Israel’s Health Ministry announced the reopening of its borders for some tourists, starting from January 9, 2022.
Israel reopened to foreign tourism in early November 2021, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but at the end of that month once again banned foreign travelers due to the Omicron variant.
Foreign travelers who have not been vaccinated or recovered will still not be permitted to enter Israel.
As of January 9, 2022, vaccinated and recovered non-Israeli tourists from Orange and Green countries may travel to Israel. Travelers from Red countries are still not permitted entry.
Who is recognized as vaccinated or recovered by Israel?
1. Those vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) – the vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Bharat Biotech, the Serum Institute of India and Johnson and Johnson.
Israel also recognizes the vaccination status of those vaccinated with the Sputnik vaccine (on the condition that they receive a positive result on a serologic test taken in Israel)
The vaccine must be administered in accordance with the protocol set by Israel, that is, those vaccinated must:
- Receive two vaccine doses (or one vaccine dose in case of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine) and at least 14 days have passed since the date of the second vaccination on the day of arrival in Israel (but not more than 180 at the time of leaving Israel). The day of vaccination does not count.
- Be vaccinated with the booster shot and 14 days or more pass from vaccination day at the day of arrival in Israel.
2. Carriers of a certificate of recovery that can be digitally verified in the Ministry of Health’s system, based on a test result on a NAAT test (a molecular test similar to PCR):
- Those who arrived in Israel 11 days or more after their NAAT test (but no more than 190 days on the date of their departure from Israel).
- Those who, in addition to their recovery, has also been vaccinated with at least one dose of the World Health Organization-approved vaccines, before or after recovery.
All arrivals to Israel must take a PCR test at the airport. Then, they must quarantine for 24 hours or until they receive a negative result from the PCR test. The results arrive usually in less than 24 hours.
Starting from January 9, 2022, tourists will be permitted to travel to Israel from all countries except the following Red countries: Ethiopia, Mexico, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, the UAE, UK, and the U.S. Visitors from Red countries require advance special permission to enter the country.
Entry of Israeli Citizens
Israeli citizens may be granted entry to Israel even if unvaccinated or non-infected.
Non-vaccinated Israeli citizens returning from travel will take a PCR test at the airport. Then, they must quarantine for 14 days. After 7 days, after receiving a negative result on an additional PCR test, they may be released from quarantine.
