Visitors to Israel must obtain a visa from one of the Israeli diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. All visitors must hold a passport that is valid for 6 months after the date of departure from Israel.
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Visa exemption
Holders of normal passports of the following 97 jurisdictions do not require a visa for Israel for a maximum stay of 3 months for tourism:
1 – German citizens born before January 1, 1928 need a visa which will be issued for free if one was not a member of the Nazi party or involved in crimes committed during the time of the Nazi Germany.
2 – visa exemption does not apply to official passport holders.
3 – Russian official passport holders require a visa and confirmation from the Israeli government.
4 - Only for biometric passport
Visa is not required for nationals of Egypt for stays up to 14 days if entering through Taba and visiting up to Beersheba only.
Holders of Palestinian Authority passports can obtain their visa on arrival in order to continue their journey to the Palestinian territories. Holders of a confirmation issued by the Israeli Ministry of Interior, traveling in a group of 10 or more, can obtain a visa on arrival (not applicable to nationals of Jordan).
Holders of official passports only of Azerbaijan, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, China, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Holy See, India, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Niger, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Venezuela and Vietnam do not require a visa.
Israeli passport stamps
Visitors with passport stamp of Israel are not allowed to enter a number of countries because of the Arab League boycott of Israel. Some countries, e.g. Austria, Germany, Canada and the USA allow their citizens to hold two or more passports of the country to circumvent such travel restrictions, but some countries (including Austria and Germany) also restrict or forbid the holding of two passports of two different countries, i.e. dual citizenship. It is also possible to get the stamp on a separate piece of paper. Additionally, for the past several years, stamps have not been used, at least at Ben Gurion airport (since January 15, 2013). Instead, entry and departure records are printed on small slips of paper, which include the name of the traveller, the photo read from the epassport, the date, the visa status, and other details. The slips also include a 2D barcode which is used as a gatepass to pass through the gate out of the passport control hall.
Confirmation required
Holders of national and official passports of the following countries require a confirmation from Israeli government before a tourist visa is issued.
Visitor statistics
Most visitors arriving to Israel were from the following countries of nationality: