Visas & Customs Requirements

Employment:

A foreign national who has been assigned to work in Israel must obtain a work permit and an appropriate entry visa. Israeli law generally provdes for only one type of work status relating to the employment of foreign professionals and non-professionals alike: the B-1 visa category.

The process for obtaining a B-1 visa includes four separate bureaucratic steps

1. Submission of a work permit application with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor (hereinafter: "MOITAL");
2. Filing of a subsequent visa application with the Ministry of Interior (hereinafter: "MOI");
3. Issuance of a short term B-1 visa at the relevant Israeli consular post abroad prior to entry into Israel;
4. Extension of the B-1 visa at the MOI after arrival in Israel, and obtaining a multiple entry visa for the entire B-1 approval period.

First Step: Work Permit Application:

An Israeli employer must be the official sponsor of a work permit application. In doing so, the Israeli employer files a work permit application with MOITAL. A work permit application must contain a detailed description of the job position offered and also provide complete details relating to the prospective employee, including educational background, professional experience, proposed salary in Israel, housing arrangements, etc. Processing times for work permit applications currently range from 4-8 weeks.

If the application is approved, MOITAL will issue a B-1 recommendation letter to the MOI. Such recommendation letters are normally valid for up to one year; the employer may request annual renewals of this recommendation for up to one year each.

Second and Third Steps: Visa Application & Consular Processing:

Upon issuance of the MOITAL recommendation letter, an application may be filed with the MOI, asking that it instruct the relevant Israeli consular post abroad to issue a B-1 work visa to the foreign national. Applications must include, among other things, an undertaking to provide the employee with valid health insurance covering the term of the authorized B-1 employment. Processing times for this notice currently range from 2-4 weeks.

If the applicant is in Israel at the time of the work permit approval, he/she must depart from Israel for at least 7 days prior to the submission of the application for a work visa at the MOI. The applicant will have to remain abroad until the working visa will be issued in his/her passport at the Israeli consulate abroad (generally, 21 days staying outside of Israel).

NOTE: The initial validity period of B-1 work visas is limited to thirty days; moreover, the visa will generally be issued for a single entry only. In some cases, depending on the individual’s nationality, a special security clearance may be required prior to the approval of the application. Processing of security clearance currently ranges from 2-8 weeks.

Visa procedures often vary from consulate to consulate. In some countries, mostly Eastern and South American countries, medical checks by an approved clinic will be required for visa issuance. These checks could include, for example: HIV test, Hepatitis B surface antigen test (Hepatitis C screening), and a Tuberculosis test.

Under new regulations, work permits and valid B-1 visas must be arranged prior to entry to Israel, as petitions for B-1 visa classification cannot be made by way of change of status.

Fourth Step: Visa Extension in Israel:

Following entry into Israel, an application for a new B-1 visa stamp for an extended validity period (up to one year) and valid for multiple entries, must be processed at the local MOI. This latter step should be completed within 30 days from date of arrival.

Any departure from Israel before such visa is provided, will cancel the applicant's B-1 visa obtained at the consulate, and will require reprocessing of the visa at the consulate. Therefore, it is important that the applicant advise KTA as soon as possible prior to the date of expected arrival to Israel, to receive instructions regarding sending the passport to our office.