While most nationalities can enter Israel without a visa, certain nationalities are required. As a Philippine passport holder, we are not required for a visa. Upon arrival, we are given the famous 'blue slip', the Israeli Entry Permit. Want to know more about it? Keep reading!
If you're holding a different passport and unsure of your eligibility, please check on Israel's Visa Policy or from Tourist Israel.
Israeli Entry Permit
If most nationalities can enter Israel without a visa, what's this Entry Permit then? Entry Permit seems like your visa to enter Israel but technically, it's not. Anyone entering Israel will be issued the 'blue slip' in Ben Gurion International Airport. It's the only tangible proof that you entered Israel.
But why? Israel stopped the stamping of any foreign passport in 2013. Because of the boycott by the Arab League, Israel is preventing difficulties for travelers with an entrance/exit stamp from Israel. So don't fret if you're visiting countries that are part of the boycott, you will not have any Israel record on your passport (unless you keep the blue slip forever).
Entry Permit upon arrival
Where do you get this entry permit then?
Upon arrival, you will find these machines along the arrival hall BEFORE the passport control. Instructions are shown on the screen in different language options (you may select your preference).
As simple as it can be, scan your passport, look at the camera, and wait for your Israeli Entry Permit or your 'Blue Slip'.
As everyone says, keep this blue slip no matter where you go and until you exit Israel. You should carry this blue slip as well when you cross the Palestine Border to enter Bethlehem. The blue slip is not important on the Palestinian side but it will be asked when you come back to the Israeli side.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What about entry stamps?
Na-da, zero. As mentioned above, Israel stopped stamping passports except for the rumors that you'll get one when you cross the border of Egypt by land or when you enter Gaza (which you should not). But if you're arriving and departing from Ben Gurion International Airport, you won't have a single trace of record in your passport that you've been to Israel.
Strict Security Checks?
The news is true. Stricter compared to other airports, security checks in Ben Gurion International Airport do their job a little more sternly than others but in a good way. There are reports that there are interviews (at the passport control) that seem like an interrogation. However, my friends and I didn't experience that. The questions we received are the usual ones: purpose of stay (which is TOURISM) and duration of visit (which is 5 days). Nothing more than that.
While exiting Israel though, there is a 'security check' before you even check your bags in. It's all about your baggage though (who packed it, gifts given by others, weapons, etc), and not about you. Then there's another layer of security check for our bags after the check-in counters and before the passport control.
I was asked to open my Deuter Futura 32 and take all my stuff out. They even inserted a hand-held device inside. As my friend read from the Internet, that particular device is for drugs or gunpowder detection.
However, we noticed that not everyone went through this layer of security checks for bags. Who is subject to this another layer of security check? Not a single clue at all. I suggest you consider these extra layers of security checks though when planning your time for your flight. Don't take it personally either as it's just how it is in Ben Gurion International Airport, a little tight, but it makes Israel a safe place to travel in general!
