Apply for a tourist group visa
Travel agents who are authorized by the Border Control can use this service to apply for an Israeli tour group visa for inbound tourist groups.
Online
Who can apply
- You must be a licensed travel agent.
- You must have a permit from the Population and Immigration Authority Border Control. See below how to apply for the permit.
Group criteria
- You can apply for a visa for groups of 10 to 50 participants, unless otherwise stated.
- Different criteria applies based on the group's country of origin.
- See Criteria based on country of origin, for details.
Service fee
105 NIS per application and an additional 30 NIS per group participant
How to apply
- You must check the background of tourists within the group, including:
- Address, profession, marital status and age, and previous visits to other countries.
- Check the Criteria based on country of origin to see if there are additional conditions for the group that you are applying for.
- After completing background checks, and if convinced that the tourists intend to visit and then leave Israel, apply online.
- You must apply at latest 10 days before the group's arrival
- For groups from Countries Under Consideration, you must apply 30 days in advance of the group's arrival.
- You will receive the group tourist visa by email.
Important information
- Entry to Israel will be granted to groups with an entry visa based on:
- The trip itinerary submitted in the application
- Entry of the group members together
- Staying in Israel as a group and leaving the country together at the end of the visa period.
- Entry to Israel will be denied if more than 80% of the group members included in the application cancel their trip.
- Forfeiture of the bank guarantee – If the percent of participants who "drop out" (don’t leave Israel by the specified date for whatever reason) is higher than the "Balancing Point" forfeiture of your bank guarantee will be considered according to the provisions as stated in the Tourist Group Visa protocol.
- As of today, the Balancing Point stands at 2.12%.
Definition of Countries Under Consideration (according to Tourist Group Visa procedure, section C.4)
- Countries with a high emigration rate.
- Countries whose nationals have a tendency to settle, or to stay illegally in Israel.
- Countries whose nationals have a tendency to apply for asylum in Israel.
- Countries whose representatives in Israel do not cooperate with the Population and Immigration Authority in identifying or issuing their nationals' travel documents.
- Countries that do not have official representation in Israel.
Travel agents who want to apply for tourist group visas, need a permit from the Border Control Department.
Who can apply
- Registered travel agents who are Israeli citizens or residents.
- If you previously held a Border Control Department permit tourist group permit that was revoked within the year before applying again, your application will be denied.
What you need
- Confirmation from a travel agency that you are their agent.
- Income tax approval of a tourist industry classification from the Tax Authority.
- Income tax confirmation of book keeping from the Tax Authority.
- A letter of recommendation from the Ministry of Tourism confirming that you are a travel agent.
- Documents indicating that you have worked in inbound group tourism for at least 3 years before applying, such as: agreements with hotels, transportation companies, or guides, or any other documents to the satisfaction of the Border Control Department.
- You may be required to provide additional documents.
How to apply for the Border Control permit for travel agents
Before applying, we recommend reading the Tourist Group Handling Protocol (Heb).
- Fill out the New Agent application form (Heb) and submit it by email to [email protected] together with all the required documents.
- If you are interested in applying for tourist group visas for groups from Restricted Countries (either for a one-time group or for multiple groups), you must state as such on your application. See the criteria based on country of origin for the list of Restricted Countries, below.
- Your application will be processed by the Border and Crossing Control Department.
- If your application is approved, you will be required to:
- Issue a smart card.
- Deposit a bank guarantee (see below).
- Participate in training at the Border and Crossing Control Department.
Bank guarantee
New agents must deposit a bank guarantee to be held for a trial period to ensure the exit of the tourists from Israel as scheduled.
| Agent permit type | Restricted Countries Sri Lanka, Congo, Ethiopia, Turkey, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Sierre Leone, the Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Armenia. | Permitted Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit sum | NIS 200,000 | NIS 100,000 |
| Deposit duration | Deposits from agents holding a permit to apply for group visas for groups from Restricted Countries will be held for the duration of the agent's permit. | One year, or on exit of over 24 of the agent's groups from Israel (the later of the two).
|
You can apply for a visa for groups of 10 to 50 participants for groups from countries unless they are included in the list of countries with special criteria.
| Country of origin | Special criteria |
|---|---|
| China, Indonesia, Malaysia | 5 to 50 participants |
Restricted countries Sri Lanka, Congo, Ethiopia, Turkey, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Sierre Leone, the Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Colombia. | If you are applying for a group from a restricted country, you must state as such on the application. |
Eritrea | You cannot apply for groups from. In exceptional circumstances, enquire three months before planning a trip. |
Countries Under Consideration Jordan, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Tunisia, Morocco, Southern Sudan, Mali, and Mauritania. | You must apply 30 business days before the groups arrival to Israel. |
Please note, if there is any difference or conflict between the information on this page and the law, the provisions of the law will apply.
Population and Immigration Authority
Piba Central Contact Center
Call center operating hours:
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