COVID-related Guidelines for Business Travelers to Israel

COVID-related Guidelines

for Business Travelers to Israel

Dear Clients,

Under current COVID-related entry guidelines, foreign business travelers coming to Israel must first obtain an entry permit issued by the Population and Immigration Authority (PIA).

The request for an entry permit is comprised of two applications: One from the foreign business traveler, and the other from an Israeli host company.

The application from the foreign business traveler consists primarily of personal details and trip itinerary. Parenthetically, the foreign business traveler must be fully vaccinated or recovered in order to be eligible for this process.

The host company’s application is more substantive: In it, the company needs to explain: (1) the urgency of the trip, (2) why the traveler’s proposed business in Israel can’t be undertaken remotely, (3) the commercial significance of the proposed visit to the host company; and (4) the contribution the visit will make to the Israeli economy at large.

The two applications are e-filed with the Ministry of Economy and Industry which, if convinced of the merits of the case, will transfer the request to the PIA with a recommendation that an entry permit be issued. The PIA generally acts in accordance with the Ministry’s recommendation.

An entry permit is generally valid for 45 days from the date of issuance, and for a single entry. The permit is presented by the traveler at check-in for the flight to Israel.

Additional entry requirements include the following:

A negative result for a COVID-19 PCR test, performed no more than 72 hours prior to departure to Israel. This test result is presented at check-in for the Israel-bound flight.

Completion of an online inbound passenger health declaration form. Click here for the full form.

Upon arrival in Israel:

Admission into the country is conditioned upon presentation to border control of (1) a COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or proof of recovery; and (2) a medical insurance policy which includes COVID-19 treatment.

Travelers should also undertake a serological test for COVID-19 as soon as possible after arriving in Israel. These tests are available at one of the official medical institutes approved by the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Effective July 16, 2021, all travelers (even those fully-vaccinated or recovered) who have been physically present in a country with a COVID-19 travel warning will be subject to mandatory quarantine (almost all countries currently have such a warning). The period of quarantine will be until the results of the serological test are issued (generally 24-48 hours, and assuming the results are positive). If the results of the serological test are negative, then quarantine will be for a period of 7 days.

One final note: From the time to time, the Ministry of Health identifies a country as one with the highest risk of COVID infection. Travelers who have been in any such “highest risk” country within the two weeks prior to their proposed arrival are generally ineligible for business travel to Israel. The current list of “highest risk” countries includes Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Uzbekistan.