Bitcoin ATMs in northern Israel: three desks for the whole region
If you live in the north and are looking for a bitcoin ATM, the map is sparse. Bitcoin Change, the only network running crypto machines in Israel, has three branches outside Haifa: Afula, Karmiel and Ein Shemer. According to the operator, each has a staffed counter and a two-way Lamassu machine that buys and sells BTC, ETH, BCH and USDT for Israeli shekel cash only.
The three are far apart, and each covers its own patch. Afula serves the Jezreel Valley and Nazareth. Karmiel is the only point in the Galilee. And Ein Shemer, which is technically in Haifa District by Route 65, serves Hadera, Pardes Hanna-Karkur and Wadi Ara. Beyond them, there is nothing at all in the Upper Galilee or on the Golan Heights.
Terms are the same at every branch: 7% each way on top of the Kraken rate, and limits of ₪10,000 a day, ₪20,000 a week and ₪30,000 a month. On a first visit you bring two valid ID documents, fill in a short questionnaire and arrive with a wallet on your phone. Israel’s Law for Reducing the Use of Cash caps cash payments to a business at ₪6,000 per transaction; we could not confirm how that squares with the operator’s limit. Bitcoin Change operates under a CMISA “continuation of activity” permit (no. 57960) and says on its site that a full licence application is in progress.
And Haifa? The city has its own branch at Horev St 18, up on the Carmel, and it is the only point for the whole Haifa metro area and the Krayot. From Haifa, Karmiel and Afula are each roughly 30 km away and Ein Shemer about 40. So if you live in the Krayot and want a desk that is open in the evening, your choices are limited, and it pays to check hours before you leave.
Afula: Menachem Begin Blvd 72
The Afula branch is at Menachem Begin Blvd 72, open Sunday to Thursday 10:00–19:00 and Friday 09:00–14:00. It is wheelchair-accessible, and the phone number is 04-8451639. OpenStreetMap tags it as a staffed exchange counter rather than a standalone ATM, and that tag was last checked in May 2025, one of the most recent checks in the network. The listing also notes that it does not take Lightning payments, so trades settle on the main bitcoin network.
Afula is the closest desk to Nazareth, about 12 km in a straight line, which makes it the natural point for the whole Jezreel Valley.
Karmiel: Dabach Mall complex
In Karmiel the branch is in the Dabach Mall complex. Its hours differ slightly from the rest of the network: Sunday to Thursday 10:00–20:00, and Friday 10:00–15:00, opening an hour later and closing an hour later than most. The number is 04-9533493. This branch does not appear on OpenStreetMap or BTC Map, so the only source for it is the operator’s own site, which is all the more reason to phone before setting off.
Karmiel is the only point in the Galilee, and even from Haifa it is about 29 km away in a straight line. For people in the Western or Upper Galilee, it is likely to be the closest desk, even if the drive is long.
Ein Shemer: Alon complex, Route 65
The Ein Shemer branch is in the Alon complex, a roadside centre near the kibbutz on Route 65. Administratively it sits in Haifa District, but in practice it serves Hadera, Pardes Hanna-Karkur and Wadi Ara. It is one of only three points in Israel that OpenStreetMap tags as an ATM rather than a counter, in a tag dated October 2023.
Its big advantage is the hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00–21:00, the latest in the whole network, and Friday 09:00–14:00. The number is 04-6990995. It is about 20 km from Netanya and about 40 km from Haifa, so it doubles as the backup for both cities once their own desks have closed. Netanya’s branch is covered on the Netanya page.
Where there’s nothing: Nazareth, the Upper Galilee and the Golan
The list of what the north lacks is longer than the list of what it has. There is no crypto point in Nazareth, Nof HaGalil, Tiberias, Safed, Kiryat Shmona or on the Golan Heights. No Arab-majority city in Israel has a branch, including Nazareth, Umm al-Fahm and Sakhnin. The table sums up where you are most likely to go:
| Area | Nearest point | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nazareth | Afula, ~12 km | Karmiel, ~24 km, is the second option |
| Nof HaGalil | Afula | Exact distance not measured |
| Tiberias, Safed, Kiryat Shmona | Karmiel or Afula | Nothing in the Upper Galilee. Check the map |
| Golan Heights | Karmiel or Afula | Nothing on the Golan. A long drive |
| Wadi Ara, Umm al-Fahm | Ein Shemer | Open until 21:00 Sun–Thu |
| Haifa and the Krayot | Horev 18, Haifa | Karmiel ~29 km, Afula ~30, Ein Shemer ~40 |
Straight-line distances from OpenStreetMap data, 5 October 2026. Road distance is typically 20–40% more.
Nazareth deserves a word of its own. It is the largest Arab city in Israel, with about 75,700 residents, pilgrimage tourism around the Basilica of the Annunciation, an industrial park and an Arab high-tech scene often called NazTech. Even so, it has no crypto point of any kind. Haifa has its own page, with the Horev 18 branch; see Haifa.
Buying crypto in the north without visiting a desk
For someone in Safed or Katzrin, driving to Karmiel and back just to pay a 7% fee is not a great deal. The online options are the same everywhere in Israel: Bits of Gold (licence 56716) by bank transfer, at 1.95% falling to 1.20% plus VAT, with a ₪750 minimum; Bit2C (licence 72080), with a shekel order book at 1.25% down to 0.05%; or an international exchange by card, at 0.49% to 4.99%, billed in dollars and with no Israeli licence.
If you buy regularly, a standing order or monthly bank transfer to a licensed Israeli platform will cost far less over a year than repeated trips to a desk. If you simply want to try a small amount from home today, a card is the fastest way in. Our guide to buying crypto by bank transfer walks through the first option.
One more tip for northern residents: Bits of Gold issues a “closed loop” certificate on request, showing your bank that money left your account and came back to it through a licensed platform. It saves a lot of questions when you sell, and we explain it on the crypto and Israeli banks page.
In the north, the Afula, Karmiel and Ein Shemer desks work well for people who live nearby and need cash in hand. For everyone else, especially in the Upper Galilee and on the Golan, a licensed platform and a bank transfer is the sensible route: cheaper, and without hours on the road.
And if someone near home offers you USDT for cash with no ID check, that is exactly what police and the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing are watching for.
Selling? The machines at all three desks pay out shekel cash in multiples of ₪100. For larger sales, a withdrawal to your bank through a licensed platform costs less and leaves the paper trail your bank will want under Directive 411, especially above about ₪100,000 a year. The full guides: selling crypto in Israel, buying crypto with cash and our bitcoin ATM Israel list of all 11 branches.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the bitcoin ATMs in northern Israel?
Bitcoin Change has three branches in the north and northern Sharon: Afula, Menachem Begin Blvd 72; Karmiel, Dabach Mall complex; and Ein Shemer, Alon complex by Route 65. There is also a branch in Haifa at Horev St 18. According to the operator, each has a staffed counter and a two-way machine, with a 7% fee each way.
Is there a bitcoin ATM in Nazareth?
No. As of October 2026 there is no crypto point in Nazareth, nor in Nof HaGalil, Tiberias, Safed, Kiryat Shmona or the Golan Heights. From Nazareth the nearest desk is Afula, about 12 km in a straight line, followed by Karmiel at about 24 km. No Arab-majority city in Israel has a branch.
What are the opening hours in Afula, Karmiel and Ein Shemer?
Afula: Sunday–Thursday 10:00–19:00, Friday 09:00–14:00. Karmiel: Sunday–Thursday 10:00–20:00, Friday 10:00–15:00. Ein Shemer: Sunday–Thursday 10:00–21:00, Friday 09:00–14:00. All are closed on Shabbat. Hours are from the operator’s site, so phone before you travel.
I live in Wadi Ara. Which desk should I use?
Ein Shemer, at the Alon complex by Route 65. Operator and OpenStreetMap data show it serving Hadera, Pardes Hanna-Karkur and Wadi Ara, and it stays open until 21:00 Sunday to Thursday, the latest in the network. Phone 04-6990995, and bring two valid IDs on your first visit.
Can I buy crypto in the Upper Galilee without driving to Karmiel?
Yes, online. Use a shekel bank transfer to a licensed platform, Bits of Gold (licence 56716) or Bit2C (licence 72080), or a card on an international exchange. Fees are usually below 7% and there is no drive. Just don’t buy USDT for cash from an unlicensed private seller.
Sources
- Bitcoin Change — branches, hours and fees · Checked October 2026
- OpenStreetMap — Afula branch (node 12459235502) · Checked October 2026
- OpenStreetMap — Ein Shemer ATM (node 11290072722) · Checked October 2026
- Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority · Checked October 2026
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