Visas

If you are a citizen of the United States, Canada, Russia, Italy and you have a valid passport, you do not need a visa to enter Israel.

For holders of passports from countries of Former Soviet Union (except Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) or holders of US Travel documents, are required a visitor's visa to Israel. A special letter from us to the an Israeli consulate in your area is required to confirm that you are, in fact, participating on a trip organized by Ezra USA & Taglit-Birthright Israel.
In case you need a visa, you must email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with request to issue a special visa letter and we will email ((in PDF format) or fax you (please provide us your fax number) you that letter with detailed instructions where you need to go. Only those who got confirmation e-mail from us should send us the requests for visa letters, and those who didn't, please wait until you get your flight assignment. Please allow us couple of weeks to issue you the letter, and we usually send you one a month and half before the trip.

For a listing of Israeli Consulates in your area, please Click Here

Passports

MAKE SURE YOUR PASSPORTS ARE NOT EXPIRED & VALID FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS!

In order to enter Israel as a visitor, it is necessary to have a valid passport. As is the case with many other countries, Israeli customs and immigration laws require that the passport be valid for at least six (6) months beyond the planned return date from Israel. If you have a US Travel Document it must be valid at least three (3) months beyond the planned return date from Israel.

Applicants who do not hold a valid foreign passport and only have Green Card must apply for an INS travel document - either a reentry permit for permanent residents (valid for 2 years), or a refugee travel document (valid for 1 year). This may take 3 months or more, though there are agencies that can expedite this process for a fee of several hundred dollars. If this situation applies to you and you are interested in participating on Taglit-Birthright Israel: EZRA program you must begin this process today.

If your passport is expired or will expire soon, please renew it immediately as the process can take up to 6 weeks for US Passports and up to 4 months for Travel Documents or Foreign Countries. Expedited processing may be available for an additional fee from some local passport agencies.

If you need a letter from us in order to renew or expedite your passport, please email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will be happy to prepare such letter for you. However, it may not expedite your process, so please allow plenty time before the trip when you do the renewal.

Please note: In order to go on the trip you must have a valid passport, and your green card alone would not be enough. If you are not a permanent US resident, please consult with immigration lawyer before going on Taglit-Birthright Israel: EZRA trip. Ezra USA and Taglit-Birthright Israel are not reasonable for any immigration or legal issues that you may have associated with this program. It is a responsibility of an applicant to make sure all proper documentation is obtained prior the trip.

Your passports must have the same name as on your Taglit-Birthright Israel application. If you are married and your passport has only your maiden name, you must register under your maiden name, even if all you other documents under your married name. If you already registered under wrong name, and need to change the application, please email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will be happy to update your file.

Every applicants must also upload a photocopy of the inside cover of their passport. The copy can be also sent to us by mail, fax, email or brought to our Brooklyn Office (scanned copy). We definitely encourage you to submit your passport copy as you can. However in case you don’t have the passport, you may submit the passport copy up to 48 hours before your trip departure date.

It is also much recommended to leave a photocopy of your passport at home, in case your passport is lost or stolen.

Israeli Citizens

If you were born in Israel, became an Israeli Citizen or one of your parents holds Israeli Citizenship, please read the information below.

According to Israeli citizenship law, you are considered to be a citizen of the State of Israel if you were born in Israel, or if you acquired Israeli citizenship by immigrating to Israel, or if you were born outside of Israel to a parent who is a citizen of Israel (mother or father) and who acquired Israeli citizenship by birth or through immigration to Israel. This last case is normally the one that is the most easily overlooked because it is the least "obvious" of them. Israeli citizenship, once acquired, is permanent, is independent of the place of residence, and may only be given up through a formal request and administrative procedure.
If you are a citizen of the State of Israel, by any of the definitions above, Israeli law requires that you enter and leave Israel using an Israeli passport (It is recommended that you bring your other passport as well for your return to the United States). If you do not currently have an Israeli passport, you may apply for one by contacting the nearest Israeli diplomatic mission. Also, given the fact that military service is compulsory for both men and women in Israel, it is necessary for you to obtain military service deferment or exemption papers, a routine procedure for the overwhelming majority of applicants. Although it is theoretically possible to make such arrangements once in Israel, it is very strongly recommended that you do so before traveling to Israel, both because of the lack of time in Israel to do so, and especially because of the possible administrative complications if these matters are not taken care of beforehand. If you do not take care of these matters prior to your trip, you may be obligated to stay in Israel by the Israeli government until resolution. If this applies to you, you will be solely responsible for your own situation and any costs involved. Again, we highly recommend that you be extremely cautious about these matters and contact one of the regional Israel consulate offices below if you have any questions.

Do not hesitate to Contact us if you have any questions.

Regional Israeli Consulate Offices

For participants requesting visas or army exemption papers, click on the Israel Consulate offices listed below that serves your area:

The Consulate General of Israel in Atlanta
(also for Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina)
1100 Spring St., N.W. Suite 440 Atlanta, GA 30309
Tel: (404) 487-6500 Fax: (404) 487-6555

The Consulate General of Israel in Boston
(also for Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1020 Boston, MA 02116
Tel: (617) 535-0200 Fax: (617) 535-0255

The Consulate General of Israel in Chicago
(also for Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
111 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 1308 Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: (312) 297-4800 Fax: (312) 297-4855

The Consulate General of Israel in Houston
(also for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma)
24 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1500 Houston, TX 77046
Tel: (713) 627-3780 Fax: (713) 627-0149

The Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles
(also for Arizona, California (Southern), Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming)
6380 Wilshire BLVD., Suite 1700 Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel: (323) 852-5500 Fax: (323) 852-5555

The Consulate General of Israel in Miami
100 North Biscayne (Yitzhak Rabin) BLVD., Suite 1800 Miami, Florida 33132
Tel: (305) 925-9400 Fax: (305) 925-9455

The Consulate General of Israel in New York
(also for Connecticut, New Jersey (Northern))
800 Second Avenue, 13th floor New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 499-5400 Fax: (212) 499-5425

The Consulate General of Israel in Philadelphia
(also for Delaware, Kentucky, New Jersey (Southern), Ohio, West Virginia)
230 South 15th Street, Suite 8 Philadelphia, PA, 19102
Tel: (215) 546-5556 Fax: (215) 545 3986.

The Consulate General of Israel in San Francisco
(also for, Alaska, California (Northern), Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
456 Montgomery Street, Suite 2100 San Francisco, CA 94104
Tel: (415) 844-7500 Fax: (415) 844-7555

The Consulate General of Israel in Washington, DC
(also for Maryland, Virginia)
3514 International Dr. N.W. Washington DC 20008
Tel: (202) 364-5527 Fax: (202) 364-5429