Visitors to Israel must obtain a visa from one of the Israeli diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries.[1]
All visitors must hold a passport that is valid for 6 months after the date of departure from Israel.[2]
Holders of all types of passports (unless otherwise stated) of the following jurisdictions listed do not require a visa to enter Israel for a maximum stay of 3 months for tourism and business purposes:[3]
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1 - German citizens born before January 1, 1928 need a visa which will be issued for free if one was not a member of the Nazi party or involved in crimes committed during the time of the Nazi Germany.[4]
2 - Visa exemption does not apply to official passport holders, e.g. American government officials. Russian official passport holders require confirmation from the Israeli government.
3 - Visa exemption only applies to holders of biometric passports.
Date of visa changes | |
---|---|
Unknown: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, El Salvador, Germany, Grenada, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Macao, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Suriname, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City
Canceled: |
Visa is not required for nationals of Egypt for stays up to 14 days if entering through Taba and visiting up to Beersheba only.[55]
Holders of Palestinian Authority passports can obtain their visa on arrival in order to continue their journey to the Palestinian territories.
Holders of a confirmation issued by the Israeli Ministry of Interior, traveling in a group of 10 or more, can obtain a visa on arrival (not applicable to nationals of Jordan).
A visa exemption agreement for holders of all passports was signed with Samoa in March 2019, but it has not yet entered into force.[56]
Israeli citizens can enter visa free or receive a free visa on arrival to all of the countries that Israel gives visa free access to except Australia. Previously, Israeli citizens seeking entry into the United States required a visa in advance, however Israel has been designated into the Visa Waiver Program on September 27, 2023[57] and Israeli citizens could begin applying on October 19th, 2023.[58]
In return Israel grants visa free access to most countries that gives Israelis visa free access but Israel requires a visa for passports from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jordan (with confirmation), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nicaragua, Samoa, Seychelles, Thailand, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
In addition to countries whose citizens are visa-exempt (unless otherwise stated), holders of diplomatic and official/service category passports of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, China, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, India, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar,[59] Nicaragua, Niger, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Togo, Turkey and Venezuela, and of diplomatic passports of Armenia, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Vietnam do not require a visa for a maximum stay of 3 months (unless otherwise stated).[3]
Holders of diplomatic or service category passports of Australia, Belarus, Dominica, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Africa and United States require a visa. Russian diplomatic and service category passports require confirmation from the government before a visa can be issued.[3]
Israel and Democratic Republic of the Congo signed visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and service passports on 19 November 1963 and 14 April 1964, came into force on 28 July 1964. Date of cancellation is unknown.[60]
Israel and Liberia signed visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and service passports on 17 July and 3 August 1961, came into force on 1 November 1961. Date of cancellation is unknown.[61]
Israel and Tanganyika signed visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and service passports on 16 and 17 September 1963, came into force on 17 September 1963. Date of cancellation is unknown.[62]
Israel and Bolivia signed visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and service passports on 10 and 16 August 1972, came into force on 16 October 1972. Date of cancellation is unknown.[63]
Israel and Dominica signed visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders in December 1987. Date of cancellation is unknown.[64]
Visitors with a passport stamp from Israel are not allowed to enter a number of countries because of the Arab League boycott of Israel.
Some countries, e.g. Austria, Canada, Germany, Russia, UK and the USA allow their citizens to hold two or more passports of their country to circumvent such travel restrictions, but some countries (including Austria and Germany) also restrict or forbid the holding of passports of two countries, i.e. dual citizenship.
However for the past several years, stamps are no longer used at Ben Gurion airport (since January 15, 2013) and also land border crossings with Jordan. Instead, entry and departure records are printed on small slips of paper, which include the name of the traveller, the photo read from the epassport, the date, the visa status, and other details.
The slips also include a 2D barcode which is used as a Gate Pass[65] to pass through the gate out of the passport control hall.
Holders of national and official passports of the following countries require a confirmation from the Israeli Foreign Ministry before a tourist visa is issued.[55]
1 - Only for ordinary passport holders.
2 - Except for stays up to 14 days if entering through Taba and visiting up to Beersheba only when visa is not required.
3 - Only for official passport holders.
Most visitors arriving to Israel were from the following countries of nationality:[66][67][68][69][70][71]
Country | 2019** | 2018* | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 890,000 | 676,000 | 778,600 | 672,100 | 637,200 | 622,100 | 622,800 |
France | 338,200 | 253,100 | 308,700 | 293,000 | 300,100 | 298,600 | 315,500 |
Russia | 296,000 | 272,500 | 330,500 | 284,600 | 414,700 | 555,900 | 603,100 |
Germany | 268,900 | 189,000 | 218,200 | 180,100 | 197,800 | 194,200 | 254,000 |
United Kingdom | 218,700 | 164,100 | 198,500 | 197,100 | 197,900 | 180,100 | 217,100 |
Ukraine | 132,000 | 146,800 | 164,500 | 138,000 | 132,400 | 134,500 | |
Poland | 120,000 | 97,400 | 54,300 | 66,200 | 77,200 | 89,200 | |
Italy | 101,400 | 107,700 | 88,000 | 91,200 | 120,100 | 173,100 | |
China | 144,000 | 80,900 | 113,600 | 85,900 | 47,400 | 33,000 | 25,500 |
Romania | 72,900 | 82,000 | 59,900 | 45,100 | 44,700 | 36,700 | |
Canada | 67,900 | 80,600 | 69,900 | 66,700 | 66,200 | 70,700 | |
Netherlands | 59,000 | 64,000 | 51,400 | 49,400 | 51,800 | 57,100 | |
Spain | 55,000 | 64,400 | 46,200 | 43,500 | 47,300 | 52,600 | |
India | 48,000 | 58,000 | 44,800 | 39,300 | 34,900 | 40,000 | |
Brazil | 44,200 | 56,700 | 35,500 | 43,900 | 51,900 | 56,400 | |
Total | 4,550,000 | 3,098,200 | 3,613,163 | 2,900,020 | 2,799,346 | 2,926,676 | 2,961,701 |
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