What is the Israel ETA-IL?

ETA-IL stands for Electronic Travel Authorization — Israel's mandatory pre-travel clearance for visa-exempt visitors, introduced on 1 January 2025. It is not a visa: it's an online pre-screening you complete before boarding your flight. Citizens of the US, UK, EU/Schengen, Canada, Australia and most other visa-exempt nationalities must obtain approval via the official portal at israel-entry.piba.gov.il before flying to Israel. Israeli citizens and holders of an Israeli ID number are exempt.

Who needs to apply for an Israel ETA-IL?

Any visitor who does not need a visa to enter Israel for tourism — including citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, EU/Schengen countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most other Western nationalities — must have an approved ETA-IL before boarding their flight. If your country requires a B/2 tourist visa instead, you apply for the visa rather than the ETA-IL. When in doubt, check the official ETA-IL portal or your nearest Israeli embassy for current eligible-country lists.

How much does the Israel ETA-IL cost?

The official government fee is ₪25 (approximately $7 USD), paid by credit card on the official portal at israel-entry.piba.gov.il. There is no additional processing fee for standard applications. Any third-party site charging significantly more is not the official portal — use only israel-entry.piba.gov.il to avoid paying unnecessary mark-ups on the same authorization.

How long before my flight should I apply for ETA-IL?

Apply at least 72 hours before your flight departs. Most applications are approved within minutes to a few hours, but some take up to 72 hours. Do not leave it until the day of travel — if the airport check-in agent cannot verify an approved ETA-IL, you may be denied boarding. Applying a week or more in advance is the safest approach.

How long is an approved Israel ETA-IL valid?

An approved ETA-IL is valid for multiple trips for up to two years, or until your passport expires — whichever comes first. Each stay in Israel may be up to 90 days. Note that the ETA-IL is linked to the specific passport number you used during the application; if you renew your passport you will need to apply for a new ETA-IL on the new passport.

Is an approved ETA-IL a guarantee of entry to Israel?

No. An approved ETA-IL allows you to board your flight and travel to the Israeli border, but the final decision on entry rests with the border officer at Ben Gurion Airport or the land crossing. The ETA-IL is a necessary pre-condition, not a guarantee. Factors such as suspected travel to restricted countries, or other security considerations, can still result in additional questioning or refusal of entry at the border.

Do children need an ETA-IL to visit Israel?

Yes. Every individual traveller — including infants and children — who is a citizen of a visa-exempt country must have an individual, approved ETA-IL for their own passport. There is no family-group ETA-IL; each person applies separately. The cost is ₪25 per application regardless of age.

What do I need to show at airport check-in and at the border?

At check-in, the airline will verify your ETA-IL automatically by checking your passport number against the Israel PIBA database — you typically do not need to show a printed document, but it is a good idea to save your ETA-IL approval confirmation number in your phone or in email. At Ben Gurion Airport border control, the officer will scan your passport; the ETA-IL status is linked to the passport number in the system.

Israel ETA-IL: Complete Application Guide for Visitors (2026)

Since 1 January 2025, every visa-exempt visitor to Israel — including travellers from the United States, United Kingdom, EU/Schengen, Canada and Australia — must obtain an approved ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization) before boarding their flight. This guide explains exactly how to apply, what to watch out for, and what happens after approval.

What is the ETA-IL and who needs it

ETA-IL is Israel’s mandatory pre-travel clearance for visa-exempt visitors. It replaced the previous no-action-required entry for many nationalities starting 1 January 2025. It is not a visa — it is an online pre-screening check linked to your passport number. If approved, it authorises you to board a flight to Israel and present yourself at the border; the border officer still makes the final entry decision.

You need an ETA-IL if:

Your nationality does not require an Israeli visa (US, UK, EU/Schengen, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most other Western countries fall into this category).
You are travelling on a foreign passport — Israeli citizens and holders of Israeli ID numbers are exempt.
Every person in your group, including children and infants, needs their own individual ETA-IL.

You do not need an ETA-IL if:

You are an Israeli citizen or hold an Israeli ID.
Your country requires a B/2 visa instead — in that case you apply for the visa at an Israeli embassy or consulate.

Scam sites — apply only through the official portal

Before covering the application steps, one critical warning: numerous commercial websites mimic the appearance of the Israeli government’s ETA-IL portal and charge $40–$80 to process the same application you can submit for ₪25 ($7) directly. These sites are not affiliated with the Israeli government. They are legal in many jurisdictions (they act as paid intermediaries) but they offer no advantage over applying directly.

The only official portal is: israel-entry.piba.gov.il

Common scam-site signals:

URL that includes words like “etaisrael,” “israel-eta,” “israel-travel-auth,” or similar but is not the piba.gov.il domain.
Fees significantly above ₪25.
“Expedited processing” upsells — the official portal has one processing tier.
No .gov.il domain suffix.

Always navigate directly to israel-entry.piba.gov.il and verify the .gov.il domain in your browser address bar before entering any payment information.

Step-by-step: how to apply for ETA-IL

Step 1 — Gather your documents

Before starting the online form, have the following ready:

Your valid passport (must be an e-passport with a biometric chip; check for the gold chip symbol on the cover).
Your passport’s expiry date — the ETA-IL validity cannot extend beyond your passport’s expiry, so if your passport expires in fewer than six months, renew it first.
A credit or debit card for the ₪25 fee.
Your email address to receive the approval confirmation.
Your planned arrival date and port of entry (Ben Gurion Airport for most travellers; Jordan River/Allenby crossing and Yitzhak Rabin/Wadi Araba crossings for those entering overland from Jordan).

Step 2 — Navigate to the official portal

Go to israel-entry.piba.gov.il and select “Apply for ETA-IL” (or the equivalent button in the current interface — the portal is periodically updated). Verify the .gov.il domain before proceeding.

Step 3 — Select your nationality and confirm eligibility

The portal will confirm whether your passport country is eligible for ETA-IL (versus requiring a visa). If your country is confirmed as eligible, proceed; if not, you will be directed to the visa application pathway.

Step 4 — Complete the personal details form

Enter your details exactly as they appear in your passport:

Full name: enter your name exactly as printed on your passport. The name on the ETA-IL must match your passport and your airline booking — discrepancies can cause check-in issues.
Date of birth: as printed in your passport.
Passport number: copy this carefully; this is the key that links your ETA-IL to your travel document.
Passport expiry date.
Nationality / country of citizenship.

Step 5 — Enter travel details

You will be asked for:

Planned arrival date to Israel.
Port of entry (Ben Gurion Airport TLV for most travellers).
Your planned address or accommodation in Israel (hotel name and city is sufficient).
Contact details (email address for the approval notification).

Step 6 — Pay the government fee

The fee is ₪25 (approximately $7), paid by credit card or debit card. This is the complete government fee — no additional charge for standard processing. Confirm the total displayed is ₪25 before entering card details.

Step 7 — Submit and wait for approval

Most applications are approved within minutes. Some take up to 72 hours — particularly applications from certain nationalities or where additional security checks are triggered. You will receive an email confirmation when your ETA-IL is approved.

Important: if you have not received approval within 72 hours of submitting, check your spam folder, then contact the PIBA helpline. Do not fly without a confirmed approved ETA-IL.

After approval: what to do

When your ETA-IL is approved:

Save the confirmation number from your approval email. Screenshot it and store it offline in case you lose internet access.
No need to print — the airline automatically checks your ETA-IL status against your passport number when you check in. However, having the confirmation number available speeds up any manual verification queries.
At the airport check-in desk, the agent will confirm your ETA-IL status by scanning your passport number. This is automatic. If the system flags an issue, your confirmation number is useful.
At Ben Gurion Airport border control, the officer scans your passport — the ETA-IL is linked to your passport number in the PIBA system. No printed document is required at the border.

If your application is declined

A small number of ETA-IL applications are declined. If this happens:

You will receive an email explaining the decision.
You may be offered the option to appeal through the PIBA system — follow the instructions in the decline notification.
If an appeal is not available or is unsuccessful, you must contact the Israeli consulate or embassy in your country to discuss alternative options, which may include applying for a B/2 visa through the consulate.
Common reasons for decline include: recent travel to countries on a restricted list, prior immigration violations in Israel, or security-screening flags. The specific reason is rarely disclosed in the notification itself.

Do not attempt to fly to Israel after receiving a decline notice — you will be denied boarding and the airline may report the attempt.

Practical tips and common mistakes

Renew a soon-expiring passport first. The ETA-IL is linked to the passport number used in the application. It cannot transfer to a new passport. If your passport expires within six months of your planned travel, renew it before applying for the ETA-IL — otherwise you may need to reapply on your new passport.

Double-check name spelling. The name on your ETA-IL must exactly match your passport and your airline booking. A middle name included in your passport must usually appear in the ETA-IL the same way it appears in your travel documents. Contact PIBA if you notice an error after approval.

Each traveller applies individually. Every person in your party — including children and infants — must have their own approved ETA-IL.

Apply before booking a non-refundable hotel. While most applications are approved quickly, applying before you’ve committed to non-refundable bookings removes any risk from an unexpected processing delay.

ETA-IL is per passport. If you carry dual nationality, you generally enter Israel on the passport linked to your ETA-IL. Keep this consistent between the ETA-IL application, the airline booking, and the passport you present at check-in.

The ETA-IL is separate from your airline ticket. The airline does not apply for it on your behalf — it is your responsibility to apply directly.

Connecting from Israel to Jordan or Egypt

If you plan to enter Jordan via the Allenby Bridge / King Hussein Bridge crossing, or exit to Egypt via the Taba crossing, note that:

Your ETA-IL is for entry into Israel only — Jordan and Egypt have their own entry requirements.
For Jordan, most Western passport holders purchase a Jordan Pass or pay the visa-on-arrival fee; the ETA-IL covers the Israel side of a combined Israel–Jordan itinerary.
Always check the current entry requirements for Jordan and Egypt via their respective official government portals before finalising an itinerary.

Useful links

Official ETA-IL portal: israel-entry.piba.gov.il
More Israel entry details: visa-information guide
Arriving at Ben Gurion Airport: Ben Gurion Airport arrivals guide
First visit planning: First time in Israel guide
Transfer to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv: Ben Gurion Airport transfers