From 30 November 2023, travellers with Israeli passports will be able to travel to the USA without a visa. Despite the obstacles to reciprocal visa-free entry, the United States has dropped its objections to Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program. Nonetheless, Israelis must apply for the ESTA before travelling to the US.
Joining the Visa Waiver Programme
Israel’s admission is a consequence of previous efforts made in hopes of joining the American ESTA programme. A key condition for joining the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is reciprocal visa-free admission, so travellers from the United States should also be able to travel to member countries without a visa. Previously, however, travellers with US passports (especially those with Palestinian backgrounds) were often unable to travel to or through Israel.
In other words, Israel did not meet this condition until recently. In fact, after a pilot project at the Israeli border, the US Department of Homeland Security has come to the conclusion that the condition is being met. Since last July, tens of thousands of US travellers, Palestinian or not, have been able to travel to Israel without a visa. Nonetheless, Americans must arrive in Israel through one of the designated airports to travel overland to the West Bank.
Diplomatic considerations play a role
Behind the scenes, other diplomatic considerations related to international cooperation and security in the Middle East play a role in Israel’s admission to the VWP. For this and other reasons, the newly reached agreement is quite controversial, not only in the United States and Israel.
What does the admission imply for Israelis?
Since Israel has been admitted to the VWP, Israeli travellers may now travel to the US with a valid biometric passport. These travellers still need to apply for a different travel authorisation: the ESTA USA. To apply for this authorisation, they must meet the ESTA requirements. The ESTA allows one to travel to the USA for several travel purposes, such as a holiday, business trip or transfer. The ESTA is valid for two years and allows multiple trips to the US, as long as each trip lasts up to 90 days.
Compared to the US visa, the ESTA is easier and faster to apply for. In fact, the application can be submitted online, so no appointment at a US consulate or embassy is required. Since US visa applications from Israel have to be submitted on-site, and because of the large crowds there, it takes several months to be granted a visa.
ESTA application: biometric passport required
A biometric passport is required for each ESTA application. Biometric passports contain a chip containing information about the holder, such as a passport photo and identity details. Israeli travellers who hold a valid biometric passport and who also meet the other ESTA requirements can easily apply for an ESTA online from 30 November. Easy online ESTA application.
Therefore, Israelis without a valid biometric passport will still have to apply for a visa after 30 November, which requires significantly more effort and entails higher costs than applying for an ESTA. A run is expected on the Israeli biometric passport application system, which is already facing capacity problems. Since it’s very likely that most Israeli travellers will not be able to obtain a biometric passport by 30 November, they will have to apply for a US visa for the moment.