All travellers
You don’t need a visa to enter Israel as a tourist. On entry, visitors are granted permission to stay for a period of up to 3 months.
No proof of vaccination is required to enter Israel.
All travellers must have a health insurance policy with coverage for the treatment of COVID-19. The insurance policy is mandatory to enter Israel.
You are required to fill out an entry statement form within 48 hours before your flight to Israel.
From 20 May 2022 you do not need to present a negative result on a COVID test before boarding a flight or cruise to Israel or before arriving at an Israeli land border crossing. There is no requirement to complete a COVID test or isolate on arrival at any point of entry (airport or land border).
Full guidance on requirements upon arrival is updated online. Check the dedicated COVID-19 Air Transport website for full details. Further restrictions may be introduced at short notice.
Visitors entering via Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport are given an entry card instead of an entry stamp in their passport. While this practice is in place at other ports of entry, there have been instances where passports have been stamped for entry purposes. You should keep your entry card with your passport until you leave. This is evidence of your legal entry into Israel and may be required, particularly at any crossing points into the Occupied Palestinian Territories. If you’re refused entry into Israel, your passport may be stamped with an entry stamp and two red lines drawn across it to indicate the refusal.
It is for the Israeli authorities to decide if you can enter Israel. If you have any particular concerns about visas or entry into Israel, you should contact the Israeli embassy. If you work in Israel without the proper permissions, you can be detained and then deported. This process which could take several months. Consular staff will not be able to help you enter Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories. They are unable get involved in another country’s immigration policy or procedures.
At the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan and at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli border officials have sometimes used an entry stamp for certain travellers that states ‘Palestinian Authority only’ or ‘Judea and Samaria only’. Since travellers entering via the Allenby Bridge crossing must pass through Israeli checkpoints and Israeli-controlled territory to reach Jerusalem or Gaza, this restriction effectively limits travellers who receive this stamp. It is not clear how a traveller receiving the stamp at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport can leave the airport without violating the restriction. This stamp has been issued to travellers who have no Palestinian or other Arab ancestry, and who would not seem to have any claim to a Palestinian Authority ID.
Israeli border officials at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport have also at times required certain travellers to sign a form that states that he/she is not allowed to enter territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority unless he/she obtains advance authorisation from the Israeli ‘Territory Actions Co-ordinator’, and that violating this restriction may result in the traveller being deported from Israel and barred from entry for up to 10 years. In March 2017, the Israeli Parliament passed a law which gives authority to deny entry to foreign nationals who have publicly called for a boycott of Israel and/or settlements, or who belong to an organisation which has called for a boycott. Contact the Israeli embassy if you need further information.
Previous Travel to Other Countries
Evidence of a previous visit to another country in the region like an entry/exit stamp in your passport does not normally prevent entry into Israel, although it may lead to additional questioning at the border. It is for the Israeli authorities to determine the right of entry into Israel, so if you have any particular concerns about previous travel to another country, you should contact the Israeli embassy.
Customs and Immigration
You should expect lengthy personal questioning and baggage searches by security officials on arrival and departure from Israel. Electrical items, including laptops, may be taken from departing passengers for security inspection and either stored in the aircraft baggage hold, or returned to you in the UK. Damage may occur. Searches and questioning may be longer in some cases, including but not limited to some visitors with Palestinian or Arab ancestry.
If you arrive with valuable personal items (computers, camcorders etc.) you may be required to pay a deposit that is refundable on or after departure.
Israeli security officials have on occasion requested access to travellers’ personal e-mail accounts or other social media accounts as a condition of entry.
Entering the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), including by sea to Gaza, is controlled by the Israeli authorities. You must produce a passport and Israeli immigration slip, to cross between Israel and the OPTs.
You may be detained on arrival to Israel and deported if you are intending to enter Gaza without permission. If you are entering Israel for the purpose of working in the OPTs, you may be refused entry. On 20 October 2022, the Government of Israel introduced new requirements for foreign nationals entering and residing in the West Bank. You can find more information on the requirements and points of contact for enquiries via the Israeli government website.
The FCDO is not able to support individuals applying for entry or exit permits for Gaza. If you decide to visit Gaza against FCDO advice, you will need to contact the relevant Israeli authorities well in advance. If your entry to Gaza is via the Rafah crossing, you will need to contact the relevant Egyptian authorities in advance. The FCDO is no longer able to provide administrative support for UK charities wishing to enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. The Rafah border regularly closes with no warning and for long periods of time. The Erez border also sometimes closes with no warning. At these times it may be impossible to enter or leave Gaza.
Israeli checkpoints may be closed during Israeli public holidays and periods of increased instability. Please refer to this website for information (which is subject to change). For more information, contact the nearest Israeli Embassy.
British nationals of Palestinian origin
If you are a British national of Palestinian origin (on the Palestinian Population Register or holding a Palestinian ID number), you will need a Palestinian passport or travel document in order to leave. If you are a British national with a Palestinian name or place of birth but without a Palestinian ID number, you may face problems. A number of British nationals of Palestinian origin or British nationals married to Palestinians have been refused entry to the country.
Dual nationals
British-Palestinian dual nationals living in the West Bank and Gaza are allowed to travel abroad only via the Rafah or Allenby Bridge border crossings into Egypt or Jordan and return via the same route.
Children with Israeli parents (father and/or mother) are considered to be Israeli nationals. The Israeli Ministry of Interior insists that these children enter and leave Israel on an Israeli passport.
If you’re fully vaccinated
Entry requirements for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are the same for all travellers, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
All travellers must have a health insurance policy with coverage for the treatment of COVID-19. The insurance policy is mandatory to enter Israel.
If you’re not fully vaccinated
Entry requirements for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are the same for all travellers, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
Children and young people
There are no specific requirements for children and young people.
Entry via Land Borders
You can find the latest guidance on entering and exiting Israel via the land borders on the Israeli Ministry of Health’s website.
Those wishing to enter Jordan from Israel will need to register in advance. You can find more information on the Visit Jordan website.
You may face delays or restrictions at Israeli controlled checkpoints around the West Bank, including when attempting to leave the West Bank. See Coronavirus.
If you’re transiting through Israel/The Occupied Palestinian Territories
Transiting is when you pass through one country on the way to your final destination.
Full guidance on requirements upon arrival and when transiting through Israel is regularly updated online. Check Israeli Population and Immigration Authority pages and the dedicated COVID-19 Air Transport website for full details. Further restrictions may be introduced at short notice.
Check your passport and travel documents before you travel
If you are visiting Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, your passport should be valid for a minimum of six months from the date you arrive.
Check with your travel provider to make sure your passport and other travel documents meet their requirements.