Passports

All travelers entering Israel, Jordan, or Sinai must present a valid passport with an expiration date not less than 6 months from the date of entry into those countries. Travelers from western Europe, Canada, the U.S., Australia, and South Africa will receive a visa upon entering Israel. Visas for Israel are usually given for 3 months and can be renewed inside Israel at the Ministry of Interior in Jerusalem. 

Watch That Stamp! If you plan to visit Arab countries, ask for your visa stamp to be placed on a piece of paper separate from your passport when you enter Israel (if your passport is stamped by Israel, that stamp will close the doors to many Arab and Islamic countries for the duration of your passport). Israeli passport control personnel are accustomed to this request and in most cases will cooperate, but an occasional ill-tempered clerk may decide to make extra problems for you by stamping your passport. With political conditions the way they are, even in relatively friendly places such as Morocco, Egypt, or even Bali (a Hindu island in Muslim Indonesia), Israeli stamps in your passport could cause problems should you find yourself in a local police station, or when you show your passport in banks, hotels, or post offices.

Visas

Visas are given free to U.S., U.K., and Canadian citizens, without prior application, when they enter Israel at Ben-Gurion or Eilat International airports and show passports that are valid for at least 6 months beyond the time of arrival. The tourist visa is good for 3 months and can be extended for another 3 consecutive months at any office of the Ministry of the Interior (you may be asked to prove you have adequate funding for your extended stay). If you enter Israel at an overland crossing from either Egypt (Sinai) or Jordan, you may receive a visa valid only for 30 days.

Medical Requirements

Unless you're arriving from an area known to be suffering from an epidemic (particularly cholera or yellow fever), inoculations or vaccinations are not required for entry.

Customs

Note that you cannot take antiquities or archaeological artifacts out of Israel unless you have a certificate identifying the object, which will be provided to you by any licensed antiquities dealer.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.