Israel: visa and entry rules

Israel's borders: every crossing point

Israel's land border crossings, listed by neighbour:

Three crossings with Jordan. Sheikh Hussein, also known as the Jordan River Bridge, in the north — open around the clock. The Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, in the Jordan Valley, 57 km from Amman. Yitzhak Rabin, also known as Wadi Araba, in the south — it links Eilat and Aqaba.

With Egypt there is one — Taba, the only crossing on this route open to tourists, near Eilat.

The borders with Lebanon and Syria are closed, there is no through traffic.

The Allenby Bridge is closed from time to time by decision of the Jordanian side, so a route through it is worth checking before you set off, not on the day of travel.

No stamp is put in your passport. Instead you are given a separate paper card — keep it until you leave.

Driving to Israel

Rental cars are not allowed across the border. The contracts of Israeli rental companies prohibit taking a car into Jordan and Egypt, and this is checked at the crossings.

Check the rules for temporary import of a private car with the customs service of the country you are entering.

At the crossings with Jordan passengers change vehicles. The practice is this: you cross the border on foot or on a dedicated shuttle, and leave your car behind or swap it for another one on the far side.

An International Driving Permit works together with your national licence.

Travelling to Israel with a pet

An international-standard microchip is mandatory.

The rabies vaccination must have been given at least 30 days before entry and be valid on the date of travel.

A rabies antibody test is required. Blood is taken no earlier than 30 days after the vaccination, and the result has to be in hand in advance.

The veterinary certificate is issued by the state veterinary service and submitted together with an import notification before arrival.

An animal under three months old cannot be brought in.

With a complete set of documents there is no quarantine, but if any one of them is missing the animal is held at the border.

Overstaying your visa in Israel

An overstay is recorded on departure and entered into the immigration service's database.

The main consequence is being refused entry the next time. Israel rarely fines a tourist money, but it does close off entry, and that decision is an administrative one: appealing against it from abroad is hard.

The size of the fine is calculated at the border on departure. There is no finding it out in advance — keep a reserve of cash for the way out.

Deportation is paid for by the offender and is almost always accompanied by an entry ban.

You can extend your stay at the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, by applying before the permitted period expires rather than after.