Need to know about Israeli passport stamps in 2025

Do you need to keep this card and show it at your exit?
YES!
The card is actually your visa – it replaces the stamp in your passport (which constitutes a visa in countries that stamp you!)
Whenever you would need to prove your legality of stay in Israel, you would need to show a passport and a visa.
This goes even when you rent a car, stopped by the police or just go to/from the West Bank.
Israel will not need it back, but you need to save the visa paper slip until you are exiting Israel (save it until you get to border control – they don’t need it because they have it on their computers).

thanks, I didn’t know they asked for it when renting a car. I will update the post.

I just gave out a few examples. There are many more: when checking-in to a hotel (usually the larger ones) they might ask to see your visa, to see that you are entitled not to pay VAT (as tourists are exempted. If you don’t have it – you will have to pay extra 17% (VAT) of the price you originally reserved). If you buy in a VAT-refund shop, they will have to see your valid visa to be able to return the VAT., and more…

The main reason why places of businesses such as hotels and rental cars companies is that in Israel, if you are a non-Israeli citizen, you will be exempted of paying VAT (sales tax) on hotels and car rentals. I recommend you take at least a photo of it to show it in case you don’t find it on you.

Also you should know that Israeli citizens entering israel also get this document. Over 1 million Israeli citizens (that is more than 10% of the country population) do not actually live in Israel, and still come as « tourists » but their card will identify them as Israeli citizens S and they will not be given a tax deduction like you were.

The rental places and hotels also ask for it because that is the only way to avoid paying tax. I misplaced mine once and even though I was a foreigner I still had to pay the very hefty local tax. Do not lose it!

Monica there are many Israeli citizens also holding a dual citizenship with a European country, the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil etc… they still visit israel as tourists but their Israeli citizenship will restrict them from the tax exemption. They are given the same Visa card as you when entering israel except that theirs included the information that they are Israeli citizens with their Israeli citizen identification number (sort of social insurance number) unlike you.

Because the Law of Return allows anyone who has at least a proven Jewish grandparent in the world to claim for Israeli citizenship, that means one could be an Asian-American, an afro-American, or a Hasidic Jew and all could become Israeli citizens with or without speaking Hebrew, so one can not assume you are not Israeli in these conditions.

Yes it’s good to have it to present on exit, but if you lose it you’ll just face a (relatively) minor delay while they look up your entry details. Happened to my colleague (Australian) when leaving Israel last month. It was a minor hassle, but no real drama.

thank you so much. this is golden

🙂

Hello you guys,

I wanted to ask if anybody knows how it works to travel to Palestine & Israel with a One-Entry Visa. At the moment I am in Jordan and I would cross the border at King Hussein Bridge. But I am worried that I gonna have issues with coming back to Jordan with my on entry visa.
Maybe you guys can help me with your experiences 🙂 thank you

Hi Cindy, most nationalities can just get another visa on arrival.

If you are crossing from Israel to Jordan in the South (Yitzchak Rabin/Wadi Arava crossing) you cannot get a visa on arrival. You need to arrange for it in advance to get into Jordan. Since Jordan and Israel have diplomatic relations that is not an issue. There is an exception is going on a tour.My suggestion is call a Jordanian travel agent. This is what a hotel advised and my husband had no problem calling the day before to arrange it. I think it is quicker than arranging for a visa if you haven’t already done so.

Israelis still stamped my passport at Ovda airport on December 2016.

WOW. I really didn’t know about that. You are actually the first person I’ve ever met who has been to this airport. May I ask why did you land at that airport? Where did you come from? thanks

European low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair use this airport to get people to Israels southernmost city Eilat as Eilat airport can only operate smaller aircrafts. The airport is expected to cease civilian flights once Eilat’s new international airport in Timna opens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovda_Airport

Yes, many of people I have met have entered Israel via Ovda and they still do stamp. At least that’s what they told me.

Hi! I have a question, do you mean that if I have the border card and I enter overland from Jordan (let say, King Hussein Bridge), then there is no need to apply for Israeli visa?? And I’m Malaysian (not allowed to enter Israel unless we join pilgrimage tour) residing in Jordan.

Hi Katelyn, I never talked about the Israeli visa but anyways, I don’t know what would be the situation for Malaysians, as most nationalities don’t need a visa for Israel

Do you know if you can travel to the UAE with a pasport in which it says that they’re born in Israel and they currently live there too? I know several Israelis who’ve had a layover there (but didn’t leave the airport – something they aren’t allowed to do in Lebanon and Iran) and everything went fine. I’m just wondering if they can actually enter the country…

Hello Crissy, yes, I also know a few Israeli people who did a layover in Dubai, without any problem. However, I also don’t know if they can enter the country… In Lebanon and Iran you could not, for sure… But Dubai… Sorry, I am not 100% sure, so I can’t give you an answer

Hi! What about a short, 1-2 days long trip to Petra, from Eilat? Do you think, that when I ask on a border, Jordanians will not stamp my passport both on entry and exit crossing?

Hi Marcin. No. If you ask for it, they won’t stamp it, definitely 🙂

– I was interrogated by border police during 3+ hours upon my arrival at Tel Aviv airport due to an Iranian stamp in my passport. Unlike your experience they DID check every page of my passport (I am an EU citizen).
– When entering Israel from Aqaba, Jordan, we had to wait again for another 1-2h due to the same Iranian stamp. They stamped our passport without asking us if we preferred the extra card (and we did not really have the opportunity to tell them either as they kept our passport in their office during the time we waited at the border control).
Both events occurred in 2016.

Hi Martin, sorry to hear that! I am actually very surprised to hear it! But thank you for the info, I will add it in the post as extra measure

Hi
I want to travel to eilat i am muslim but i have EU passport will they stamp my passport,

Hi, in Israel there’s a huuge Muslim community living, so they are used to deal with Muslim people. I am sure you will be subjected to many questions but I don’t think they would stamp your passport just because you are Muslim or have a Muslim name. However, you should better ask this to other Muslims who have been there, to see if they had a different treatment. Cheers,

Ahssi, if you come through the airport you won’t get stamped, regardless of your religion.
You MAY be subjected to a lot of questions, and you just as well may be not. If you would be asked a lot of questions, just answer them politely – they are for your and everyone safety.

I travelled from Israel to Jordan, back to Israel then on to Egypt then back to Israel just this week on a tour. You cross to Jordan through Wadi Araba crossing, they stamped my passport. I didn’t know you could ask them not to. You go through Taba border crossing to Egypt. They definitely stamp your passport both ways. So any immigration official will know you came from Israel. I don’t think you can ask them not to stamp your passport as they seem very officious. I have a photo of the stamp but can’t see how to upload it to your feed.

Hi Heather, thanks for the heads-up. Yeah, you should ask beforehand but I just was informed by a traveler that, even at Wadi Arabia, they stamped it on the way back to Israel. Perhaps things have changed now?

Hi. I am having a clinical clerkship in a hospital in Beirut for a month during summer. I’m a medical student with a passport from a Scandinavian country. After my clerkship I want to go to Jordan and then Israel. Do you think I will have problems with entering Israel due to staying in Beirut for a month for non-tourism reasons?

Thank you in advance.

First, which kind of visa do you have? Do you just have a stamp? Most people can get a tourist visa free for 30 days. If you just have a stamp, there’s nothing to worry about. If you do have a different stamp or sticker, I also entered Israel with a residence visa for the United Arab Emirates. They asked me many questions but I didn’t get into any trouble

Hi Joan
I will arrive in Jordan through the airport. As you know the Jordanian visa is for a month. Then I will leave and cross the Allenby Bridge and stay for 2 months. Then I will go back to Jordan and exit through the airport.
My point is I want to go to Syria and maybe Iraq. Won’t Syria get suspicious if they see a Jordanian exit stamp 2 or 3 months later even if I escape Israeli stamps?

Israel does not deny entry for people based on where they were.
You can expect to be asked a lot of questions, and you must answer them all truthfully and politely, no matter how silly they seem. The questions are designed to find out whether you are telling the truth, and as long as your purpose in visiting Israel is tourism and not any other activity, you should have no problems at all.

I entered Israel with an Iranian visa in my passport in March 2018. I was held for questioning at Tel Aviv airport for 4 hours. The actual interview only took 15 minutes, the rest of the time was just waiting (luckily with free wifi!). I had to explain why I went to Iran, if I’m still in contact with people there, how I met them etc. Some other people waiting in room for the same kind of reasons had to unlock their phones and show their social media accounts. I guess the waiting time is completely random, depending on the amount of people they have to interview.
On my way out I got the same kind of questions, just not the 4 hour waiting time. There I also had to explain why I went to Malaysia and if I still have contacts there etc.

FYI, EU citizen and passport.

Hi there, thanks for the heads up. It’s really a mix of different stories and experiences and I believe it all depends on the current political/diplomatic situation between both countries. In March, there was some tension between both countries on Syrian territory, so that might explain why. I don’t know, I just guessing 🙂 but what is true is that, if you have the Iranian stamp, you need to be aware that this might happen!

hello i have a qwestion . if my wife she is a korean but living in israel with israeli visas on he korean pasport. is there can be a problem for her to go to malesya or indonesia with that pasport?
thank you

Hi Eli, I am not sure about visas… This post is more aimed at people who travel to Israel, hence they may get a stamp. I don’t know about the full page working visa because I have never lived or worked there 🙂

Hi, I was wondering if you knew whether it is possible to travel to Egypt after visiting Israel, and vice versa?

Yes, it is possible, no problem

If after means straight after and crossing by land be careful : if you enter through the Taba land border you won’t be able to go beyond Sinai. If you want to visit the rest of Egypt (e.g. Cairo) you need to either fly to Egypt or to go to Aquaba and take a boat to Nuweiba – which can be quite an adventure but also fun.

thanks for confirming, it starts to get confusing after a while! looks like I may start my journey in Tel Aviv then!! thanks for all the advice on this site by the way, super useful!

Hello, I have been traveling to Israel two years ago from Berlin for work (visiting customers, mainly universities) with a German passport and I DID have a complete check and got a very bad “evaluation” ( I mean, the yellow sticker starting with 5, I think) because I was a single women traveling to Israel. My passport had a stamp from UAE at that time. That and a single women is an obvious sign for danger :-). I had the same problem on the way back. The first check in Berlin has not been a 15 minutes check only, they even took my backback in Berlin and have checked it behind a closed curtain! I was not able to see it what they were doing. Next time I´m going to ask a German policeman if they are really allowed to do this. I mean check bags behind curtains. There is an existing bias agains single women traveling to Israel, which has been confirmed by other travellers at the airport too. Do you have any advise on this?
In June I have to travel again the same way. Now I have an additional stamp from Egypt. I will see what has been changed. I have asked for an invitation letter from our customers now to make it more simple.
I was wondering if I should travel maybe with my Hungarian passport becasue that only has my US entries included mainly, but decided to keep to the German, maybe that would be confusing for the Israelis, if they somehow see I have several passports.
Well I must say, I´m worried what will happen the next time

You cannot really avoid this when leaving Israel. I’m living here for 5 years and every time get a 5.
When going to Israel: Don’t fly El Al. Ever. They’re the only ones who humiliate single travelers at the airport for hours. If you fly any other carrier, there may or may not be special checks which are usually much faster.

hey! thank you for this awesome article! I found it extremely helpful. I have a question that might sound extremely stupid, but others can be in my situation. I have no israeli stamps in my passport, but I have the stickers from tel aviv airport and anotherone from allenby bridge on the back cover of my passport, does those count as stamps? Would those two stickers create problem if I go to Tunisia for work? Or is Tunisia still allowing people with Israeli stamps?

Do you know if I will have any consequences if I take the stickers away from my passport and then go to Israel again?

Hi Dan, I don’t really know what stickers are you talking about. How did you get them? Do you mind sending to a pic to my private email? Or just tell me what kind of sticker is it. That would be very helpful so I can update the post accordingly, thanks!

Hey, I have several friends who have crossed the border to Israel multiple times and removed the sticker afterwards. They haven’t had any problems with it. Like Balerina said below: it seems to be just for security at the airport so they know how seriously to question you.

thanks for the clarification!

If I cross from Jordan directly into the West Bank to visit Ramallah, and then cross back to Jordan on my way home – this way there’s no incriminating stamp, right? I only want to visit the West Bank during a longer stay in Amman, will not put a foot in Israel. This would be okay, right, in terms of later being able to visit Lebanon?

Hi Kate, you’ll have the border crossing stamp, which says you used to Israeli-Jordanian border

Hi Dan, i have just removed my sticker from the cover of my passport 🙂 , i was lucky because it was actually not on the passport. I do not think it is something official, probably it just helps the guys working at the security at the airport to cathegorize you and treat you accordingly

Hello , im planning to travel to Israel, from Cairo to Tel Aviv by Air, will the immigration stamp my passport?
Or tell them not to do so.
by the way im working in Saudi Arabia.

no, they don’t stamp it

Hi there

I emailed you, but just saw that I could post here. I need advice regarding travel from Saudia Arabia to Israel via Jordan and back again. My husband works for a large company in Riyadh and I live in Israel. Husband has several passports including one with a Saudi work visa. I know he will get an entry stamp from Jordan when he arrives at the airport, and he will need when when he leaves from the airport to return to Riyadh. The question is, how does he safely exit and re-enter Jordan at the Sheikh Hussein crossing? BTW – he will be entering and exit Israel on his Israeli passport.

Thank you for your assistance. This trip will be in a couple of weeks!

Hi Cathy, sorry but I don’t understand. What do you mean by re-entering to Jordan safely? What do you understand by safely? thanks

Without jeopardizing his return to Saudi Arabia. That is the main concern.

If he uses his U.S. Passport with the Saudi Work Visa to enter Jordan, he will get a stamp in it. (Or should he use his other U.S. passport?). Then he will be getting a taxi to Sheikh Hussein where he will get an exit stamp (?). He will then enter and exit Israel with his Israeli passport. He will return to Saudi Arabia via Jordan, and he will need to buy a second visa at the border. He will also need to get an exit stamp in or on something (which passport?) from Jordan. He can only get back into Saudi with his Saudi visa.

I am thinking that he only uses the Passport with Saudi Visa to leave Saudi, to check onto the Queen Aliyah passport for his flight back and when entering Saudi again. It would then only have an exit and entry mark from Saudi and nothing else in it. Would that work or will Jordan require a passport with an exit stamp when HEB first flies into Jordan?

I realize this is a very unusual situation!

Hola, acabo de encontrar tu página y me está resultando de mucha utilidad.En septiembre viajo con mi hija de 22 años a Jordania, 10 días por nuestra cuenta. Estamos barajando la posibilidad de visitar Jerusalem, ya que estamos muy cerca. Alquilaremos un coche para nuestro recorrido por Jordania. Mi pregunta es, dejar el coche aparcado en la frontera jordana, pasar a Jerusalem, visitarla y regresar a Jordania el mismo día. Es verdad que es un poco precipitado, pero no tenemos más tiempo, y supongo que en un día podriamos ver lo mas importante de Jerusalem. Lo ves posible? o es demasiado precipitado. Muchas gracias por tu información. Saludos

Hola Pedro, es un poco precipitado, pero podría ser factible si es que llegáis a primera hora de la mañana y al cruzar vais a Jerusalén en taxi, aunque puede que el taxi sea un poco caro. También ten en cuenta que la frontera cierra sobre las 7-9, más o menos, aunque no sé a qué hora exactamente

I just want to give a general follow-up comment to my original post regarding travel between Jordan and Israel when Passport Holder needs to return to Saudi Arabia for work.

I spoke with an official at the Jordanian Embassy in Israel and he advised that when exiting Jordan at Sheikh Hussein Border, tell him NOT to put an exit stamp on the passport and show him your return ticket to Saudi Arabia. There should be no problem. I know that Israel will not stamp either.

My husband will be using his U.S. passport with Saudi Visa for all entries and exits except for entering and exiting Israel, when he is required legally to use his Israeli passport.

thanks for the follow-up! So does this mean that you will only have one entry stamp for Jordan? Won’t this be suspicious at Saudi Arabia’s eyes? Or are you planning to come back to Jordan through the same border and exit through Saudi overland?

The only thing that will be in U.S Passport with Saudi Visa will be an exit and an entry from Saudi, and an exit and entry from Jordan at Queen Alia Airport.

The other alternative is to only use that passport to enter and exit Saudi Arabia; the same way we use our Israeli passport, and our U.S. Passport.

Yesterday though we were looking at our U.S. passports and noticed that neither of them had any U.S. entry or exit stamps in it. I have read there are a number of countries which don’t stamp anymore. I will update after he completes this trip!

I was planning to fly in to Tel Aviv, travel in Palestine before crossing into Jordan for a few days before flying to Lebanon. I’m a bit worried now that the lack of an entry stamp into Jordan will prevent me from entering Lebanon. Would it be better for me to avoid the overland crossing into Jordan and fly from Tel Aviv to Amman instead?

Yes. Unfortunately, that would be a risk, so it would be wiser to fly or just visiting Lebanon first

Just wanted to update everyone about it my husband’s recent travel from Saudi Arabia to Israel through Jordan via the Sheikh Hussein crossing. As I mentioned before, my husband, who is a dual U.S. /Israeli citizen arrived in Israel with no problem. He used his U.S. Passport with Saudi Visa only for exiting Saudi Arabia, his other U.S. Passport with Israeli visa for exiting Jordan, and his Israeli visa for the entering Israel.

He returned today but this time, when he entered Jordan, they told him he had to use his Israeli visa to enter and exit because he could only use one passport. He spoke with the Jordanian Commander who told him that Saudi Arabia doesn’t care about second passports; all they care is that he has a U.S. Passport with a visa to enter Saudi Arabia and they don’t look at anything else.

That proved to be the case. He said all they really did was check his fingerprint when he returned to make sure it was the same person coming in that had previously exited.

thanks

Hi,

I am travelling to Israel in November and using Abraham tours to have 3 da tour of Jordan. My question is, if I were to ask the border officials to not stamp my passport will they abide? is this difficult or a relatively easy ask? If they do not agree and stamp my passport will I still be able to travel to countries like Dubai and Malaysia?

If you enter via Tel Aviv airport, they will never stamp it. That’s the rule

Hi
I am Shakib, i am a Bangladeshi and i want to go to Jerusalem.
Is it possible to enter Israel as a Bangladeshi passport holder? I know i can’t from Bangladeshi airport. But is it possible to another country with Bangladeshi passport? Please give me this information and Thank you so much for your information.

Hi Joan,

Thank you very much for your reply. My query is more around when I cross the border to visit Jordan for 3 days – will the Jordanian authorities stamp my passport and could I ask them not to?

Thanks in advance

Hi,
If I enter Israel from King Hussein Bridge, will Jordan stamp my passport? Will Israel stamp my passport? Will Israel stamp my passport if I leave the country from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport? Also, when I enter to Jordon, can I ask the officer to not stamp my passport (I will enter from Aqaba and I don’t want just 1 Jordanian stamp on my passport)?
Thanks

Hi, all your questions are answered here in detail but, in short, Israel doesn’t stamp and, at Aqaba, if you ask, jordan will not stamp either: https://againstthecompass.com/en/crossing-jordan-israel-border/

Israel stamped my passport entering at Aqaba and again departing at the Jordan River. I asked them not to at both locations and they did it anyway. I’m happy to send you a picture.

Hello. Yes, I would be happy to send you a picture. When did this happen by the way? Did this happen to other travelers as well?

Interesting. In 2017, the Israeli Side of the border crossing in Eilat was already completely equipped with the new system of blue/red entry/exit slips. I have not seen anyone running around with a stamp on the Israeli side and also have not heard that anyone else got a stamp.
The Jordans stamp your passport, of course, if you don’t tell them not to.

Hi were travelling from India to turkey and then to Israel by airWe specifically requested the Israeli consulate to issue us a paper e visa instead of the regular sticker visa on the passport but sadly sadly they didn’t pay heed to our request and put a visa sticker on our passports.How much trouble will this cause in future travels is the question that haunts us now.We are frequent travellers but do not plan to travel to Lebanon,Syria, Sudan, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Kuwait, We may travel to Saudi Arabia,Iran,Lebanon in times to come but not really on our bucketlist/cardsAny advice will be more than welcome.

Hi, if you are traveling to Lebanon or Saudi Arabia and you have evidence that you’ever been to Israel then you should get a new passport. It’s as simple as that

Hi,

I will be crossing at Taba into Eliat then taking the king hussein/alleby border crossing to Jordan. My main concern is that i have a return flight home with Saudi Air and a layover in Jeddah. So my question is will i face a problem taking my flight at either Jordan or Saudi Immigration? Note: 1. I only want to layover in Jeddah and not exit the airport. 2. My passport is expiring anyway so I do not really care about Israel stamp unless it will pose a problem for my return flight home. Your help is much appreciated!

Hi Nish, I don’t think you will have any problem, as you will not technically enter Saudi. Actually, I know from quite a few Israelis who have done layovers in Dubai and it was all right.

If I fly from Tel Aviv to Aqaba, then Egypt, then Lebanon, will there be any evidence in my passport of having been in Israel? (Starting from the US) I know they do not stamp passports at Ben Gurion airport anymore, but I’m a little confused about the entry stamp upon entering Jordan. I will be flying, so not crossing any of the land borders, but when I arrive in Aqaba and they stamp my passport, will there be any indication of where I came from? I assumed since Israel doesn’t stamp the passport, the first thing that would show up is an entry stamp for Jordan, then exit from Jordan, entry to Egypt, exit from Egypt. Would it just appear that I came to Jordan from the US, then went to Egypt, and then to Lebanon?

You can fly to Aqaba from many places, so I guess you will have a stamp from Aqaba airport which has nothing to do with Israel. However, this is a new situation for me, so I can’t guarantee 100%.

Hello Joan
In your article, you mention that how to avoid a Jordanian stamp shows that you have been to Israel,but what about the opposite direction? For example, I will enter Amman two weeks later, and plan to leave Jordan at the Yitzak Rabin Border Crossing, how to avoid a Jordanian exit stamp?
Looking for your reply.
Fabio

Hi Fabio, you should just ask the authorities not to stamp. That’s it

just to add one information, for many countries (like India), citizen of which require a pre-approved visa to enter Israel (even for tourism), there is no option of getting rid of the visa stamp in your passport. This is my personal experience. Israel embassy gives a visa pasted in your passport. So for them (like us, Indians) there is no point whether the immigration officer stamp your passport or not.

Yep, so true!

I recently spoke to the Qatar Embassy (in the UK) and you are correct in saying the Israel stamp is not an issue for those wishing to enter Qatar.

A very helpful article on a confusing issue but I would still always advise ringing the appropriate embassy before making assumptions.

Great Francis, and thank you for double checking 🙂

Just a small correction, Lebanon is not a Muslim country and could only be considered as Arab. You could fix that in your article. Thank you.

Hi, I’m spending a couple of days in Tel Aviv before flying to Beirut via Greece. I was just wondering about the questioning when passing security. Should I just say that I’m planning to go to Beirut after my trip in Tel Aviv if they ask me about my itinerary? Or would that just cause problems for me?

Why should you tell them you go to Beirut if there is no way for them to know 🙂 ?

I went to Israel in 2015 but have renewed my passport this year. I am planning to go to Lebanon this year – will they be able to tell from scanning my passport that I’ve been to Israel??

i don’t think so 🙂

If I fly from Istanbul to Tel Aviv for two days visit then fly back to Istanbul, I assume my passport will be stamped by the Turkish immigration officers when leaving and flying back to Istanbul.

I am worried some smart custom officers from those countries which have issues with people visiting Isreal may work out I visited Isreal from the two Turkish exit and entry stamps.

What do you think?

They can’t know. They may assume but they have no proof that you flew to Tel Aviv and possibilities of flying somewhere else are endless. Also, if you are doing a layover in Istambul, they won’t stamp your passport.

Hi Joan!
So is it more likely to get a Jordanian entry stamp if I do an overland border crossing from Israel to Jordan than a over air one? What is the best method/route to do so? Thanks!

Hi Diane, if you fly in, you won’t get any Israeli evidence, whereas if you overland you may do

Hello!
In April, I will be flying in to Amman for 9 days. During that stay, I want to go to Jerusalem through the Allenby crossing. I understand that my Jordanian visa will still be valid because it will be under 2 weeks old, and I will be going through the same crossing going in and out of Jerusalem. I will be visiting Dubai and Kuwait afterwards (I will not be able to visit them before Jerusalem).

However my question is regarding the stamping. I will ask the Israeli authorities not to stamp my passport…how about the Jordanian ones? I do not want them stamping an exit and entry because this will show that I went out of the country by land during my stay. Can I simply ask them not to stamp both ways? Also, my Jordanian visa will show two-entries…will that not raise flags as well? Or do I toss out the Jordanian visa after I leave the country?

Hi Hannah!

In our understanding, Allenby border (Jordan site) is not stamping by default, so you wouldn’t have any problem. Since you are coming back to Jordan, you have the entry and exit stamp from Queen Alia airport. The common issue people face is when they leave Jordan but don’t plan to come back, as then they only have 1 entry stamp, so it is clear that you actually entered from Israel 🙂

Hi Hana!
Im planning a one day visit to Jerusalem from Amman, crossing the border by the Allenby Bridge. I’ve heard you need to get a VISA to enter Israel through that bridge, it that right? how can i get it? Or i can just get to the border and do all the paperwork there? Whats the easiest way to get to the border?
I live in Kuwait so i will have Kuwaiti stamps, do you know if it will be a problem?

Thank you so much!

Hi Xavi, Israeli visas are issued at the border, no need for paperwork.
As per the Kuwait stamps, you’ll definitely be questioned but you should be fine

I’ll be visiting the middle east soon Egypt, UAE and Saudi arabia in that order. I have friends in Israel that I would like to visit before I go to Egypt.

I will have a saudi visa stamp for “Umrah” which allows me to visit the holy sites.

Will this be a problem when visiting Israel? I am an arab with a muslim background.

Where is your passport from? I know that some Arabs with foreign passports have had some issues in Israel… so I can’t really tell. It all depends on the questioning I believe…

Canada

is worth a try? Are there any ways I could make the process easier so to speak? I can answer what ever questions and I am open for them to check my social media etc but not my messages which I heard they can sometimes ask for.

I also can provide the contacts of my Israeli friends.

If I had nothing to hide, I would definitely try

Hi, I intend to fly from Cairo to Amman and then exit via Aqaba (Wadi Araba). So, I will get an entry stamp but will I get stamped upon exit? Be it whether they are now stamping it on the passport or separately? Please advise, thanks!

Getting stamped at the Jordanian border is optional

Thanks however if I only have an entry stamp but no exit stamp that will be suspicious too. And if I get stamped at Aqaba, it will also be obvious where I went (Israel).

Yes. Your concern is also covered in the article. Please, read the respective section

just saying but one day I did a change of flight in Zurich, going to Canada, before they introduced their new taxes). I was coming from Brussels, nothing in my papers stated I was going to Canada. I did not even show my ticket. The security lady told me “safe travel to Canada”.
So they do know where you go. And even when countries are worst enemies, they do exchange infos about travellers.

And your statement is based on what? Lebanon and Israel don’t exchange info about travelers

Hola,leo mucho to blog,tengo una pregunta,dispongo de 2 pasaportes(Italia y Argentina) y posiblemente en los proximos meses tenga el 3er (Usa) Tengo pensando hacer un viaje desde Filipanes para el oeste.Mi pregunta capaz que tonta pero es la siguiente,puedo usar los pasaportes a mi favor para digamos eludir visas o bajar costos de visa? Tambien un poco para eludir el tema del conflicto sello de Israel vs paises musulmanes?

Hola Luciano, claro, podrías viajar por Jordania e Israel con tu pasaporte italiano pot ejemplo, y después usar tu argentino para entrar en países que puedan entrar en conflicto

Does the problem work the other way? I.e. I have a Jordanian and Syrian Entry/exit stamp in my passport from 2009 ( passport expires 2023) and would really love to go to Israel. Will I encounter any border problems?

no, there is no problem

I travelled overland from Egypt to Israel (via Taba). I would like to visit Lebanon, but will they know—because I have the Taba exit stamp—I’ve been to Israel? Can I say I needed the stamp for a Red Sea cruise? Or will I be banned from visiting?

But Taba border is the landborder with Israel right?
If you enter Egypt by sea from Jordan, would you get the same stamp?
I don’t think so…

17, 2019 AT 3:14 PM
Hi
I am an Indian Passport holder, can you please guide me how can I get a B2 Visa out of my Pass Port.Since i am working in the Middle East an Israel visa in my passport will create issues.

for this kind of questions, you should contact your embassy

I have a US passport with Saudi work visa. I’ve traveled extensively throughout Israel on a previous passport with Israeli visa. However, I’ve never flown from KSA to ISR. My question is more specific as to how you would recommend flight routing from Riyadh to Tel Aviv. Would you book Riyadh to Amman, stay for a couple of days while booking Amman to Tel Aviv, and then fly to ISR? Or would it be possible to fly into and out of Amman on the same day? The problem I see with that is that I would have an entry and exit stamp in Jordan the same day…if that’s even a problem. Thanks!

Hi Rush, perhaps, if you do a layover you won’t get the stamp because you will go straight top transfers. In any case, I don’t see it would be a problem in having the same day Jordanian stamp. There is absolutely no proof that you had been to Israel

I am a Philippine passport holder and I am currently in Israel for vacation. I extended my visa for 1month and the Ministry of Interior unexpectedly pasted the B2 visa on my passport. Now my issue is ,I am travelling back to Dubai under tourist visa. I have been living and working in Dubai for 12 years and my contract was finished so i took vacation for awhile. Would I have a problem entering Dubai now? Hope someone can enlighten me.

traveling to Dubai with an Israeli visa is not a problem anymore

Hi
I am a Pakistani Passport holder, can you guide me how can I visit Jerusalem, you must be aware of all the facts and questions I have in mind when I mentioned Pakistani passport. we will be traveling as a group of friends and family. any specific tour operator who can facilitate us? how can we avoid stamps on our passport?

Hi Yahya, I seriously doubt that Pakistanis can visit Israel

Your first problem is that the Pakistani government restricts visits to Israel – the Pakistani passport is not valid to Israel – as it is printed on it by the Pakistani govrnment.
Secondly, once you acquired permission, you need to apply for a tourism visa to Israel in the nearest Israeli consulate to you (no Israeli consulates in Pakistan, as there are no diplomatic relations). But frankly, I don’t think you’d get permission from the Pakistani government in the first place.

Unfortunately I studied under a program in Jordan that needed visa renewal, so we had to show evidence of re-entry into Jordan, and the group that I was with chose to travel to Israel via the King Hussein bridge crossing. So I have King Hussein border crossing stamps in my passport.

I don’t have any Israeli stamps, but with the King Hussein stamps will that restrict me from entrance into all the Muslim countries that you listed (Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Iran*, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia), or will the King Hussein stamp only restrict me from Lebanon?

Well, if you the authorities recognize that stamp you will be banned, yes. If you are planning to travel to any of those countries you should make a new passport

Dear Joan,
Thanks much for your information they are really helpful.
Allow me to ask a few questions just to clarify.

1. I am planning to visit Jordan, Israel and Iran in May-June. I plan to fly in to Anman from Egypt, cross the border to Israel through King Hussein and fly out of Tel Aviv via Turkey to Teheran. I understand that I can try to manage not to get Jordan exit stamp at King Hussein and obtain a visa card for Israel instead of a stamp. This means I would only have entry stamp of Jordan. It seems not much of a problem for entering Iran, correct? I have also obtained an Iran visa already at a local Iran embassy.

2. I was stupid enough to mention that I may go to Iran in an email to a Jerusalem hostel i was planning to stay (though I sent a subsequent mail saying I changed my plan.) I am not sure how much of a secret service society Israel is, but would there be any possibility that the hostel may inform border officers that I am a dangerous person and stamp my passport instead of giving a visa card upon entering Israel at King Hussein?

3. When flying out of Tel Aviv to Iran, should I purchase the flights (Tel Aviv-Istanbul and Istanbul-Teheran) separately in order to avoid nuisance at the immigration at Tel Aviv airport, which I have heard is nightmarish to begin with? The thing is it would be cheaper to purchase a fly-through (Tel Aviv-Istanbul-Teheran), but I am not sure if the immigration would check my tickets and interrogate me.

Apologies for the trouble but your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Dear Sara, here my replies:
1 – If you already have your visa, it is quite unlikely that the authorities will check your passport notice that you only have an entry stamp for Jordan. I mean, it could happen of course but, if I was you, I would expect they don’t.
2 – I seriously doubt it and, in any case, they will know that you go to Iran because they will check your passport and see your visa, which may lead to additional questions, that’s it. Do go to the airport as early as possible upon your exit
3 – It is always better to buy them separetly but again, they will know that you are going to Iran because they will see the visa

Dear Joan,

I can`t thank you more for your quick and kind reply. It means so much to me as this would be my last chance to travel extensively due to physical reasons. Plus, I intend to go to South Africa after Iran and the flight from Teheran to Joburg is quite expensive that I did not want to purchase it unless I know for sure I can visit Iran. (Not sure if I can make a purchase from skyscanner in Iran using VPN – can I?)

I was really scared of the situation regarding Q2, because when I called one of the five-star hotels in Jerusalem to ask about Q3 (since I had no idea who to ask and that was my best bet to get a reply in decent English), the concierge immediately changed his attitude and hang up as if he was talking to a political criminal.

FYI, Iran visa now is given as a separate sheet of paper (e-visa, as they call it). At least that’s the case with the Iran embassy in Japan. I have seen a blog article by a Japanese guy who mentioned he got the same type of visa upon applying for arrival visa at Teheran airport recently. Not sure if it applies to all nationalities but Iran government may be working in a similar way as Israelis to attract more tourists by reducing their inconvenience after visiting Iran. So i will try to conceal that visa sheet as much as possible at the security check at Tel Aviv airport.

Hi Joan,
My partner, our 6 year old son and I are starting quite an extensive trip around the Middle East in Israel. After Israel we are flying from Tel Aviv to Cairo directly with Air Sinai. When we arrive at Cairo Airport will our arrival stamp in our passport state that we have entered from Israel like the land border stamp does or is it just a generic arrival stamp ? If it does specify that we’ve come from Israel it would cause us major problems later in our trip. Thanks for your help and thanks for the web-site, it contains lots of great information.

Hey there, you will just get a regular Egypt stamp, so no problem at all

Wow, you really do respond fast! Thanks for the answer, you’ve put my mind at rest, much appreciated.

Hi Joan !
I’m french and i had troubles in the Israeli boarders because of my arabic stamps. I had an iranian stamp, three lebanese and i was coming from Egypt. I was interrogated for almost 10 hours. They were so suspsicious, I had to show everything, they checked all my navigation history and so on. They asked me really weird questions for exemple : why do you have a beard, why have you cut it recently ? (The funny thing is that all israeli in Sinai have got very long beard because of this hippy community there :D). Why do you go to Middle east (I travelled all around the wolrd but they focus only about that :P). They asked me also about my religion (i’m christian). That was so stressful because they were REALLY agressive to me. I havn’t do anything bad (i’m not an anti israeli activist for example).
Then after 10 hours, they denied my visa and I couldn’t enter. I had to come back to Egypt..; And all that without any explanation !
So they do care a lot about stamps, i think it depends on your luck… I was maybe really unlucky !

Hey Jas, wow I am really sorry for what happened to you!
I am also surprised somehow, as you are the first person who tells me something like that but thank you, I will let people know that there are some cases where your entry to Israel may be denied.
Can I ask you when did this happen? And also, did they find anything when they checked your navigation history, or is there anything else you know that may be relevant?

It happens in Taba, last summer (June 2018).
No they didn’t ! Maybe they were suspicious because i stayed in Egypt for two semesters in the Caire University (i made an exchange program with my university in France in the politcial science department there). Maybe they were suspicious because i’m learning arabic (but i want to work in the future for NGOs in the middle east in order to help refugees and so on…). Futhermore, normally there are no problem between Egypt and Israel… I tried to contact the Israeli embassy in France but i’v never got an answer. So i really don’t know why ! I’m a normal guy who loves moutains and different cultures haha, nothing strange :P. I found several people on internet which were denied but usually it is linked with an anti israeli activism. For instance if you support the bds campaign you won’t enter if they discover it.

At the boarder it was so stressful, i was interwiewed at least four times, and one time it was more than two hours.

Last but not least, they stamped my passport with an israeli stamp (and written entry denied) so they destroyed it :'(. That’s why i found your article because I’m coming back to the Middle east and i wanted to see in which country i can’t go with this shitty passport.

Hello,
I would like to ask if you have problem travelling to Jordan if you have travel in Israel before.
I have also Lebanon stamp to my passport.
Thanks.

Please, read the article. It is clearly answered there plus in the many comments

I didn’t mention, my passport is italian.

Hello Joan, I am planning to go from Amman to Jerusalem through King Hussein Border Crossing and come back to Amman (flights will be a/r from Amman).
Since I travel a lot in the gulf region for work (especially Dubai) I would rather avoid the Israeli stamps. Is it reasonable to expect to to avoid the exit stamp at the jordanian border, then the entry stamp to Israel and then again the exit from Israel and the entrance stamp to Jordan?
Your opinion would be of great help to me.
My passport is Italian.

Hi Dario, Israel doesn’t stamp your passport, so the only issue would be having an entry stamp from Jordan only (via airport). Id you are so worried about it, just fly in and out from Amman, it is that simple

I didnt explain myself well: I will be flying from Dubai to Amman, then I plan the overland trip to Jerusalem. I will cross Jordanian/Israeli border twice at King Hussain Bridge (to go to Jerusalem and to come back to Amman). Is it reasonable to avoid the 4 stamps involved in this border crossing?

OK, yes, it is possible. When I crossed the border, I asked the Jordanians not to stamp it and they didn’t and I know many travelers who also didn’t get the stamp, but you need to make sure to ask for it. However, if you don’t want to risk it, you would need to fly from Amman to Tel Aviv

Hi Joan, Thank you very much for your answers.
Still something I wanted to ask you (maybe more delicate than the 4 border crossing): I am Italian, resident in UAE and I have 2 Iranian Tourist Visa on my passport (one in 2015 and another one in 2016) as well as 5 Omani Visas and 1 Qatari Stamp. I work for a company based in Dubai and operating in many arab countries (not in Iran). Do you think a rejection in Israel is highly probable?

Here the last question: in case I’d be rejected, is it preferable if it happens at the land border or at the airport? Someone told me that being at the border in that situation is preferable since I can easily re-enter Jordan, while at the airport is somehow more “traumatic”. What’s your thoughts on this? Is there any chance (in one of the two cases) that they don’t stamp the entry denial on the passport?
Thank you again.
Dario

Hi Dario, regarding your first question, there is a probability of rejection, yes, but, in most cases, you will be OK to go. This article has been read by thousands and thousands of people and very very few have reported me that their entrance was rejected, while the vast majority were OK to go.

I was also an expat living in Dubai for 3 years and, when I traveled to Israel, I also had several Omani stamps, Egypt, Lebanon etc. They questioned me for a long time but I was OK to get in.

You will never know but, if that helps, people I know who got rejected were regular backpackers who stayed for long periods of time in Lebanon and Iran. You are an expat living in Dubai, so they know your type of profile, which is less suspicious.

As per your second question, ALL travelers I met who got rejected were trying to cross overland. In fact, the land border is where you get the largest amount of questions and where they are more suspicious. If you got rejected, I don’t know where would be better, but at least, in the land border would be cheaper as you wouldn’t need to book a flight

Hi , I guessa silly question.
I am just passing throught Tel Aviv Airport. I have ticket from DEL to YYZ with a stopover in Tel Aviv- without going out of airport.
DO I still need Israel Visa?
Thanks,

Most Western nationalities don’t need a visa. I don’t know your passport, but if you don’t come from Europe, North America, Japan, Korea, etc., you should check with your embassy

I m from India and not on the list of country which do not need visa. DO I need visa even for coming out of plane and taking another flight out of same airport..thanks

I don’t know specific visa requirements for Indians or other nationalities. Please contact the embassy

Got email reply.. India passport holders do not need visa if staying on airport for less than 24 hrs….unlike USA. Must hv onward journey visa.

Hello,
Brilliant article, thanks for providing so much detail.
Just to clarify (I’m being a bit paranoid): I visited Tel Aviv last year (they didn’t stamp my passport). Can I visit Lebanon without any troubles? There’s no proof that I visited Israel on my passport but this information might be stored somewhere as they scanned it…

Many thanks,
Chloe

Hello, I’m wondering if you cross at King Hussein / Allenby bridge and are on a Jordan Tourist Visa (planning to cross back with the same visa) if you get any stamps in your passport? Can I do this and remain on the same Jordanian Visa without getting any stamps?

Hi. Im currently working here in Saudi Arabia and Im planning to visit Israel maybe end of this year. Is it ok to travel by air from Saudi to Istanbul to Tel Aviv and vise versa? What would you recommend? Thanks.

Hi there, yeah it seems like a feasible itinerary, I did the same one but from Dubai

Hi,
Your blog is really useful, therefore I´d need information about coming from Cairo, by air, to Tel Aviv. I´ll be in Siwa doing a volunteering work and then head to Tel Aviv. I´m a solo female traveler and I´ve already been interrogated by the Israeli immmigration officer when she found out I was alone. I was coming from Brazil that time. I´ll have a letter of invitation from an Israeli friend.
Tks a lot 🙂
Ana

thanks and best of luck!

Hi Joan! I’m planning a trip to Tunisia. I hope there would be no problem if I have an Israeli visa on my passport. I’m a bit concerned regarding people being sent away in the past. I’m an Indian citizen.

no problems in Tunisia, really 🙂 ! In fact, Israelis can even enter Tunisia, as there is an important Jewish community still living there

Thanks Joan…. I just returned from Tunisia… it’s not a problem if you have Israeli visa on your passport. The immigration just don’t care if you have one.

thanks for the update 🙂

Hi I’m a Malaysian citizen and my partner is Israeli. I’m holding Malaysian passport and have no other passport, I wonder how can I visit Israel with my Malaysian passport and enter without passport being stamp ? And which way would be safer for me to enter israel?

where do i get the slip ,is it in airport or in my country .i have apply in israeli embassy in nigeria and they stamp the back of my passport with black small stamp with letter that contain my details .
is this visa approval ? explain to me .
how can i send the image to you .

Joan, great work. You made clear the question.
I want to add that Ovda airport and Eilat airport closed forever last year. Instead of them opened new big airport in Eilat Area named Ramon airport (ETM)

thank you so much for this amazing update 🙂
And do you know what are the rules regarding the Israeli stamp in that new airport?

Hi. Regarding Saudi Arabia, I have multiple dual page Israeli student visas in my US passport. Any data points to suggest this is no longer an issue? Thanks

Hello,
thanks god you made this blog!!!
I have a question for you:
– i’ll travel by flight to Jordan
– i’ll cross the border overland to israel
– i’ll go somehow (maybe by cyprus) to Beirut where ihave my flight back to Italy.
I know i won’t have Israel stamp, but i am wondering if i can skip the jordan stamps as well.
Without those 4 stamps I should be fine going to Beirut from Cyprus or Istanbul.
Thanks for you help!

Hey Gabriele, you can skip it if you ask for it beforehand but you will have an entry stamp, and not the exit one, which is kind of suspicious!

Hi Joan,
i didn’t get the point: do they put the entry stamp in the passport even if i ask not to do that? Arriving in Aqaba from Italy if they don’t put any stamp would be perfect I guess. With the entry stamp i am screwed entering in Beirut…

Hi, Joan!
Let me stop you by to discuss using the so called ”Israel” I have been always one of your followers and I appreciate your hard work reviewing the truth and spreading the real face of things around. I am surprised your kind with that ”Israel” and how do you believe its existence! I would like to wonder your point of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
After all, One should go over the reality to discover it.
I have never been to Israel, but I went so many times to Palestine.
Thanks for the precious information.
Cheers!

They stamped my passport denied entry after hours of interrogation

Just one question: how can they stamp your passport and then deny your entry?

Hello Joan,

I am planning to fly from France to Tel Aviv and then cross in Aqaba into Jordann, and pursue my trip towards Syria and Lebanon after. If I manage my passport not to be stamped in Aqaba (on a separate sheet) do you think I could ask for a stamp at the airport in Aqaba or Amman, even if I did not enter through air ? Is it worth trying ?

I have two passports, France and Poland, is it of any help ?

Thanks for your answer and congrats for your excellent job !

Hi Stefan!
Are you asking whether you can ask for the exit stamp to be in a separate piece of paper?
I am not sure about it. I was in the same situation as you and they did stamp it, even though I told them not to do so, but it could depend on the authority. If they stamp it, it would be risky to go to Lebanon and, in that case, I’d use a different passport.
cheers,

Hi All,
I arrived a year ago in araba airport (with entry and exit stamp) would this be a problem for lebanon? I have no idea if this stamp is different form the Wadi Araba stamp?

Thanks

Hello, thanks for tour guides they are vert usefull (and sorry for my english)
Sorry i have a special question, i’m french ans my wife got an algerian passeport.

I want to Know if we go to Jordan and cross the bridge to visit East Jérusalem. Do we need an israeli visa (and pay) or Jordan one and stamp exit is enough ??
Especially for the algerian passeport. De don’t intend to enter the exclusif israelian territory just west bank and East Jérusalem.

Thanks

Hi Ilias, if you cross from Israel to Jordan via the bridge, you will need to arrange your Jordan visa in advance. If you do it vice-versa, you don’t need an Israeli visa. I am not sure, however, about Algerian passport. You should contact the embassy. cheers,

Hi, what if I have a Canadian passport but it says I was born in israel? Can I still travel to Indonesia without a visa? How would I be treated as a Jewish person there? I would like to fly to Bali (from Toronto) but I am a bit nervous as it says I was born in israel on my passport

Hey Mel! Unfortunately, I don’t know… I just know about regular travel information but your case is very specific!

One question here, is this for Muslim countries or for other countries also?

sorry, but I don’t know what you mean

Quick Report Feb 2020.
Jist exited from Wadi Arabia to Eilat and despite asking for a stamp on a separate paper, the border police just took my passport and stamped it. I checked with others crossing at the same time and they all got the exit stamp.
So Yeah it may come down to the particular guy!
Incide rally Jordanian border guards are the most arseholes ish I’ve came across in the Middle East, thr Saudi, Kuwait ones were all nice and the ones I met at Jo were the worst.

Not recommended to get into trouble with the Israeli security. They have new technological systems that detect stress and lies. Countries that hosted international sporting events received from Israel systems identifying irregular stress among people at the entries to stadiums

If I enter the West Bank through Amman/king Hussein bridge (USA is original departure country), would I be able to leave back to the states through Tel Aviv? I have an American citizenship and no Hawwia. Thanks

Yes, it should be fine

Hi Joan

Your website is amazing really so helpful! My boyfriend and I are looking to travel to Israel and Lebanon and would be so grateful for your advice! We’ve been hearing a lot of rumours of Israel starting to stamp passports again since 2020. Is this true?
Our plan was to fly to tel Aviv from London and then fly from Israel to Jordan and then from Jordan to Lebanon.

Given the fact that we’ll have an entry and exit stamp from Jordan will Lebanon still be suspicious/ deny ya entry?

Any help would be so much appreciated!

Best wishes,
Emma

Hello Emma,I have never heard of Israel stamping stamps this year.
As per the Jordanian stamp, they can’t be suspicious of anything because you are flying in, so you will just have the entry /exit stamp of Queen Alia airport

I plan to go to Jordan from Israel and then back after 4 or 5 days using the land borders. Do I need to use the same border for returning to Israel as the one I left with or can I go out of one come back using another. Can I get visa to enter Jordan at the land border. I think one of them you cannot and have to pre-arrange before leaving the UK. Is that right?

Be sure to check for Israeli security stickers on the back of your passport. The gentleman below learned the hard way. Fortunately, he was still allowed in.
https://onemileatatime.com/israeli-sticker-passport/

Hello,

I’m planning to travel to Israel from Jordan after having been to Lebanon and Syria next January.

Will I have problems at the land border in Allenby King Hussein while entering Israel ?

If I get a stamp at this border, I’ll lose my chance of getting a Iranian visa after.

I don’t want to unlock my phone, so maybe I’ll give it to a person of confidence in Amman (at my hotel for example) make a 3-day trip to Jerusalem and pick it back. I don’t want them to grab into my privacy.

Thanks

Your stamps won’t be a problem,but border security can be a bad experience, I did a short trip to Ovda (Eilat) and took a picture of the airport sign to post on facebook, nicelly machinegun armed kids without uniform forced me to delete it this was 2017, apart from a first interogation, they check your passport, at least 6 times absolutly and with out exception every page, they actually will damage it or wear it down considerably. Security is at a whole diferent level, and done by very young people in military service age, so you will find troops in the street like on TV, including Merkava tanks on the road side, as well as other ununiformed clearly carying a gun under t-shirts. Exit is always a 20 -30 minute interview, and many stickers on your passport, green & yellow, one per security level cleared. Keep your bag with you at all times the day you leave, more than anywhere in the world, not a second away, that will be their first question. They didn’t check my phone, you just don’t want to take pictures in such a place. Don’t lie, they use techniques to catch you, repeating the same questions in different ways, facial expressions, odd ones like do you know your date of birth? wich is trick question to see your response. Just go visit what you intend, don’t talk about politics or Palestinians, common sence, enjoy the food, very good wines, party if you wish, people are nice generally and keep the pictures to monuments and yourself.

Your descriptions are a bit exaggerated. I think you may overlooked that Ovda airport is located inside a military base, hence the reason for seeing troops and Merkava tanks around it. Ovda airport was closed in 2019 when the Eilat’s brand new international airport was inaugurated. I’m sorry to hear that your passport was damaged or worn out, but that is definitely not the usual rule.

Troops in the streest / ununiformed people carrying a gun: in Israel, troops get a weekend off every couple of weeks (normally), so you’d be seeing them in the streets – either on their way home (if that’s before a weekend) or on the way out to their base (after the weekend). They are absolutely not on duty, as in Israel the IDF doesn’t have jurisdiction over local security, only over national security – along the borders on up in the air.
Ununiformed people with guns – during the weekend vacation home, soldiers are not obligated to wear their uniforms, nor they are permitted to leave their gun home (so it won’t be stolen) – therefore they must carry it around. You see a civilian couple in the streets, but the male has a gun? a soldier on vacation having free time with his girlfriend.

Hi. I live in Israel for 33 years, only left it once to see where my gradparents’ family were murdered in Polland.
I want your visitors to know that they should be proud to have an Israeli stamp in their passport, and the countries who see this stamp as a problem should be ashamed. Very soon many countries will join the international approval of the Jewish state, including the UAE, Baharain and probably Saudi Arabia too, which will probably cause Israel’s “eternal” enemies to do so as well (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq).

We Israelis love tourists and our stamp in your passport is an honor for you!!

Hi Shlomo, I TOTALLY agree! I first visited Israel in 2019 (from the US), and as I was entering through Customs, I asked the officer to stamp my passport. He looked at me as if I were crazy, and then I said: I am proud to be in Israel, and I have no intention of ever visiting any country that would not let me in with an Israeli stamp. He still thought I was crazy….but then he stamped it, and smiled and told me to have a good trip. I am very proud of that stamp.

Sorry to hear that your grandparents were killed when they went to Poland. Fortunately it is rare for these problem to occur when we travel….

I had major issues with Saudi Arabia because of entry stamp from Jordan, from land border crossing with Israel. I was denied entry and returned on next flight. Obviously I cannot blame Saudi for this position against enemy states, but having evidence in the passport of travel to Israel is not so good ultimately, it can cause problems. Israeli border force also do not treat international travellers respectfully or courteously, I was detained there for no reason for many hours arriving, and departing, and treated very poorly and strip searched. It may be an honour for Israeli citizens to have tourists come and spend their money there, but they sure have a depraved and warped way of saying thank you.

Important update, Israel has become friend of the UAE on August 2020. Therefore, Israelis can travel freely to the UAE and Emiratis to Israel. No more problems regarding these countries.

I have the entry stamp from Jordan, after coming overland from Israel. I forgot about this and arrived in Saudi Arabia (December 2021) with an evisa. They examined each page of my passport and refused me entry because of the stamp. Do not take it at word of the evisa service website that it is not a problem where you visited before. That is applicable for the visa application. The visa service and border force are two completely different agencies, with different approaches to this issue!

It was an oversight on my part, and I cannot blame the Saudis for their approach to Israel.

Hi Richard, very sorry to hear that, but thanks for your valuable feedback 🙂

Hey Joan, thank you for your posts, they are really helping and inspiring!
I went to Iran in the end of 2019 and they never stamped our passports, we were just given a sheet of paper (same as in Israel). This is not about Israeli stamps but may be helpful when travelling to Israel.

I w wanted to know if one needed a tour company to get from Jordan to Israel by land or one could simply do it on their own? We are planning a trip to Jordan and thinking of doing Israel too but not sure how to make that journey

Hello Nausheen, you can do it on your own

Hi Joan, Would you say its easier to go to Israel via the Allenby crossing or to fly directly into Tel Aviv ? We went via Allenby a few years back and for no reason our passports were held for hours on end and we werent allowed to exit the country. Trying to avoid a repeat of that scenario.

Hey thanks for the Information!
Do you know about anything when it comes to Egypt entry/exit stamp?

Iam right now in Israel and think about a trip to Sinan.

thanks 🙂

As far as I know there shouldnt be any problems because of Egypt stamps.

I want to visit Israel from UAE I have UAE visa , is that possible

We obtained a single entry Israeli tourist visa (B2). Is it possible to visit Jordan during our stay in Israel and come back to Israel with to & fro journey through Eilat border?

Yes of course, it’s possible, no problem

Thanks.
I didn’t find any document in favor of re-entry to Israel from Jordan with a single entry tourist visa. Is any rule/doc available?
P. K. Das

Hi, thanks for the information. Next month I’m planning to attend an academic conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. However, I accepted a work offer in Saudi Arabia to start in January next year. Do you think I could have any problem getting a Saudi Arabia work visa after visiting Israel? If Israel doesn’t stamp my passport, I suppose I will not have any problem, right? What do you think? Thank you!

Hi Joan! I just wanna say that in Erbil Airport the immigration did not want to let me get in because they tought I was jewish, it was has been a long talking before they changed mind. I think (not sure) it can be complicated to enter Ir. Kurdistan with Israel visa.

I have a question: If i visited Israel, then there is no proof on my passport and I visit an enemy country but unfortunately for any reason during the trip, authorities have to check my phone then they see Highlight story on IG about my trip in Israel or some pic in my phone, or my blog with Israel story… What’s next? Can I get ban definitively from the country or getting problems? Thank you. I read a lot and I don’t find any answer

cheers

Hello Tom

Thanks for your comment an update!

Just one note: being a Jew is different from having been to Israel as a tourist but in any case, if they let you in, it means that all they were trying to do was perhaps bragging about their power, or trying to be annoying.

Anyways, regarding your question, if the authorities know that you’ve been to Israel, even if it’s through photos or whatever, you won’t be allowed to enter that country. There’s the practical example of a certain traveler who was banned from entering Syria because in his/her social media, you can read that has visited each and every country in the world, so they assumed that included Israel too.

Thank you for the quick answer!!

But, I meant, for exemple, I already passed the immigration. I travel like 2 weeks in Iraq (or other enemy country) then while I am traveling, authorities find that I lied at the immigration because they discover that I was in Israel, what happen in this case?

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to answer this question because it will always depend on the specific person who checked your photos.

Personally, I would not worry much since whoever checks your photos won’t be an immigration officer.

Thank you. My query was purely that I had been to Syria in 2008, six months before travel was stopped. Although I have had 2 new passports since then, would it still be on record that I had stayed there and if so whether it would affect my entry into another Middle Eaatern country. My new British passport has no stamps or visas yet.

Hello Vicky. To give you a practical example, when you try to apply for the USA ESTA, one of the questions is whether you have traveled to Syria after 2011, so any date before that isn’t an issue to travel anywhere and in any case, there aren’t any bans in any Middle Eastern country for having traveled to Syria, not even Israel, but you’ll certainly get a lot of questions, but only if you traveled there after 2011

Hi Joan,

I am currently planning to visit Lebanon. On my passport, I got Jordanian entry stamp at the airport (QAIA), but without any exit stamp because I travelled to Israel via King Hussein Bridge and Jodanian authority only stamped on a separate piece of paper, and of course no Israeli entry stamp too. I flew out from Israel in the end. Do you think it will be a problem for me to enter Lebanon in this case?

Hi Adam

If they checked, very carefully, each and every page of your passport, it could be a problem yes but fortunately, this is rarely the case.

Hello Joan,
Thank you for this very informative blog. My question is as a Canadian, will I be able to obtain a tourist visa from the Israeli side? planning to take King Hussein bridge from Jordan to go to Ramallah and then to Tel Aviv.
Thanks in advance

Im from Philippines, i live in doha with working visa. Im planning to visit Israel,do it get problems in immigration coming back to Qatar? Thank you.

Hi Bea, you won’t have issues entering back to Qatar from Israel

Hi,
than you for sharing all the Information.
We are 2 Travelers from Germany on our Motorbikes. We are comming from Saudi arabia and whant to enter Joradanien from there. Than we whant also travel throu Israel and than we have to go back to Saudi Arabia than ship our bikes from VAE.
How can we manage the Paspot problem? We have 2 Pasports maby that helps. But we also have a Carnet de Passage with our Bikes. How can we handle that?
Thank you for your help.

I think I know the answer here but want to confirm if possible:

Looking to visit Syria. US passport. No Israel stamps in passport. Entry and exit stamps from flying into and out of Jordan, and then into and out of Lebanon on the same trip.

A potential Syrian guide told me they could somehow still recognize a visit to Israel through Jordanian airport arrivals and departures – is this possible at all? Would Syrian authorities somehow be able to access flight information outside of what is in my passport?

No. How could they know you’ve been to Israel if you have arrived and left through airport? Also, Israel doesn’t share immigration details with SYRIA

What I want to clarify is this: I have a Syrian visa stamped on a previous passport. My brand new passport has no visas in it at all so if I wanted to go to Israel, would my visit to Syria be recorded anywhere digitally?

No, there’s no way it’d be recorded

Thankyou!! Finally the answer I wanted!

Hi Joan are the any issues regarding South Africa amidst the recent legal proceedings at the international court? I have an Israeli visa stamped into my passport.

Kind regards and thanks in advance.

Hi R.J

Honestly, I have no clue what are you referring to 😉

Hello everyone, I’m a filipino and I’m in Thailand now under tourist visa but used to work here. How strict is the boarder going to Israel as of now. I have my Jordan visa and planning to visit Israel. What are the things should I prepare. Thank you in advance.

Anybody who thinks that having the passport and social accounts checked at the border for a few hours is a “waste of time” – they’d better stay in their own country or go to countries without border checks. Nobody’s forced to travel to a country constantly target by people who want to see all of us Jews/Israelis dead. The border control personel does it to protect us and not to waste anybody’s time.

Hi, I want to go to Hebron from Afghanistan at the end of September and I don’t seen Afghanistan listed here. Will there be issues?

Thanks for this informative post!
-R

Need to know about Israeli passport stamps in 2025

In this Israeli passport stamps guide you will find:

our recommended travel insurance for Israel

Does Israel stamp passports?

Do you need to keep the Israeli immigration card and show it at your exit?

Entering/exiting Israel via Jordan – Problems and how to avoid them

Can you avoid a Jordanian overland stamp?

The problem of avoiding the Jordanian stamp

If you go to Lebanon

You go to another country

Can I visit Israel with passport stamps from Arab countries like Dubai or Lebanon, for example?

Can you visit Israel after Iran?

Which Muslim countries are you not allowed to enter with an Israeli stamp?

I have been to Israel but I have a new passport:

Does Israel exchange information about travelers with its Muslim enemies?

In which Muslim countries are you eligible to travel even if you have an Israeli stamp?

More useful information for traveling in the region

Travel guides to other countries in the Middle East

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