I read that pilots flying into Tel Aviv should request "No Stamp" because it would deny them entry into other countries. Is this true? If so, where? I am hoping not United Arab Emirates.

Quoting Evan767 (Thread starter): I read that pilots flying into Tel Aviv should request "No Stamp" because it would deny them entry into other countries. Is this true?

I believe that is correct. This may be due to the fact that only few Arab and muslim countries actually recognise Israel as a sovereign and independent state. If in doubt, I heard there's also the option of getting a second passport, which you could use for entry into Israel, while you can keep the original one for travelling to other places including the rest of the Middle East.

Speaking of which, wasn't once an option mentioned, where Israeli immigration officiers would just stamp a piece of paper which would be clipped to the passport for as long as the person remains in the country?

Crew passports are not stamped upon entry/exit at TelAviv. Entry is facilitated by a Crew General Declaration Form.

Those persons not wanting to have an Israeli stamp in their passport can request to have the stamp on a separate piece of paper. You request when you hand over yr passport.

The UAE is too commercial to be one of the hard line countries in that region. It would only be an issue if the country being visited was Saudi, Iran, Syria, etc.

Quoting LTU932 (Reply 1): Speaking of which, wasn't once an option mentioned, where Israeli immigration officiers would just stamp a piece of paper which would be clipped to the passport for as long as the person remains in the country?

Yes correct, but if you don't want your passport to be stamped you have to tell it.

Quoting Evan767 (Thread starter): I am hoping not United Arab Emirates.

You should check....there could be an issue. I do know, for example, travellers with Israel stamped into their passport can technically be denied entry into Dubai but I also have been advised that the regulation is never enforced. Thus, not only must one check the official rules of any nation concerning the Israel issue, is also important to determine how those rules are handled on a day-to-day basis.

I have read that most Arabic states besides Egypt and Jordan will deny entry if a passport containing an Israeli visa is presented.
In order to avoid this problem the authorities in some countries will issue two passports for persons, who frequently have to travel to, e.g., Israel and Arabic countries so that you have one passport for Israel and another for the Arabic countries. You would have to apply for the second passport and need to have quite good reasons for your application to be successful, but in principal this is a possibility.
It all depends, of course, on the passport laws of the country the citizenship of which you are holding.

This is the purely administrative or technical aspect.

One might, however, consider that there, also, is a more principal problem. To not accept a passport with one or more Israeli visa(s), for the resp. Arabic countries or their authorities is an administrative way to express that they do not accept the existence of the state of Israel. To present a "clean" passport for entering the resp. Arabic countries then implies that the holder of the resp. passport willingly or un-willingly submits to the resp. countries' official refusal to accept the statehood of Israel.


Best wishes,

Ferroviarius

Quoting Evan767 (Thread starter): I read that pilots flying into Tel Aviv should request "No Stamp" because it would deny them entry into other countries. Is this true?

The same is true for entering Cuba thru Cancun for instance, so you don't have trouble getting back into the US.

Quoting Evan767 (Thread starter): it would deny them entry into other countries.

Just to clarify, it would deny them entry in to most of the middle eastern Islamic countries.
However, the Israeli immigrations is aware of it and they stamp the entry visa on paper and staple it to your passport.

VT-NYC

Many countries refuse entry if an Israeli stamp is in it, countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Iran.
Also some countries to not recognise Israeli passports such as Malaysia and indonesia

Several Arab or predomantly Muslim countries will not permit you to enter if your passport contains an Israeli stamp, but I believe the UAE no longer applies this restriction. However it's probably best to check with the nearest UAE embassy/consulate. Israel immigration authorities will stamp a separate piece of paper on request to avoid any stamps appearing in your passport. That's the best option to avoid future travel problems, or the expense and inconvenience of obtaining a new passport.

Quoting Ferroviarius (Reply 6): I have read that most Arabic states besides Egypt and Jordan will deny entry if a passport containing an Israeli visa is presented.

This was certainly true around 10 to 15 years ago. At that time I travelled regularly to most Middle East countries. The British Passport Office issued me with a second passport. To obtain this I needed a letter of explanation from my employer.

The second passport not only allowed me to usually use one for Israel and one for other Middle East countries. It also allowed me to obtain a visa for the likes of Iran which often took weeks and sometimes months while I travelled to other countries. So whenever I went to Israel I always requested that they did not stamp my passport and they never did. Nor did they ever stamp a separate piece of paper and attach it to my passport.

If you have an Israeli immigration or emigration stamp in your passport you are likely to be denied entry to all Middle East countries with the exception of Egypt and probably Jordan.

Note if you go to Egypt or Jordan via a land crossing from Israel (or vice versa) you can run into problems, e.g. if it is a land crossing at, say Aqaba or Taba and there is only one way that you could have got that stamp (Coming from Israel,) you'll be denied.

Also I have heard that unless you are an obvious business person while the Israeli immigration authorities will not stamp your passport if they ask you to, they kind of resent it, and you may be hassled a bit more by security, or at least given a verbal dressing-down and tongue lashing. At least according to my brother who did this.

When traveling to most Arab states, if an Israeli stamp is found, you may be denied entry regardless of your origin. Exceptions to this rule are UAE, Jordan, and Egypt, yet you may face difficulty when traveling directly from Israel depending on the destination.

Many people get a stamp on a different paper, or just rip out pages in the passport.

Quoting Soups (Reply 9): Many countries refuse entry if an Israeli stamp is in it, countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Iran. Also some countries to not recognise Israeli passports such as Malaysia and indonesia

Sad! I am sure many people are missing out on visiting these fine places.

As someone who specializes in foreign policy, however, passport restrictions still make little sense to me. They target individuals who largely do not set policy. Not to defend the US too much because I certainly disagree with the predominant political viewpoint of this country; AFAIK the US does not outright deny individuals entry based solely on religion.

Then again, if you can get out of the airport without a cavity search or without being (illegally) detained is a whole different question.

Quoting Csavel (Reply 12): Also I have heard that unless you are an obvious business person while the Israeli immigration authorities will not stamp your passport if they ask you to, they kind of resent it, and you may be hassled a bit more by security, or at least given a verbal dressing-down and tongue lashing. At least according to my brother who did this.

I never heard that before....and I know quite a few people who request ""no-stamps"" when travelling to/from Israel.....maybe your brother was unlucky and there was another issue (that your brother was not even aware of).....I once had a difficult time as Israeli immigration because I was using a brand new passport, my previous passport had just expired and was replaced, and Israeli immigration hassled me ......to be honest, I had know idea why they were questioning me so throughly until I said ""whats the problem? and they said its your brand-new passport, how can that be possible. You never know.

Quoting COERJ (Reply 13): When traveling to most Arab states, if an Israeli stamp is found, you may be denied entry regardless of your origin. Exceptions to this rule are UAE, Jordan, and Egypt, yet you may face difficulty when traveling directly from Israel depending on the destination

As I mentioned above, in ""real life"" many Arab states do not enforce these rules......a friend who travels to Israel often (with lots of Israeli stamps in his passport) just flew to Dubai. I warned him about the issue and he went directly to EK and the embassy to see if there was an issue......both said it was nothing to worry about and he had no trouble entering or departing Dubai.

Quoting Domokun (Reply 14): As someone who specializes in foreign policy, however, passport restrictions still make little sense to me. They target individuals who largely do not set policy

We live in a strange world, dont we?

Quoting Csavel (Reply 12): raeli immigration authorities will not stamp your passport if they ask you to, they kind of resent it, and you may be hassled a bit more by security, or at least given a verbal dressing-down and tongue lashing. At least according to my brother who did this.

This happened to me last January. I crossed overland from Jordan to Israel and the immigration girl seemed offended when I asked her not to stamp it. She started asking if i really pretended to visit Syria in the future, and I said that I would like to have the option to go if I wanted to. She wasnt that nice to me after that. I also asked the immigration guys on the Jordan side not to stamp it because it shows then that i crossed the border and they didnt give any trouble. They stamped the immigration exit form only. The funny thing is that on the Jordan side the customs guys took EVERYTHING out of our bags and were questioning every item on it, but on the israel side they never opened anything and just put the bags through an x-ray machine. I thought that the arrival in Israel was going to be more caothic, but was easy.

Good to hear that I can travel to Dubai. Thanks guys.

While not an Arab country, Turkey has no problem with Israeli stamps - they are one of the few majority Muslim countries who recognize Israel. I am lucky in that being a dual citizen, I use one passport, USA, to travel to Israel, and one pasport, Namibia, to travel to Muslim countries.

I've spoken with a few people who have travelled to Israel and requested to not be stamped, and they had no problems.

Quoting FLYACYYZ (Reply 2): Entry is facilitated by a Crew General Declaration Form.

Our crews do not fill out any entry forms. Our passports are given to immigration officials by our agents upon arrival and by the time we get to immigration, they are done. Our passports, as crew, are not stamped. Only upon request will they stamp them.

Quoting SW733 (Reply 18): Turkey has no problem with Israeli stamps

As crew, an Israeli stamp may prevent us from entering countries, Turkey is one where we have had issues (Turkish officials made the two crew members stay on the aircraft for the layover, as they were not allowed off), when we are on trips, such as military charters. As a result, if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport, you are unable to do military charters, for risk of deportation or otherwise.

As a passenger I do not know how it is done. I have seen people have a separate piece of paper that has been stamped. I do know some countries, mostly Middle Eastern ones, that do not allow entry with said Israeli stamp.

Conversely, you will have a very hard time entering Israel with stamps from some Arab countries. The UAE should be fine (with a little 'polite' questions included) but the likes of Saudi Arabia or Syria will very likely see you on the next flight back home.

Two passports is the best possible solution.

Quote: Also some countries to not recognise Israeli passports such as Malaysia and indonesia

So how do Indonesians enter Israel? And there's a lot of religious tourism (Muslims and Christians) that go to Israel, as well as for business.
However, I better check with some people on how Israelis get here... coz they do... (perhaps the 2nd passport method)...

Mandala499

Officially, the UAE policy is not to allow people in with Israeli stamps, but I have heard stories of people with them in their passports being allowed in. Never come across someone first hand that has though.
You'd be better off applying for a new passport without a stamp just in case.

Quoting COERJ (Reply 13): When traveling to most Arab states, if an Israeli stamp is found, you may be denied entry regardless of your origin. Exceptions to this rule are UAE, Jordan, and Egypt

Oman also don't have a problem with an Israeli stamp IIRC.

It is best, though, to have a second passport.

Quoting Soups (Reply 9): Also some countries to not recognise Israeli passports such as Malaysia and indonesia

TRUE !!!
... and same goes to other way around; Passports from such countries clearly state that "THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 'EXCEPT' FOR ISRAEL"

Quoting EWRCabincrew (Reply 19): As crew, an Israeli stamp may prevent us from entering countries, Turkey is one where we have had issues (Turkish officials made the two crew members stay on the aircraft for the layover, as they were not allowed off), when we are on trips, such as military charters. As a result, if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport, you are unable to do military charters, for risk of deportation or otherwise.

If you have had issues on AMC flights via Turkey, these have nothing to do with normal Turkish immigration regulations.

There are some very specific base use agreements that cover place such as Incirlik that spell out whom may technically enter the facility. For instance, I know of citizens of New Zealand, Sweden that have been denied entry at the base as simply they are not covered by the base use agreement which is restrictive to US, Turkish and many NATO nationals. In addition there are covenants regarding where people have been prior.

Anyhow, Turkey has absolutely no restrictions on Israel otherwise. Matter of fact Turkey is one of Israels largest tourism destinations with entire resorts playing home to Israeli tourist.

Are you sure Indonesia does not recognize israeli passports ? I plan to travel with a friend who holds an Israle passport...whereas I can get the visa on arrival, he has (this is information from a website) to apply to the consulate before departure and because of the passport he has, the consulate would have to get approval rather than the routine procedure of visa issuance. In other words, it may take longer and less convenient but israeli passport holders can still travel to Indonesia ?!?!?

Quoting Umzy (Reply 24): Quoting Soups (Reply 9): Also some countries to not recognise Israeli passports such as Malaysia and indonesia TRUE !!! ... and same goes to other way around; Passports from such countries clearly state that "THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 'EXCEPT' FOR ISRAEL"

Ha... So politically they don't recognise that Israel is a country, but then refer to it as a country ("every country in the world except...") in the passport.

Quoting CitationJet (Reply 7): The same is true for entering Cuba thru Cancun for instance, so you don't have trouble getting back into the US.

True. Any American passport holder who wants to visit Cuba can do so without worrying - passports aren't stamped at any Cuban airport, so all you have to worry about is connecting to the USA through YYZ in December and coming home with a tan. In the past I believe they used anonymous symbols (someone once told me they got a stamp from a kid's printmaking kit in a discreet corner of their passport), but now you just have to keep the entry/exit visa on a separate piece of paper with the passport until you leave. Just don't lose it while you're there, ok?   

*j*

Welcome to the real world! Sorry this surprises you, but it has been reality since 1948. Amazing that this little "factoid" has been suppressed to so many people world wide. You would think it might cause outrage. Well, it hasn't.

Quoting IcLCY (Reply 3): The UAE is too commercial to be one of the hard line countries in that region.

at first i thought they were very strict
but then i read this article
http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1027_israel_talks_to_uae.htm

its from a few years ago but it could still happen
it also says "but it would officially operate like a corporate office, not an embassy."

Quoting Domokun (Reply 14): Sad! I am sure many people are missing out on visiting these fine places.

i am very sad ive been to israel many times and i really wanted to go to Iran
and a few weeks ago read that you can go to iran if "your an American citizen, been to Israel, Jewish, or British citizen
and im 3/4 so i was really mad

Quoting JJJ (Reply 20): Conversely, you will have a very hard time entering Israel with stamps from some Arab countries. The UAE should be fine (with a little 'polite' questions included) but the likes of Saudi Arabia or Syria will very likely see you on the next flight back home.

I was going to say the same, I totally agree.

Quoting IcLCY (Reply 3): Those persons not wanting to have an Israeli stamp in their passport can request to have the stamp on a separate piece of paper. You request when you hand over yr passport.

Doesn't always work. Depends on the mood of the immigration officer.

Quoting JJJ (Reply 20): the likes of Saudi Arabia or Syria will very likely see you on the next flight back home.

My impression, having traveled to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and back to Israel on a US passport in 2005, is that the Israelis don't have a blanket policy regarding stamps from specific countries. Israeli security - both at the airport and at land border crossings, relies heavily on questioning. I'm sure stamps from countries which are hostile to Israel (like the above-mentioned Saudi and Syria, plus others), will be cause for extra questioning.

In the middle of the above-mentioned trip, we visited Wadi Rum, a beautiful scenic area in the desert of southern Jordan. There, we took tours with the local Bedouin (very friendly and hospitable people) of a number of natural and man-made features in the area. Since it was July and we were in the desert all day, it was pretty hot. (Duh!) The Bedouin were happy to sell us each a keffiyeh (Arab-style headscarf) to keep cool. The scarves worked nicely, and at the end of the day, I folded mine and put it in my suitcase.

Fast-forward to the end of the trip: I got to TLV for CO84 to Newark and experienced the legendary Israeli airport security. The (multiple) screeners were all very polite. Searching my bags and my person, they also asked many, many questions about my family, my work, my religion, and the trip I was on. One screener opened the pocket of my suitcase where my neatly-folded keffiyeh was resting. He pulled it out and asked rather pointedly, "Where did you get this?" I said, "In Jordan." He paused for a moment to see my reaction to this exchange. "What did you think of Jordan?" (his demeanor was very stern, but still polite) "It is a nice country." He looked me in the eye, presumably to see if I was trying to hide any kind of anti-Israeli sentiment or activity. Satisfied that I was who I said I was - a young single male American Gentile Christian touring the Holy Land with a buddy - I moved on.

All that to say, I suspect anyone with the above-mentioned stamps might expect to be asked a few extra questions. If your story checks out and you're on a legitimate personal or business trip, they'll move to the next person in line, and you can go about your business.

I hope this helps ...

Quoting Jamesontheroad (Reply 27): True. Any American passport holder who wants to visit Cuba can do so without worrying - passports aren't stamped at any Cuban airport, so all you have to worry about is connecting to the USA through YYZ in December and coming home with a tan

Not quite true...in airports in Canada and Mexico, there are American customs people on the lookout for Americans who have travelled to Cuba illegally...especially at YYZ and CUN. The absolute safest way for an American to fly to Europe, BUY A TICKET THERE to Cuba and back, and then fly back to the USA (go through someplace like France or Spain). It's still risky to go through Canada or Mexico.

Tourists from all Arab and Islamic countries are allowed into Israel. Israel is encouraging tourism from Islamic countries such as Indonesia.

Quote: ... and same goes to other way around; Passports from such countries clearly state that "THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 'EXCEPT' FOR ISRAEL"

Errr... mine doesn't... except for passports specifically issued for those going on the hajj... which is issued specifically to go to Saudi Arabia.

That's not the one I have though...

Quote: Tourists from all Arab and Islamic countries are allowed into Israel. Israel is encouraging tourism from Islamic countries such as Indonesia.

I've heard nice stories about those from Indonesia who's been there on holiday... but for the ones going there for business, entering was easy, though with a lot of questions... leaving was a different story... although it's nothing worse than rather "pointed" questions... nowhere near as bad as going to the Indonesian police...

Mandala499

Quoting Semsem (Reply 34): Tourists from all Arab and Islamic countries are allowed into Israel. Israel is encouraging tourism from Islamic countries such as Indonesia.

Hmm, I have a colleague with German passport, but as his father is an Egyptian he has an arabic name. Last time he wanted to enter Israel it took him 4 hours answering a lot of questions...

For visa related questions you might find this link useful

http://www.emirates.com/TravellerInf...ainformation/timatic_visa/visa.asp

Indonesia you need a separate visa for an Israeli passport, Malaysi entry will be refused.

These are the rules, it doesn't say how strictly they are enforced.

Quoting IcLCY (Reply 3): The UAE is too commercial to be one of the hard line countries in that region.

you'll notice on the UAE ministry of tourism site it clearly says nationals and residents of Israel not welcome in the United Arab Emerates. not quite as commerical and liberated as one might think.

AFAIK, there might be a problem with North Korea as well. They don't allow anyone of Israeli nationality into the country (don't ask me why, and don't expect a coherent reason for it), so there might be a problem if you have an Israeli stamp.

Cheers
Mats

Quoting SW733 (Reply 33): Not quite true...in airports in Canada and Mexico, there are American customs people on the lookout for Americans who have travelled to Cuba illegally...especially at YYZ and CUN. The absolute safest way for an American to fly to Europe, BUY A TICKET THERE to Cuba and back, and then fly back to the USA (go through someplace like France or Spain). It's still risky to go through Canada or Mexico.

Dual citizenship works wonders too!
Take your swiss passport to mexico or cananda and use it there!

Quoting Doona (Reply 40): AFAIK, there might be a problem with North Korea as well. They don't allow anyone of Israeli nationality into the country (don't ask me why, and don't expect a coherent reason for it), so there might be a problem if you have an Israeli stamp.

I would suggest that nationals of most countries will face significant obstacles in trying to gain access into North Korea.

Quoting IcLCY (Reply 3): The UAE is too commercial to be one of the hard line countries in that region. It would only be an issue if the country being visited was Saudi, Iran, Syria, etc.

I thought UAE didnt allow people in with Israeli stamps........do customs in countries like Saudi Arabia, look at every page to find a Israeli stamp...also if they dont recognize Israel as a nation, why would they recognize an Israeli stamp? Isnt that tacit recognition?

Quoting Tzadik (Reply 39): you'll notice on the UAE ministry of tourism site it clearly says nationals and residents of Israel not welcome in the United Arab Emerates. not quite as commerical and liberated as one might think.

And you'll also notice that is says CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS.... not people who have visited Israel. hence the stamp because they had a visit visa.... check what you are writing before you start commenting in the wrong way

As far as I have heard, the UAE does not enforce the rule. They really don't care where you have been or what religion you are as long as you are not holding an Israeli Passport. So yes it is a commercially open country

Quoting Mandala499 (Reply 35): THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 'EXCEPT' FOR ISRAEL"

Pakistani passport carries this and Israeli's requested them to remove it when their foreign ministers met in Istanbul for the first time officially back in 2005, I'm not sure if its been removed or not.

Quoting Ferroviarius (Reply 6): Arabic countries or their authorities is an administrative way to express that they do not accept the existence of the state of Israel.

Then why don't they just ignore the stamp if in their minds no such country exists. Really it is more a case of "If you travel to Israel, you are no longer welcome in our country!" ie. suspicion about your motives for travelling in the first place.

Its not jus the Arab countries that are nasty about Isreali travel. My jewish american roommate was travelling in Israel and wanted to go to Petrah in Jordan. For his flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat, the security guys asked him the purpose of his trip to Eilat, so he told them that he was going to Jordan to visit Petra. They detained him for 2 hours in a small room and told him that maybe they would let him on the flight. 10 minutes before it left, they let him on, but wouldn't let him carry anything on his person except a passport, no watch, no wallet, nothing. He had a nice trip to Jordan. On the way back the security guy figured he was in Jordan, detained him for 2 hours again, same story with items on his person, but this time they wouldn't allow him to have any electronics in his checked bag, namely his camera, they would put it on the next flight and he could pick it up the tel aviv airport at a later.

But I can't blame the secuirty guys too much, he keeps shaggy hair and a beard. He looks just like that American Taliban kid.

Quoting DiscoverCSG (Reply 32): All that to say, I suspect anyone with the above-mentioned stamps might expect to be asked a few extra questions. If your story checks out and you're on a legitimate personal or business trip, they'll move to the next person in line, and you can go about your business.

The person who held my position before me tried to enter Israel while having Qatari, Emirati and Kuwaiti stamps on the passport, he arrived at TLV on an early morning flight and was held until telephonic contact was made with two of the business contacts he was to visit while in Israel, which meant over 2 hours spent at the airport.

Of course, his luggage was very thoroughly searched.

Quoting Semsem (Reply 34): Tourists from all Arab and Islamic countries are allowed into Israel. Israel is encouraging tourism from Islamic countries such as Indonesia.

Unfortunatley my friend,the experiences that i have had in the last 2 years would disagree. I have had 2 british muslim friends turned back from the border and my sister detained at TLV for 8 hours!