Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority is set to implement ETA-IL: the electronic system designed to pre-examine travel requests to Israel for tourists who are citizens of visa-exempt countries.
As such, Israel joins the US, Canada and Australia, where similar electronic travel authorization systems are already in use.
The test period (pilot) will begin on June 1, 2024, for citizens of the United States and Germany who wish to visit Israel on a tourist visa (B/2). Later, starting on July 1, 2024, the probationary period will also be extended to the citizens of the other countries with which there is an exemption agreement.
The purpose of submitting the request is to make sure that there is no obstacle for the passengers to board a flight to Israel. In cases where approval is not received, for any reason, the applicants will be directed to the service hotline for examination of the refusal. The service center will provide an explanation and instructions for action to the applicants, according to the refusal received.