Visa Policy of Palestine

The phrase “visa policy of Palestine” can imply a unified system, but the sources instead describe arrangements that vary by territory, period, nationality, and purpose of travel. The principal detailed procedure in the bundle was issued by Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for foreigners entering Judea and Samaria. It is not a general visa schedule covering all travelers or destinations.[1]

The COGAT procedure says that authority to admit foreigners was partially transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under the Interim Agreement. It distinguishes PA-issued visit permits requiring Israeli authorization from Israeli permits issued by COGAT in coordination with the PA and Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority. The procedure excludes PA visit-permit applications, which it says are handled under separate procedures, and does not cover foreigners seeking to visit both the Area and Israel in parallel.[1]

The U.S. Department of State describes Israeli authorities as administering immigration and security controls at international land crossings with Jordan and Egypt, as well as at Israeli airports and seaports. It also says Israeli-operated checkpoints and crossings regulate movement between Israel and the West Bank and between Israel and Gaza; travelers entering or departing these areas are subject to screening and may be denied entry or exit under Israeli law.[4] These descriptions concern Israeli controls and do not by themselves establish a comprehensive Palestinian visa regime.

The 1994 Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement set out visitor-permit arrangements for specified crossings and territories. Under the 1995 agreement, visitors using the Palestinian Wing had their documents and identities checked first by an Israeli official and then by a Palestinian official. Each side could deny entry to non-residents; approved visitors received an entry permit stamped by the Palestinian side, while a person denied entry was to be returned to Jordan or Egypt, as applicable.[5]

The 1995 agreement generally required a passport or travel document valid for at least six months. In exceptional cases, a visitor whose document had less than six months’ validity could be admitted for a stay of up to 30 days; the Palestinian side could not extend that permit unless the document’s validity had first been extended to at least six months.[5] The agreement also allowed stays of up to three months, with the Palestinian side able to grant an extension of up to four additional months after notifying Israel. Further extensions required Israeli approval.[5]

For visitors from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel, the Interim Agreement called for a special visitor permit issued by the Palestinian side and cleared by Israel. A resident relative or acquaintance could submit an application through the Palestinian side, or the Palestinian side could submit it itself. Visitors from countries with diplomatic relations with Israel were to hold either that permit or a valid passport and an Israeli visa when one was required.[5]

The 1994 agreement set out similar visitor-permit rules specifically for the Gaza Strip and Jericho Area. It provided for special permits for visitors from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel and for either such a permit or a valid passport and Israeli visa, when required, for visitors from countries with diplomatic relations. It allowed stays of up to three months, extensions of up to four months with notice to Israel, and required Israeli approval for any further extension.[6] The agreement described the PA’s jurisdiction as excluding foreign relations and external security, while providing for limited categories of agreements that the PLO could negotiate or sign for its benefit.[6]

These agreements document the arrangements they specified at the time; they do not establish that every provision remains in force or applies across all Palestinian territories today. They assigned defined roles to Israeli and Palestinian authorities within an interim framework whose allocation and exercise of jurisdiction remain politically contested.[5][6]

COGAT’s procedure for foreign entry to Judea and Samaria took effect on October 20, 2022, as a two-year pilot. It defines a “foreigner” for its purposes as someone who is not an Israeli citizen or resident and is not listed in the Palestinian Population Register. The reviewed sources do not establish whether the pilot was renewed, revised, or replaced after its stated term, so its provisions should not be treated as a confirmed current checklist.[1][3]

The procedure’s Israeli-permit route is unavailable to citizens of countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and to citizens, people born in, or people holding documents from countries listed in its Appendix E. It directs those applicants to seek a PA visit permit instead and says the applicable policy may change for diplomatic or security reasons.[1]

For short visits through the Israeli-permit route, the procedure provides for permits generally lasting no more than three months. Such permits are for visits or other specified short-stay purposes rather than employment. The listed categories include relatives of Area residents, businesspeople and investors, qualifying journalists and media employees, and exceptional humanitarian cases.[1]

Citizens of countries with Israeli visa-exemption agreements who are visiting only may generally seek a short-stay permit upon arrival at Allenby Bridge unless advance coordination is required. The procedure sets 45 days as the ordinary advance-application period in relevant cases and provides a shorter track for exceptional humanitarian applications. Advance approval does not guarantee admission, which is decided after arrival and questioning.[1]

Short-stay permits may be extended for exceptional reasons by up to three additional months. An extension beyond 180 days requires COGAT approval based on documented special considerations, and the procedure sets a general maximum of 27 months for permits under its rules. A permit generally expires when its holder leaves the Area through an international crossing, so re-entry usually requires a new permit; eligible categories may request multi-use permits in advance.[1]

Separate advance-application categories cover higher-education lecturers and researchers, students, volunteers, experts and consultants, certain senior employees, and accompanying relatives. These categories carry purpose-specific qualifications and time limits and are distinct from ordinary short-term visitor permits.[1]

Permit decisions are discretionary and may account for security risks, criminal history, the risk of illegal overstay, past compliance, and other relevant considerations. The procedure allows conditions such as a return ticket or financial guarantee and provides written appeal mechanisms in specified cases.[1]

Foreign spouses of Palestinian residents are treated separately from ordinary short-term visitors. Under COGAT’s procedure, a short-stay permit does not confer long-term residence status. Formalization applications are submitted by the PA with prior Israeli approval; if formalization is refused, a spousal permit may be issued to allow the couple to reside together. Such cases are reviewed individually and may involve policy, humanitarian, criminal, and security considerations.[1]

The U.S. Department of State’s 2022 human-rights report described a foreign spouse of a PA ID holder as eligible to apply for a three-month short-term visitor permit to enter the West Bank, with limited possibilities for extension, while also applying to formalize status. It described an application submitted to the PA and forwarded to COGAT for examination; if approved by COGAT, the PA would provide the applicant with a PA ID number. The report said COGAT stated it would review applications transferred by the PA, while HaMoked reported that such applications were not regularly transferred.[7]

The same report recorded NGO concerns that some children, young adults, and other relatives lacked a path to status in certain circumstances, and that some Palestinian children and young adults, especially those born abroad, lacked legal status.[7] It also reported that COGAT could deny an extension if a traveler appeared to intend long-term residence, and that some applicants seeking extensions had to leave the West Bank while their applications were pending.[7]

The sources do not provide a general, current foreign-tourist visa procedure for Gaza. The 1994 Gaza–Jericho agreement’s permit rules were specific to the Gaza Strip and Jericho Area, while later human-rights reports describe distinct requirements imposed by Hamas and Israeli crossing controls.[6][2]

The 2022 report said Hamas required a recognized local entity to apply for a foreigner’s entry before arrival. It also reported that Israeli authorities largely limited entry and exit through the Erez crossing to humanitarian cases, with limited permits for businesspeople and day laborers working in Israel.[7] The 2023 report likewise said Hamas restricted foreign entry unless a recognized local entity applied for permission before arrival.[2]

For 2023, the report also stated that after October 7 Israel barred international journalists from entering Gaza without an IDF escort, and that at year’s end no official crossing was operating for Palestinian civilians to enter or leave Gaza through Israel.[2] These are dated descriptions of conditions in 2022 and 2023, not statements of present crossing operations or a general visa process.

Some U.S. travel guidance addresses U.S. citizens specifically and should not be read as a rule for all nationalities. The State Department says an approved Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA-IL) has been required since January 1, 2025, for U.S. citizens entering Israel for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days. U.S. citizens who are not PA ID or passport holders and plan to study, teach, conduct research, work, or volunteer in the West Bank are directed to consult COGAT’s regulations; the guidance gives the same advice to U.S. citizens engaged or married to West Bank residents who wish to remain there.[4]

The State Department also says U.S. citizens listed on Gaza’s Palestinian Population Registry may use a U.S. passport to apply to enter Israel for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa, but must have an approved ETA-IL. The guidance allows such travelers to transit Israel to and from the West Bank, but not to Gaza.[4] These instructions concern specified U.S. citizens and do not establish entry requirements for other nationalities.

The State Department says admission decisions are made by Israel. It states that a person denied entry may contest the decision at an immigration court hearing but will be detained during the proceedings, and that U.S. citizens denied entry into Israel or the West Bank should receive a written explanation.[4]

The material illustrates why the topic cannot be reduced to a single Palestinian visa code. The COGAT procedure distinguishes Israeli permits from PA-issued visit permits, while the Gaza reports describe a separate permission process imposed by Hamas. In practice, the applicable arrangement has depended on the territory, route, purpose of travel, nationality, registry status, family relationship, and historical period involved.[1][2]

The Oslo-era agreements nevertheless gave Palestinian officials defined administrative roles, including document checks and the issuance or stamping of specified entry permits, while retaining Israeli clearance, security, and entry-denial functions. The resulting framework combined Palestinian administrative participation with Israeli authorization and border-security responsibilities.[5][6]

The 2022 report described COGAT policies for short-term foreign travelers and for people seeking to study, work, or volunteer in the West Bank. It recorded criticism from international and local NGOs that the policies treated travelers differently according to national origin and family relationship and impeded movement and family unity.[7] The 2023 report said the revised policies generally required short-term foreign visitors to use Allenby Bridge from Jordan rather than Ben Gurion Airport or other Israeli crossings. It specified that this rule applied to visits to Palestinian parts of the West Bank, not visits to Israeli settlements there; the report said U.S. citizens were later allowed to use Allenby Bridge or other crossings, a revision that did not apply to other nationalities.[2]

These reports describe policies and conditions in 2022 and 2023, not a current nationality-wide checklist. News coverage described the COGAT rules as a two-year pilot and reported objections that the procedures could make visits and engagement with Palestinian society more difficult.[3] The reviewed sources do not establish what decision followed the pilot period or provide a comprehensive current table of visa requirements by nationality.