If you are searching for information on Israeli visa, it probably means you need a visa. There are 100 countries/regions that do not require a visa for Israel. You can enter from airports and land borders.
Do You Need a Visa?
You can click here to find out if you need a visa. If you don’t need a visa, you will get B/2 visa on arrival, even though visa is exempted.
What’s the Legal Use of B/2 Visitor’s Visa?
When you visit Israel on visa exemption basis, you have B/2 Visitor’s visa.
The Blue Entry Card, it’s just a tiny piece of paper. You are supposed to keep it with you when you check-in at hotels, otherwise you have to pay 17% VAT tax. You don’t need to present this card to leave Israel because everything is registered in the computer already.
It’s not a tourist visa, it is a visitor’s visa. And you can do the following with this visa:
- Travel!
- Business Meeting
- Study in a Hebrew Ulpan
And you CANNOT
- work in the State of Israel
For more information on B/2 Visitor’s Visa, go to the Israeli government’s website.
About “Visa Out”
There is nothing such as “visa out” since 2013. Old information will tell you that Israeli immigration will stamp on your passport unless you ask for “visa out”. But this doesn’t exist any more!
The Pink/Yellow Embarkation Card
Actually I don’t know what this is called. But when you leave Israel, you will get a card like this from the immigration officer. This is useless, besides being a nice souvenir.
Q&As on Visa
Q1. Can you get visa exemption from land border?
Yes! Visa exemption applies to both airport and land borders. You can go to Israel from Jordan and Egypt without any problem. So you can plan to visit these 3 countries in one big trip.
Q2. Can I still visit Arab countries in the Middle East?
Yes. No one except Israeli government will know that you have been to Israel. (Provided if you fly in and out)
Q3. Will I get a stamp from land crossing?
Yes! If you come from Taba (Egypt) to Eilat (Israel), you get a stamp from Egyptian border. While there’s no entry/exit stamp from Israeli side, you will get a stamp from the other side…
Q4. So if I have a stamp from Taba, can I still visit countries in the Middle East?
Hmm. This is a grey area. It depends on if the immigration officer you meet scrutinizes every single page on your passport. And if he/she is THAT smart. Officially, you cannot visit the following countries if you have been to Israel,
Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Iraq
And you might not be able to enter these countries:
Algeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisia, Pakistan
But not all Arab countries mind you have been to Israel. You can still visit these countries:
UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Oman, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar
Q.5 Are you sure those Arab countries in the Middle East won’t know that I have been to Israel?
How will they know? Israeli government is not going to share any information with them. But I heard a story that a person went to Lebanon after visiting Israel. He entered Lebanon without any trouble, but when he used the same YMCA card that he used in Israel in Lebanon, he got caught and deported.
So don’t leave a trace.
Q.6 But I really want to go to Jordan/ Egypt, what should I do?
There is another option of going through King Hussein Bridge. You won’t get an entry/exit stamp from this border on Jordanian side (the only border). Why? Well Israel defeated Jordan in 1967. For Jordan, going to their “West Bank” doesn’t count as leaving Jordan. So they won’t give you a stamp from here.
And if you want to go to Egypt without having a stamp in your passport, then fly!
Q.7 If I have been to a Islamic country, can I go to Israel?
Yes. Of course! The Israeli government doesn’t care where you have been to, but they care if you are a potential terrorrist. Even an American can be denied entry if he/she is a BDS supporter. So it is not about where you have been to, but WHO YOU ARE!
