Visa policy of Israel

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Visitors to Israel must obtain a visa from one of the Israeli diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries. From January 2025, all visitors from visa-exempt countries must obtain an electronic travel authorization (ETA-IL) before traveling to Israel.^[1]

Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries do not need a visa to Israel for tourism, business or study up to 90 days, or culture or sport activities up to 30 days. From January 2025, they must obtain an electronic travel authorization (ETA-IL) before traveling to Israel. The ETA-IL costs 25 ILS and is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever occurs first.^[1][2]

European Union member states[a]
Albania  Andorra  Argentina  Australia  Bahamas  Barbados  Belarus  Belize  Botswana  Brazil  Canada  Chile  Colombia  Costa Rica  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  El Salvador  Eswatini  Fiji  Georgia  Grenada  Guatemala  Haiti  Honduras	Hong Kong  Iceland  Jamaica  Japan  Kosovo[b]  Lesotho  Liechtenstein  Macau  Malawi  Marshall Islands  Mauritius  Mexico  Micronesia  Moldova[c]  Monaco  Mongolia  Montenegro  Nauru  New Zealand  North Macedonia  Norway  Palau  Panama  Papua New Guinea  Paraguay	Peru  Philippines  Russia  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  San Marino  Serbia  Singapore  Solomon Islands  South Africa  South Korea  Suriname   Switzerland  Taiwan[d]  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Ukraine  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States  Uruguay  Vanuatu

Date of visa changes

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (July 2017) Unknown: Andorra, Chile, El Salvador, Germany, Grenada, Italy, Macau, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Slovenia, Suriname, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City 1 September 1955: Canada[8] 1 October 1956: South Africa[9] 11 June 1958: New Zealand[10] 15 May 1964: Australia[11] 8 December 1964: Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands[12] 1 April 1966: Denmark,[13] Iceland,[14] Finland,[15] Norway[16] and Sweden[13] 17 September 1966: Ecuador[13] 10 October 1966: Colombia[13] 1 June 1967: Liechtenstein and Switzerland[17] 4 March 1968: Jamaica[18] 1 May 1968: Peru[19] 5 July 1968: Costa Rica[19] 31 July 1968: Dominican Republic[19] 22 December 1968: Austria[20] 28 March 1969: Greece[21] 1 April 1969: Trinidad and Tobago[21] 13 August 1969: Mauritius[21] 18 September 1969: Barbados[22] 28 December 1969: France[23][21] 1 January 1970: Philippines[24][21] 1 March 1970: Lesotho[21] 29 July 1970: Eswatini[25] 1 October 1971: Japan[26] 8 September 1972: Guatemala[27] 15 December 1972: Fiji[28] 18 November 1974: Haiti[29] 16 May 1977: San Marino[30] 25 October 1977: Bahamas[31] 9 November 1979: Mexico[32] 7 November 1984: Malawi[33] 8 August 1985: Ireland[34] 21 December 1987: Dominica[35] 1 August 1989: Cyprus[36] 1 March 1994: Portugal[37] 15 March 1994: Hungary[38] 23 March 1994: Argentina[39] 31 July 1994: Spain[40] 15 May 1995: Vanuatu[41] 24 May 1995: South Korea[42] 19 July 1996: Czech Republic[43] 18 February 1997: Mongolia[44] 1 July 1997: Hong Kong[45] 14 July 1997: Panama[46] 2 September 1997: Slovakia[47] 10 July 2000: Saint Lucia[48] 29 August 2000: Brazil[49] 10 March 2001: Croatia[50] 26 March 2001: Micronesia[51] 11 May 2001: Latvia[52] and Lithuania[29] 7 October 2001: Estonia[53] 3 October 2005: Singapore[54] 15 July 2007: Bulgaria[55] 1 March 2008: Romania[56] 6 April 2008: Honduras[57] 27 July 2008: Albania[58][59] 20 September 2008: Russia[60] 28 September 2010: Nauru[61] 28 September 2010: Serbia[62] 9 February 2011: Ukraine[63] 10 August 2011: Taiwan[64] 27 November 2011: Belize[65] 18 April 2014: Georgia[61] 26 November 2015: Belarus[66] 8 September 2016: Botswana[61] 24 January 2017: Papua New Guinea 29 January 2017: Solomon Islands[61] April 2017: Tonga[67] 1 July 2021: United Arab Emirates 19 September 2024: Kosovo[6] Canceled: Unknown: Central African Republic, Nicaragua[68] August 2014: Bolivia[69] (was applied from August 1972)

• Nationals of Egypt do not need a visa for stays of up to 14 days if entering through Taba and visiting up to Beersheba only.^[2]

•  Kosovo – On 18 June 2024, Israel and Kosovo signed a visa waiver agreement, to take effect on 19 September 2024.^[6]
•  Seychelles – On 11 January 2024, Israel and Seychelles signed a visa exemption agreement.^[70]

Nationals of Israel can travel without a visa to all countries whose nationals can travel without a visa to Israel, except Australia.

Israel grants a visa exemption for nationals of all countries that grant a visa exemption for nationals of Israel, except Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vatican City.

In June 2024, in response to the upcoming ETA-IL requirement, Ukraine stated that it would implement a similar pre-approval requirement for Israeli visitors, including for pilgrimages such as the annual Rosh Hashana kibbutz in Uman.^[71] Previously, Ukraine condidered suspending its visa waiver agreement with Israel in response to the treatment of Ukrainian refugees there, including confiscation of passports, extended interrogations at airports, and a large number of entry refusals and deportations.^[72]

Holders of diplomatic and service passports of all visa-exempt countries (listed above) do not need a visa to Israel, except those of Australia, Belarus, Dominica, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Taiwan, United States, and holders of service passports of South Africa.^[2]

In addition, holders of diplomatic and service passports of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, China, Gabon, Gambia, Guyana, India, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan,^[c] Madagascar, Morocco, Nicaragua, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Vatican City, and holders of diplomatic passports of Armenia, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Rwanda, and Vietnam do not need a visa to Israel.^[2]

History

Israel and the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed a visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports on 19 November 1963 and 14 April 1964, and it came into force on 28 July 1964.[73] Date of cancellation is unknown. Israel and Liberia signed a visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports on 17 July and 3 August 1961, and it came into force on 1 November 1961.[74] Date of cancellation for holders of service passports is unknown. Israel and Tanganyika (succeeded by Tanzania) signed a visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports on 16 and 17 September 1963, and it came into force on 17 September 1963.[75] Date of cancellation is unknown. Israel and Bolivia signed a visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports on 10 and 16 August 1972, and it came into force on 16 October 1972.[76] Date of cancellation is unknown.

Category	Code	Title	Description
Temporary resident	A/1	Aliyah visa	For those eligible for immigration by the Law of Return (aliyah).[77]
	A/2	Student visa	For those who want to study in a recognized academic institution.[78]
		Yeshiva visa	For those who want to study in a yeshiva.[78]
	A/3	Clergy visa	For clergymen for the purpose of long-term fulfilling their clerical duties among their religious communities in Israel, pursuant to the invitation of a recognized religious institution in Israel.
	A/4	Family of holders of A/2 and A/3 visas	For spouses and minor children of recipients of A/2 or A/3 visas.[79]
	A/5	Temporary resident visa	General temporary resident visa for any other reason that is not under A/1, A/2, A/3, or A/4 visas. Usually for partners of Israeli citizens or for humanitarian reasons.
Work	B/1	Work visa	For those whose stay in Israel is approved for a limited period of time for the purpose of work.
		Working holiday visa	For nationals of certain countries between the ages of 18 and 30 years.
Visitor	B/2	ETA-IL	Electronic travel authorization for nationals of visa-exempt countries for tourism, business or study up to 90 days.
		Visitor visa	For nationals of visa-required countries for tourism, business or study up to 90 days.
		Visitor visa extension	Extension of visit for tourism, business or study.[80]
Doubtful status	B/3	Doubtful status visa[81]	For those whose entry status is not clear. Valid for one month, during which the applicant may reclassify the entry status.[82]
Volunteer	B/4	Volunteer visa	For volunteers in a recognized organization, institute or settlement.[83] Organizations engaged in welfare or health Religious institutes Kibbutz (kibbutz volunteer) Moshav Philanthropic institutes Israel Defense Forces

In February 2024, the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority announced plans to introduce an electronic visa for tourists, starting with a pilot for nationals of India.^[84][85]

Nationals of the following countries between the ages of 18 and 30 years may apply for a working holiday visa for 12 months in Israel.^[86]

Australia  Austria  Czech Republic

Germany  New Zealand  South Korea

In 2023, Israel signed agreements for a working holiday visa with Japan^[87] and Taiwan.^[88]

Visitors with an Israeli passport stamp are not allowed to enter a number of countries because of the Arab League boycott of Israel. Some countries, such as Austria, Canada, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and United States, allow their nationals to hold two or more passports of their country to circumvent such travel restrictions, but some of these countries also restrict or forbid the holding of passports of more than one country (multiple citizenship).

However, since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps passports at airports and land border crossings with Jordan. Instead, the entry or departure record is printed on a small paper card, called an electronic gate pass, which includes the traveler's passport data, date, visa status, and other details. The card also includes a barcode which is used to pass through the gate out of the passport control hall.^[89]

Israel accepts passports of all member states and observer states of the United Nations, Kosovo and Taiwan.^[2][90]

The Haudenosaunee passport is a travel document with limited recognition issued by the Iroquois nation in Canada and the United States.^[91] For the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship, which was hosted by Israel, the Israeli government accepted the Haudenosaunee passports of the Iroquois team after communicating with the Canadian government.^[92][93]

Foreign nationals who may travel to Israel without a visa or who hold an Israeli visa may also enter the West Bank on the same basis. Foreign nationals may also apply for an entry permit valid only for the West Bank.^[94] All foreign nationals need a permit to enter the Gaza Strip.^[95]

Israeli citizens may enter West Bank Areas B and C, but not West Bank Area A or the Gaza Strip, without a permit.^[90][96]

Palestinians registered in the West Bank need a permit to enter Israel or the Gaza Strip, and Palestinians registered in the Gaza Strip need a permit to enter Israel or the West Bank. Palestinian men over age 55 and women over age 50 registered in the West Bank, without a security restriction, receive an automatic permit to enter Israel for up to 6 months. Palestinians who receive a permit to depart from an Israeli airport may also return in the same way.^[90]

Most visitors arriving to Israel were from the following countries of nationality:

Tourist arrivals, by country of citizenship (in thousands):^{[97][98][99][100][101][102] [103][104][105][106][107]}

Country	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000
United States	605.1	538.0	600.6	532.4	494.0	457.5	379.1	271.9	206.1	266.2	488.5
Russia	318.7	231.4	205.4	133.3	73.6	68.0	55.7	41.3	36.9	55.8	74.6
France	274.1	254.0	256.3	242.1	252.2	311.4	257.5	174.4	117.9	129.3	202.4
Germany	171.5	139.8	137.4	98.7	89.6	105.2	75.9	49.0	38.8	65.5	176.0
United Kingdom	168.8	163.5	173.3	160.1	161.2	156.7	146.5	104.2	97.3	140.2	201.2
Italy	150.2	116.5	120.6	79.4	58.1	72.9	42.0	26.0	16.9	25.0	171.4
Canada	70.2	59.5	68.5	58.0	51.4	50.8	43.6	31.3	25.1	34.2	55.0
Spain	69.4	53.8	86.8	51.9	30.7	51.9	21.4	15.9	8.6	11.8	65.6
Slovakia	59.7	49.0	61.0	45.4	5.0	7.1	6.9	1.8	1.9	3.8	7.9
Ukraine	55.3	46.5	63.9	49.9	30.7	28.3	24.2	19.3	18.4	33.5	38.0
Netherlands	53.4	44.5	48.3	40.3	43.0	49.8	40.4	27.3	22.8	43.3	91.3
Brazil	48.8	27.9	31.2	20.1	15.5	19.8	11.4	7.8	5.4	8.7	25.3
India	40.1	23.1	29.5	24.2	20.4	19.0	12.7	8.4	9.3	12.0	15.9
Romania	38.5	28.9	37.4	19.2	11.4	9.6	7.9	6.7	5.9	9.6	11.9
Switzerland	32.1	26.6	27.0	23.3	22.8	25.6	22.6	17.0	13.9	19.6	32.8
Nigeria	31.6	43.9	34.3	31.2	24.6	10.7	16.8	11.8	12.9	8.5	9.3
Belgium	31.2	23.7	23.1	20.8	24.5	25.5	22.8	17.8	15.4	21.6	39.9
Australia	30.7	23.5	26.3	20.9	18.2	19.7	14.9	9.9	8.2	10.4	23.4
South Korea	30.0	17.3	30.6	29.4	28.0	25.9	18.5	8.2	8.1	11.2	16.8
Austria	28.1	23.6	23.7	17.0	15.3	13.3	11.1	8.3	7.6	9.6	22.0
Greece	24.2	18.4	28.8	20.8	16.7	15.0	10.0	6.1	4.8	7.8	24.4
Mexico	22.7	15.0	22.2	18.1	13.3	24.0	14.7	8.2	4.2	9.5	37.9
Argentina	22.3	16.0	19.6	15.0	11.8	14.8	11.7	10.0	7.3	10.6	22.7
South Africa	21.1	18.1	22.4	18.8	16.6	16.5	12.6	9.8	9.1	13.4	20.6
Sweden	20.2	17.0	16.7	14.0	16.8	18.3	12.6	8.6	6.7	10.8	37.0
Finland	19.5	17.8	12.3	8.7	7.8	7.6	6.5	4.1	3.6	11.2	25.7
Jordan	17.8	15.0	15.3	10.5	15.1	8.3	22.9	18.4	24.5	24.6	77.9
Indonesia	17.7	9.6	14.4	11.4	7.3	8.4	5.6	2.7	1.1	3.5	9.8
Denmark	15.2	12.7	12.2	11.2	10.5	11.8	8.7	6.9	6.1	9.5	24.1
Norway	14.2	12.1	13.4	9.8	9.2	9.2	6.7	4.3	4.1	6.4	13.8
Turkiye	13.7	13.4	16.3	13.7	15.7	15.7	13.8	13.1	12.0	15.1	23.5
Czech Republic	13.7	10.9	16.4	9.6	14.4	10.0	5.5	3.1	3.2	5.5	11.4
Poland	13.6	6.9	11.6	5.0	42.1	26.8	10.3	6.1	5.3	13.1	41.9
Japan	13.2	9.8	14.4	10.6	9.4	8.3	6.2	4.8	4.1	7.1	18.1
China	12.9	7.6	8.9	7.7	5.8	4.0	3.0	1.9	2.6	6.3	9.8
Hungary	11.8	9.4	13.8	10.0	7.6	8.7	6.9	5.2	5.1	8.1	14.3
Portugal	11.6	8.1	8.9	5.4	3.4	7.8	3.2	1.5	1.3	2.0	18.8
Belarus	11.4	9.7	11.8	9.0	5.9	5.6	4.5	4.2	4.0	6.1	6.2
Colombia	10.9	7.9	9.0	7.1	5.1	8.9	6.3	4.1	3.2	5.3	13.0
Cyprus	10.4	9.4	11.9	9.3	7.7	7.6	5.9	4.5	3.8	4.7	10.3
Philippines	10.2	7.3	9.0	6.7	4.6	5.6	4.3	4.6	5.1	7.1	14.4
Ireland	9.1	7.5	9.0	7.3	5.7	7.0	4.2	2.8	2.5	4.3	9.7
Singapore	8.7	6.5	8.5	7.3	5.2	5.8	5.8	2.8	1.7	1.8	3.6
Bulgaria	7.2	6.1	8.6	5.2	3.5	3.1	2.7	2.1	2.5	2.7	4.0
Kazakhstan	6.5	4.5	6.1	4.9	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
Croatia	6.1	5.3	5.2	3.3	2.9	2.4	..	..	..	..	..
Chile	5.8	4.2	5.5	3.3	2.8	5.1	3.6	2.4	1.5	2.5	9.3
Estonia	5.3	3.1	2.6	2.0	1.2	1.1	..	..	..	..	..
Lithuania	5.1	4.2	7.4	5.5	3.3	2.4	..	..	..	..	..
Latvia	4.7	4.2	5.9	5.2	4.3	3.0	2.2	1.6	1.7	2.7	4.2
Georgia	4.5	4.6	6.0	5.1	3.2	2.7	2.1	1.9	1.9	2.9	3.8
Moldova	4.4	3.1	4.4	3.4	2.3	2.4	1.9	1.6	1.5	3.0	4.0
Hong Kong	4.1	2.2	3.4	2.1	0.7	1.0	0.5	0.2	0.1	0.4	1.4
New Zealand	3.9	2.7	3.1	2.8	2.5	2.4	2.1	1.5	1.3	1.9	4.4
Taiwan	3.9	2.5	3.7	3.4	3.0	2.2	1.9	1.1	0.8	1.1	2.7
Ecuador	3.5	2.7	3.0	2.5	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
Uzbekistan	3.4	3.0	4.9	3.5	2.1	2.1	2.3	2.3	3.0	5.9	7.1
Thailand	3.0	3.4	2.7	2.8	1.9	1.5	1.3	1.8	1.5	0.6	2.4
Serbia	3.0	1.4	1.1	0.6	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
Azerbaijan	2.9	2.7	2.9	2.7	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
Venezuela	2.8	2.8	3.9	3.0	1.9	3.2	2.5	2.1	1.1	1.9	5.9
Uruguay	2.6	2.3	2.6	2.1	2.0	3.2	3.0	2.7	2.0	2.6	4.0
Egypt	2.6	2.3	1.7	2.5	4.8	4.3	3.1	2.8	3.1	5.3	12.8
Slovenia	2.6	2.2	2.4	1.5	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
Morocco	2.5	2.3	2.5	2.6	2.5	3.3	3.4	2.8	2.2	2.4	3.0
Malaysia	1.6	0.6	2.3	2.0	1.2	1.5	0.6	0.1	0.1	0.4	2.6
Lebanon	..	..	..	..	..	..	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.5	15.6
Grand total	2,803.1	2,321.4	2,559.6	2,063.1	1,825.2	1,902.8	1,505.5	1,063.2	861.9	1,195.7	2,416.8

Tourist arrivals, by country of citizenship (in thousands):^{[108][109][110][111][112][113] [114][115][116][117][118]}

Country	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010
United States	200.5	969.4	898.1	778.8	648.3	620.3	602.6	597.2	583.6	581.0	605.1
France	56.0	367.5	346.0	308.6	287.5	293.7	288.9	292.3	263.6	269.5	274.1
Russia	56.0	318.1	316.3	331.5	266.0	294.0	411.4	405.0	380.7	353.4	318.7
Germany	50.3	289.0	262.6	218.1	164.1	159.8	162.3	159.8	158.5	171.0	171.5
Poland	45.2	156.9	151.8	97.3	51.6	57.8	62.0	67.3	58.9	60.4	69.4
United Kingdom	44.1	235.4	218.0	198.5	181.3	174.6	164.6	173.3	165.1	168.0	168.8
Italy	25.1	190.7	150.6	107.8	82.2	84.4	111.2	127.7	126.2	113.3	150.2
Romania	24.8	121.1	106.9	78.9	48.8	43.2	43.1	34.6	39.6	37.8	38.5
Ukraine	24.6	135.4	137.4	146.3	131.9	112.7	110.7	108.0	109.2	106.8	55.3
South Korea	17.1	60.4	45.1	39.7	27.8	22.3	21.6	28.1	28.6	28.0	30.0
Spain	16.3	104.7	77.7	62.4	44.5	42.2	45.3	47.9	50.1	51.0	59.7
Canada	15.6	95.8	91.9	80.5	64.5	63.5	62.6	65.3	65.0	64.4	70.2
Netherlands	15.3	91.0	83.1	64.1	50.2	47.7	50.2	52.0	62.0	58.7	53.4
Brazil	13.5	82.1	62.7	55.0	34.1