat until at least age 13 |
| Adult belt only | From age 8 | Once the belt lies across the hips and mid-chest, the knees bend comfortably at 90 degrees and the back rests against the seat |
Flying in with a baby or toddler
Families flying to Israel face the same choice: carry your own car seat through two airports, or leave it at home and have one in the taxi. Your own seat is one the child already knows. A seat that comes with the taxi saves you carrying it through the terminal.
Airlines set their own rules. On El Al, for example, a baby under two may bring a fully collapsible stroller, an infant carrier or a car seat to the aircraft door, and from there it goes into the hold. A car seat can be used on board only if you bought the child a seat and the car seat carries a label approving it for aircraft use. Check with your airline before you pack.
After landing, the driver follows your flight and contacts you by phone or WhatsApp to arrange where to meet, with the seats already in the car. The steps from the plane to the exit are in our Ben Gurion arrival guide, and everything about the ride itself is on the Ben Gurion Airport taxi page.
Booking a taxi with the right seats
- Give each child’s age
In the booking form or on WhatsApp, write how many children are travelling and how old each one is, in months for babies. We have seats for every age, and the service itself is described on our taxi with a child seat page.
- Mention the stroller and suitcases
Several seats plus a family’s luggage need a bigger car. Tell us what you are bringing and we match the vehicle, for example a large taxi.
- Check the seat before you set off
Israel’s Ministry of Health advises that a fitted seat should not move more than 2.5 cm to either side, and that the harness should sit snugly on the child. Check both before the taxi pulls away.
Sources, checked on 18 October 2026
This guide summarises the regulation text and the official advice as published on these pages. It is not legal advice. The binding text of the regulations is published by Israel’s Ministry of Justice in the official gazette, Reshumot.
- Traffic Regulations, 1961
Regulations 83A, 83B and 83C in full on Nevo, in Hebrew (opens in a new tab)
- National Road Safety Authority
The child restraint regulations (opens in a new tab) and its child seat recommendations (opens in a new tab), in Hebrew
- Ministry of Health
Choosing and using child car seats (opens in a new tab) and travelling safely with a baby (opens in a new tab), in Hebrew
- El Al
Questions and answers
Is it illegal to take a taxi in Israel without a car seat?
No. Regulation 83A(b) leaves taxis out of the child seat rule, at every age. A seat that fits the child is still safer, and you can ask for one when you book.
Does my child need a booster in an Israeli taxi?
Not by law. In a private car a child needs a seat or booster until age 8, and the Road Safety Authority advises a booster until age 10 or a height of 1.45 m.
Do we have to wear seat belts in the back of a taxi?
On urban roads, back-seat taxi passengers are exempt under regulation 83C(5). Outside them every passenger must wear a belt, and the Road Safety Authority advises buckling up on every ride, front and back.
Can I hold my baby on my lap in the taxi?
The regulations have no clause on it. Israel’s Ministry of Health advises against seating a child of any age on an adult’s lap, and an adult belt is not designed to protect a baby.
Does the taxi exemption cover a rental car?
No. Regulation 83A(b) exempts taxis, buses other than private minibuses, and motorcycles. In a rental car the full rules apply, with a child seat under age 3 and a child seat or booster from 3 to 8.
Can a child seat go in the front of a taxi?
Regulation 83A(d) bars a child seat or booster from facing an airbag that has not been switched off. The official advice is to seat children in the back until at least age 13, so ask for the seat to go in the back.
Book on WhatsApp or by phone
Send us where from, where to and when on WhatsApp, and the taxi will be there on time.