Israel
Entry requirements
This travel advice covers Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).
This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK who choose to travel despite FCDO advice. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of the current rules for the most common types of travel.
The authorities in Israel and the OPTs set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Israeli Embassy in London or the Palestinian Mission to the UK.
Check Israeli immigration policies before you travel. Allow extra time for increased security measures and checks at airports, especially during Israeli holidays and during the summer tourist season.
Passport validity requirements
To enter Israel or the OPTs, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Visa requirements
You can visit Israel without a visa as a tourist. On entry, visitors get permission to stay for up to 3 months. However, if you are a dual national, read the dual nationals guidance for more information.
If you work in Israel without the proper permissions, you can be detained and deported. This process could take several months.
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
From 1 January 2025, to visit Israel you will need to get an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before you arrive. The ETA covers a visit of 90 days and will cost 25 new Israeli sheqels. You can check your eligibility and apply for an ETA with the Israel Population and Immigration authority.
Passport validity requirements
To enter Israel or the OPTs, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Checks at border control
Passport stamping and entry cards
Visitors entering via Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport get an entry card instead of an entry stamp in their passport. At other entry points to the country, you may get an entry card or you may get a stamp.
Keep your entry card with your passport until you leave. This is evidence that you entered Israel legally. You may need it, particularly if you’re crossing into the OPTs. If you’re refused entry to Israel, your passport may be stamped with an entry stamp and 2 red lines drawn across it to show the refusal.
Stamps with restrictions
Entry stamps that state ‘Palestinian Authority only’ or ‘Judea and Samaria only’ have been issued to some travellers at:
- the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan
- Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport
Since travellers entering by the Allenby Bridge crossing must pass through Israeli checkpoints and Israeli-controlled territory to reach Jerusalem or Gaza, this effectively limits travellers who receive this stamp.
It is not clear how travellers who get this 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 do not seem to have a claim to a Palestinian Authority ID.
Immigration checks
The Israeli authorities decide if you can enter Israel. You may experience lengthy personal questioning and baggage searches at security when you enter and leave Israel. Some visitors may face longer searches and questioning, including those:
- with Palestinian or Arab ancestry
- with evidence of previous travel which may be considered suspicious
- who are considered to have publicly criticised the state of Israel
Foreign nationals can legally be refused entry if they:
- have publicly called for a boycott of Israel or Israeli settlements
- belong to an organisation which has called for a boycott
Travellers may occasionally be held at border control for more checks. This is not routine, but some travellers experience delays, sometimes for several hours. Israeli security has sometimes requested access to travellers’ personal email or social media accounts as a condition of entry.
Previous travel to countries in the region
Evidence of previous travel to another country in the region, such as entry or exit stamps in your passport, does not normally stop you entering Israel. However, you may face extra questioning at the border.
If you have concerns about visas or entry into Israel, including whether previous travel can affect you travelling there, contact the Israeli Embassy in the UK before you travel.
Refusal of entry into Israel
If you’re refused entry to Israel, you will be booked on the next available flight back to where you flew in from, on the same airline.
Depending on the flight schedule, you may be taken to the Immigration Detention Centre (a few minutes’ drive from the airport) to wait until your flight departs. You will have access to a telephone, information in English and medical assistance if needed. Your luggage will stay at the airport, so tell officials if you need to retrieve anything urgent from your luggage, for example medication.
You can contact the British Embassy in Israel from the detention centre. They can help where possible but cannot intervene in immigration decisions.
Entering the OPTs
The Israeli authorities control entry to the OPTs, including by sea to Gaza. You must show a passport and Israeli immigration slip to cross between Israel and the OPTs.
Read about the requirements for foreign nationals entering the West Bank on the Israeli government website.
Israeli border officials at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport have asked some travellers to sign a form stating they are not allowed to enter territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority unless they get advance authorisation from the Israeli ‘Territory Actions Co-ordinator’. You can be deported from Israel and barred from entry for up to 10 years for violating this restriction.
If immigration officials believe you plan to enter Gaza without permission, or that you’re entering Israel to work in the OPTs, they may refuse you entry.
FCDO cannot support your application for entry or exit permits for Gaza. If you decide to visit Gaza against FCDO advice, you must contact the relevant authorities well in advance. FCDO cannot provide administrative support to UK charities wishing to enter Gaza by the Rafah crossing.
The Rafah border regularly closes with no warning and for long periods. The Erez border is currently closed. At these times it may be impossible to enter or leave Gaza.
Israeli checkpoints may close on Israeli public holidays and during periods of increased instability. There is information on known checkpoint closures on the UN website. This can change at short notice.
British nationals of Palestinian origin
If you’re a British national of Palestinian origin (on the Palestinian Population Register or holding a Palestinian ID number), you must have a Palestinian passport or travel document to leave Gaza or the West Bank.
If you’re a British national with a Palestinian name or place of birth but without a Palestinian ID number, you may face problems. British nationals of Palestinian origin or British nationals married to Palestinians have been refused entry into Israel.
British people holding dual nationality
British-Palestinian dual nationals living in the West Bank and Gaza may only exit the OPTs through the Allenby border crossing into Jordan or the Rafah border crossing into Egypt. They must return by the same route.
If you’re a British-Palestinian dual national entering Gaza against FCDO travel advice, check entry and exit procedures with the relevant authorities. There is a limit on the number of dual nationals permitted to enter and exit Gaza through Erez – this includes if you are entering for medical or humanitarian reasons. The Israeli government has the authority to make decisions on entry and exit permits through Erez.
Check with your nearest Israeli embassy if you need pre-approval to travel to Israel. Dual nationals holding Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese citizenship have previously been affected. If you are not a citizen of any of these countries, but have close family ties, you should check with your nearest Israeli embassy before travel.
Children with at least one Israeli parent (father or mother) are considered Israeli nationals. These children must enter and leave Israel on an Israeli passport.
British nationals with associations with other countries in the region
Dual nationals holding Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese citizenship have previously been heavily questioned, denied entry and deported. If a deportation flight is not available immediately, this can mean being detained until one is available, which can take a number of days. If you are a citizen of any of these countries, or have associations such as close family ties, the Israeli authorities advise you to check with your nearest Israeli embassy before travel to get pre-approval for entry.
Children and young people
Children aged 17 and under travelling to Israel alone or with only one parent should carry a letter from their parents or guardians confirming parental consent, accommodation plans and contact details.
Children exiting Israel alone should carry a locally-issued notarised letter as advised by external law firms.
For children with at least one Israeli parent, read the advice for dual nationals above.
Entry to Jordan
To enter Jordan from Israel, you must register in advance. Find more information on the Visit Jordan website.
Vaccine requirements
At least 8 weeks before your trip, check the vaccinations and certificates you need in TravelHealthPro’s Israel guide and TravelHealthPro’s Palestinian Territories guide.
Customs rules
There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Israel and the OPTs. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Taking money into Israel and the OPTs
The Israeli Tax Authority provides information on taking money into or out of Israel.