Since Monday, November 1, fully vaccinated tourists have been permitted to enter Israel. Various issues have cropped up, and some problems still remain. Chaim V’Chessed’s Bureaucratic Department provides the latest information, below:
Process for Entering Israel:
The process for entering Israel under the new laws is as follows:
- All passengers entering Israel must fill out this health declaration within 48 hours of travel. If completed successfully, you will receive an email stating that you are permitted to board your flight, with an אישור עליה למטוס and a Tav Yarok (Green Pass).
- If applicable, choose one of the following: Vaccinated or Recovered Abroad/ Vaccinated or Recovered in Israel.
- If you are traveling with a permit, and do not meet the current vaccination requirements, or you are filling in the form for a child who is under 12 and recovered/ has a positive serology test in Israel from more than six months ago, choose Other. Please see below for more information on this option
- If you are traveling with a previously obtained Tav Yarok, choose Other.
- If you receive a rejection, it is quite likely that an answer was filled in incorrectly. If this happens, open the link again, and resubmit, while reading each question carefully.
- All passengers should receive a Tav Yarok to their email. If you entered Other you will not a receive a Tav Yarok. Rather, you will either need to present a valid permit or a valid Tav Yarok which you obtained earlier.
- Bring to the airport:
- A negative PCR Covid test which was taken within 72 hours of departure. Antigen tests are not accepted.
- Your אישור עליה למטוס.
- Your Tav Yarok.
- If you did not qualify for a Tav Yarok but hold an entry permit, this should be presented in lieu of a Tav Yarok. One may fly until, and including, the expiration date on the permit.
- Israeli citizens or permanent residents must present their Israeli passport or teudat zehut.
- Passengers who are vaccinated or recovered abroad should have their vaccination record/digital recovery with them to present, if asked.
Extenuating Circumstances
In certain extenuating circumstances, permits will continue to be issued for passengers who do not qualify under the new rules. These include funerals, medical emergencies, and parents of a child getting married in Israel. Applications should be made via Israeli consulates or embassies abroad, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site, here. In cases of serious emergencies, you may contact Chaim V’Chessed after applying.
Spouses of Israeli citizens who do not qualify under the current rules may obtain permits, via this link
Permits Issued Under Previous Rules
Passengers who do not qualify under the new tourist rules, but who hold permits issued under the previous rules, are permitted to enter Israel, as of now. On the pre-flight Health Declaration, when asked about your vaccination status, choose Other – please see above.
Visa Holders
Visa holders are now subject to the same rules as foreign tourists. They must be fully vaccinated in the past six months, or recovered within Israel. This has particularly caused complications for visa holders with children under age 12, who cannot be vaccinated. If these children did not recover from Covid in Israel in the past 180 days, they have no route to re-enter the country. Similarly, adult visa holders who did not have Covid, or, for any reason, were not vaccinated in the past 180 days, will not be granted entry.
There is good news for visa holder children who may have recovered from Covid previously but are not recognized by the Ministry of Health as recovered for whatever reason:
- A positive PCR test from the Ministry of Health from any time in the past for children under 12 and 3 months is accepted for a Tav Yarok and a Teudat Hachlama. This allows the child to enter Israel; instructions above.
- The Ministry of Health is now allowing children under 12 and 3 months to receive a Teudat Hachlama and Tav Yarok based on positive serology results. Please note that the test must be done in a lab that is approved by the Ministry of Health, and will be done at the expense of the client. A positive serology result from any time in Israel will allow the child to enter Israel; instructions above.
- Make sure to obtain a Tav Yarok for the child before you leave Israel, as you will need it to be able to re-enter.
- An adult may take a serology test, and if positive, will be eligible for a Tav Yarok after just ONE vaccination.
