Visa policy of Israel
Visitors to Israel must obtain a visa unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries and obtain an electronic travel authorization. Nationals of certain countries may obtain an electronic visa online, while others must obtain a visa from an Israeli diplomatic mission.
Visa exemption
Visa-exempt travellers with an electronic travel authorization (ETA-IL)
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries do not need a visa for Israel for tourism, business or to study for up to 90 days, or culture or sport activities for up to 30 days.From 1 January 2025, they must obtain an electronic travel authorization before travelling to Israel. The ETA-IL costs ILS 25 and is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever occurs first.
| Date of visa changes |
Unknown: Andorra, Grenada, Monaco, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu
Unknown: Central African Republic, Nicaragua
|
Partial exemptions
Proposed exemptions
Reciprocity
Therefore nationals of Israel can travel without a visa to all countries whose nationals can travel without a visa to Israel, except Australia.
Some countries have decided to give unilateral visa free to Israeli nationals in order to boost tourism other reasons. Therefore Israel grants a visa exemption for nationals of all countries that grant a visa exemption or electronic travel authorization for nationals of Israel, except Angola, Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vatican City.
Non-ordinary passports
Holders of diplomatic and service passports of all visa-exempt countries 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.In addition, holders of diplomatic and service passports of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, China, Gabon, Gambia, Guyana, India, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, 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.
D - Diplomatic passports
S - Service passports
History
In 1952 the Knesset passed the law "The entry law to Israel" which describes the first official entry policy of Israel. The law permits four types of visas for foreigners, transit visa, visit visa, temporary resident visa, and permanent visa. During the 50s' discussions on visa free took place as in 1955 the Israeli government decided to exempt visa fees from visitors from United States, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and Luxemburg to boost the early tourism sector.Visa exempt countries in 1966
Ordinary passports: Uruguay, Iceland, Argentina, USA, Brazil, Denmark, Switzerland, UK, Liechtenstein, Norway, Finland, Chile, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxemburg. Diplomatic and service passports: Austria, Italy, El Salvador, Belgium, Dahomey, The Netherlands, Switzerland, The Philippines, Brazil, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Tanganyika, Luxemburg, Liberia, Niger, France, Colombia, Costa Rica, Thailand, Togo, Honduras, Sierra Leone, and Congo Leopoldville.
1967 Israel started to consider the visa exemption of German diplomatic and service passports as Germany promised not to allow Germans with Nazi backgrounds to use the visa exemption. In the same year Israel also exempted German passport from visa. Israel signed visa exemption agreement for ordinary passports with the United Kingdom, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland in 1967. For the international tourism year of 1967 Israel called in the UN to other countries to extend their visa exemptions for tourist to boost tourism and the share of cultures.
Visa categories
Student visa
Student visa is categorized as A/2 visa and as multiple entry visa. Student visa is valid to one year with extension possibility. The visa is valid for one of the recognized academic institutions in Israel. Student with A/2 visa in general aren't allowed to work in Israel, but with some exceptions to students who work in the academic field or as part of the program, which are usually PhD students and in some cases also MA students.From 3,237 PhD students in Israel 2023, 1,824 where foreign PhD students and almost half of the foreign PhD students in Israel are Indians.
Electronic visa (e-Visa)
Nationals of the following countries may apply online for an electronic visa, valid for up to 90 days for tourism, business, short study or medical treatment:In 2025, the Israeli government planned to expand the e-Visa for nationals of more countries. In February 2025 Sri Lanka was also added to the list after India.
Work visa
Work visa is categorized as B/1 and can be given by different ways. B/1 is given differently, depending on the sector, Expert foreign workers, Foreign workers in the nursing care sector, or Foreign workers in the agriculture and construction sectors, and other types.Foreign High-Tech Experts Incentive Program visa
A special program provides work visas for nationals of countries that are exempt from the visitor visa requirement who are hired by an Israeli high-tech company with a salary at least double the average wage in Israel. Nationals of Ukraine are exempt from minimum salary requirement.Working holiday visa
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.Tourist group visa
Israeli licensed travel agents may apply for visas for groups of 10 to 50 tourists. The agents must check the tourists' background, apply at least 10 days before their arrival, provide their itinerary, pay a fee of ₪95 per group plus ₪35 per tourist, and deposit a bank guarantee of ₪100,000.Israeli passport stamps
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.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.