Israel
Located on the Mediterranean shores at very crossroads between Europe, Northern Africa and Middle East, Israel is a young country with a deep and strong cultural heritage that connects the County and its inhabitants with the preponderance of European Nations.
These cultural links with far reaching roots, together with a more recent, but yet mutually beneficial, diplomatic partnership, made the European Union Member Nations and Israel natural partners both on the cultural and on the trading side.
ETIAS for Citizens of Israel: main points
Israeli Nationals able to candidate for ETIAS starting from 2025
Must hold a valid passport of the State of Israel
ETIAS application and delivery available through online system only
ETIAS necessary for tourism, business, transit and medical treatment travels to a total of 34 European Countries
Duration of stay in the ETIAS Area altogether must never exceed 90 days within 6 months
Israel and Europe in quick words
Located on the Mediterranean shores at very crossroads between Europe, Northern Africa and Middle East, Israel is a young country with a deep and strong cultural heritage that connects the County and its inhabitants with the preponderance of European Nations.
These cultural links with far reaching roots, together with a more recent, but yet mutually beneficial, diplomatic partnership, made the European Union Member Nations and Israel natural partners both on the cultural and on the trading side.
Such partnership has resulted, among other things, in Israeli Citizens benefitting from Visa Waiver rights to Europe since years and these rights have been reconfirmed in 2016 with the decision, from EU’s High Commission, to include Israel among the recipient countries who would be eligible for the new ETIAS Visa Waiver.
But how will Israeli Citizens travel conditions to Europe change with the inception of ETIAS taking place in 2025?Until late 2024, citizens of Israel travelling on a short-term basis to 34 European Countries that constitute the EU/Schengen Area will be only asked to have their valid passport. Starting from 2025 though, they will also need to electronically apply for the Visa Waiver called ETIAS.
ETIAS for Israeli – benefits and obligations
Despite this one more document being demanded in order to arrange the trip to the Schengen Area for Israeli Citizens, the application submission process for the ETIAS has been confirmed, by the relevant Authorities, to be an easy to manager operation.
Moreover, the ETIAS System is expected to allow for swifter and more secure border checks upon arrival in Europe and to reduce the number of border rejections. According to European Union High Commission’s officials report this provision is indeed expected to enhance the economic and cultural connections between ETIAS Countries themselves and Visa Waiver Countries while also enforcing a better protection of the Schengen Area Borders.
All ETIAS candidates from Israel will be required to fill out a simple electronic form in order to put through their application. To do so each traveler, included minors that are though required to proceed only through the support of a parent or legal guardian, is asked to report a short set of data broadly divided in four sections:- personal information
- travel to europe’s current schedule
- contact details
- background and eligibility questions
Once completed the form, payment of the due taxes will be required, through electronic methods only, to formally submit the Visa Waiver application.
ETIAS outcome and use
The feedback, positive in most cases, will be sent via e-mail to the applicant of Israel in usually no longer than 72 hours.
In the rare case of a rejected application candidates will be notified about the reasons behind such decision and will have the right to appeal in they so choose.
All travelers must make sure they received the ETIAS approval before their departure towards Europe and they must also always ensure that their passport validity will be able to cover for the whole stay of their planned trip and have a surplus of three full months of validity.
Being an electronic Visa Waiver, ETIAS is digitally linked to each holders’ passport, and it is hence not required to print out a paper copy of the positive outcome to embark on a journey.Visa Waiver validity
Once issued ETIAS Visa Waiver for Nationals of Israel is valid for 3 years or until the passport expiry date (if that occurs in less than 3 years).
Each Visa Waiver issued to Citizens of Israel allows for multiple entries in any of the ETIAS active destinations while always complying with the general limitation concerning purpose and duration of the trip as listed above.ETIAS active destinations
It must be remembered that ETIAS is only valid for journeys to the 34 European Countries that are current or future part of the Schengen Area or its de facto Members. There currently is solely 1 EU Member Nation that is not, to any legal extent, connected to the Schengen Area and that therefore will not be part of the program and that country is the Republic of Ireland (EIRE). The same principle applies to other countries in Europe that are neither part of the Schengen Area or the European Union like, for instance, the UK, Russia and Ukraine.