Guidelines for Foreign Nationals arriving in Israel by Airline flights
Entering Israel by airline flights requires adherence to COVID restrictions and polices. Information for travelers
Important links:
Conditions for the arrival of foreign nationals in Israel
Recognition of foreign vaccination or recovery by Israel
Conditions for the arrival of foreign nationals in Israel
Foreign nationals will not be allowed to arrive in Israel from any and all countries, save for those who have received clearance for exceptional arrival in Israel.
Online petition form for the Exceptions Committee
Recognition of Foreign Vaccination or Recovery by Israel
The meaning of recognition in Israel of a vaccination or recovery status from abroad is the option to stay in isolation for a short period after arrival in Israel and Green Pass eligibility.
Who is recognized as vaccinated or recovered by Israel?
1. Those vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization(WHO) – the vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Bharat Biotech, the Serum Institute of India and Johnson and Johnson.
Israel also recognizes the vaccination status of those vaccinated with the Sputnikvaccine (on the condition that they receive a positive result on a serologic test taken in Israel)
The vaccine must be administered in accordance with the protocol set by Israel, that is, those vaccinated must:
- Receive two vaccine doses (or one vaccine dose in case of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine) and at least 14 days have passed since the date of the second vaccination on the day of arrival in Israel (but not more than 180 at the time of leaving Israel). The day of vaccinate does not count.
- Be vaccinated with the booster shot and 14 days or more pass from vaccination day at the day of arrival in Israel.
2. Carriers of a certificate of recovery that can be digitally verified in the Ministry of Health’s system, based on a test result on a NAAT test (a molecular test similar to PCR):
- Those who arrived in Israel 11 days or more after their NAAT test (but no more than 190 days on the date of their departure from Israel).
- Those who, in addition to their recovery, have also been vaccinated with at least one dose of the World Health Organization-approved vaccines, before or after recovery.
List of countries that issue certificates that are digitally verifiable by Israel Ministry of Health
Pre-Flight
1. You are required to take a PCR test in the 72 hours before the flight to Israel.
Y Alternately, you may take a rapid test in the 24 hours before the flight to Israel instead of a PCR test. This test must be administered by professional samplers (no home test kits).
Only those who received a negative result on the PCR or antigen test will be allowed to board the flight. You are required to present an official document in English attesting to the negative test result, along with the traveler’s passport number. No other tests of any kind will be accepted.
The following are exempt from the pre-flight PCR test requirement:
- Those who stayed outside Israeli territories for less than 72 hours (from the moment of landing abroad to the moment of departure to Israel).
- Those who recovered from COVID-19 and will present airline officials with a positive result on a PCR test that they took less than three months prior, on the condition that at least 11 days have passed since the date of the test.
If your itinerary includes a connecting flight to Israel and the waiting time before the first flight and the flight landing in Israel is more than 24 hours, you are required to take the PCR test in the 72 hours before the departure of the flight landing in Israel.
In humanitarian cases or in cases of real difficulty accessing testing facilities, you may file an application to the Exceptions Committee for a clearance to enter Israel without testing.
2. You are required to fill out the entry statement form in the 48 hours before departure in Israel, the sooner the better.
You must provide your personal information, both yours and your travel companions, check a declaration of health, provide information about your vaccination or recovery and the address of isolation accommodation.
- Holders of a certificate that is digitally verifiable by the Ministry of Healthmust scan or attach their certificate of vaccination or recovery to the statement form and they will be given a Green Pass before boarding the flight.
- If the traveler does not hold a verifiable digital certificate, the traveler must specify the vaccines received on the entry statement form for travelers coming to Israel and attach proofs. The traveler will receive a Green Pass before boarding the flight.
Upon completion of the form, you will receive a link in which you can pay in advance for the PCR test that you will be required to take upon arrival in Israel, in addition to the pre-flight test. The cost of the test in advanced payment is 80 NIS.
3. Bofore boarding, you must show the airline representatives:
- Clearance for exceptional arrival in Israel that you received from the Exceptions Committee.
- Confirmation attesting to the completion of the entry statement form
You can save a digital copy of this confirmation. You are not required to print it out.
Keep this confirmation for border control in Israel.
Furthermore, if you stayed outside Israeli territories for more than 72 hours, you will be required to present one of the following documents:
- Negative result on a PCR test taken in the 72 hours before the flight to Israel.
- Negative result on a rapid (antigen test) taken in the 24 hours before the flight to Israel.
- Positive result on a PCR test taken 3 months before departure, on condition that at least 11 days pass from the day of testing.
- Permission from the Exceptions Committee to enter Israel without taking a PCR test before departure.
As well as one of the documents below:
- Certificate of vaccination attesting to your vaccination in accordance with the required protocol in Israel
- Certificate of recovery digitally verifiable by the Ministry of Health
- Israeli passport
NOTE
You might also be asked to present all of these certificates and documents to officials upon arrival in Israel.
During flight
You are required to wear a mask over your nose and mouth (anyone aged 6 years and older) and maintain social distancing and personal hygiene practices.
At the Airport in Israel
1. Take a PCR test
Upon arrival in Israel, you must take a PCR test, in addition to the one that you took before the flight. This guidance applies to all travelers of all ages arriving in Israel, including those vaccinated and recovered.
Test costs:
- 115 NIS – for those paying at the airport with cash
- 100 NIS – for those paying at the airport with credit card
- 80 NIS – for those paying in advance at the link at the end of the entry statement form
2. Those vaccinated with the Sputnik vaccine will also take a serologic test at the airport
- If your serologic test result is positive – you will receive a month-long Green Pass and you will be required to stay in short isolation until you will receive a negative result on the PCR test that you will take on the 3rd day of your isolation (the day of arrival in Israel is day 1 of isolation).
- If your serologic test result is negative – you will be required to complete the full isolation period but you will be allowed to return to your country of origin during your isolation period, on the condition that you test negative a PCR test.
Access to terminal halls in Israel is reserved to ticketed travelers only. Companions or greeters are not allowed to enter, except chaperones of minors or caregivers of people with disabilities. .
Upon arrival in Ben Gurion International Airport, random document inspections are conducted and travelers must meet the requirements of the Population and Immigration Authority.
Isolation
Detailed information on mandatory isolation upon arrival in Israel from abroad
NOTE
- Foreign nationals who will arrive in Israel despite not meeting the requirements will not be allowed to enter Israel and will be returned to their country of origin.
- Foreign nationals who will be confirmed as COVID-19 patients during their stay in Israel will be transported by ambulance to a managed isolation facility for their recovery period and will pay the expenses of the ambulance transport, stay in a managed isolation facility and medical care.
- Foreign nationals who will present a forged document or who will be confirmed as COVID-19 patients and who will refuse to be transported to a managed isolation facility or who will violate the conditions of their isolation will be denied entry to Israel for 5 years.
- Foreign nationals who are not confirmed COVID-19 patients who will violate the conditions of their isolation will be denied entry to Israel for 3 years.
- Israelisnipers shooting and killing hospital workers in Gaza - December 11, 2023
- CAIR Condemns Israeli Executions of Wounded, Unarmed Palestinian in West Bank - December 11, 2023
- Arab and Muslim American voters face a “simple choice” between Biden’s inhumanity and Trump’s edgy politics - December 9, 2023