Can I Visit Arab Countries With an Israel Passport Stamp? That a question I get asked a lot! So Israel which is located in the Middle East is still fighting for legitimacy and normalization with the Arab World. As a result, some Arab countries don’t diplomatic relations with Israel. In addition, they still view Israel as an enemy state. So as you can imagine having the Israeli Passport Stamp on your passport might be a problem in some countries you might visit in the future.
That why this is a question many guests of mine are concerned about. In reality, though, there’s nothing to worry about because Israel found a way to go around this issue. Whilst many Arab countries that do not recognize Israel will not allow entry to anybody who has an Israeli passport stamp, the Israeli authorities are sympathetic to the fact that many people do wish to travel around the world. As a result since 2013, visitors to Israel don’t have their passports stamped.
Can I Visit Arab Countries With an Israel Passport Stamp?
So like I said before since early 2013, tourists that arrive in Israel via Ben Gurion Airport on a B2 tourist visa don’t get their passport stamped. Instead, they are getting a small slip that has all their details and functions as an entry stamp to Israel. By the way, don’t throw this away! You’ll need it for the duration of your visit. In other words, businesses like hotels, Airbnbs, shops and etc, will ask it in order to return you the VAT back. As a tourist, you’re entitled to get it back.
In some instances, or at other border points, it is possible that the authorities may want to place a stamp on your passport. Usually, just asking them to stamp a piece of paper is no problem, and they’ll attach a piece of paper to your passport which you can remove after you’ve left Israel. Furthermore, some border points (not Ben Gurion AirPort) might not have the technology to issue out this piece of paper electronically. So in this case, asking them to get an entry\exit stamp outside your passport usually works like a charm. But and there is a big but! once you did cross the border; you will get a stamp on the other side, which means you’ve been to Israel.
Is an Israeli Passport Stamp a Problem?
So Can I Visit Arab Countries With an Israel Passport Stamp? Some Arab countries will refuse entry to anybody who has an Israeli passport stamp (it is no problem to visit Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, or the UAE with a stamp). If you do have an Israeli stamp and want to visit another country, the simplest thing is to just get a new passport or a second passport which will be blank and cause no problems. In addition, It is also important to note that some authorities in Arab countries look at Jordanian and Egyptian stamps from the land borders with Israel and consider these to be a sign of having entered Israel. But the solution for that would be another passport of a different nationality if you have one to use only for Arab countries. For more interesting frequently asked questions you can go to my faq page!
