Israel: Digital Version of B-1 Work Visa Now Being Issued

The Israeli authorities have introduced new regulations allowing for the issuance of digital versions of all B-1 work visas, including, but not limited to, B-1 Expert, B-1 Hit-Tech, SEA 90-day work visas, and STEP 90-day work visas.  For the following categories, B-1 Expert Category, B-1 Hi-Tech, and B-1 STEP, once a work permit is approved, the foreign nationals will still be required to appear at an Israeli consulate to process their initial consular B-1 visa. However, upon arrival to Israel, the B-1 work visa, a longer validity visa and a multiple-entry visa will now be issued electronically. The new, digitized process is expected to be more efficient than the prior hard-copy issuance process. Foreign nationals should, however, still keep a physical copy of their visa in their passport for ease of travel. Further, the current process does not cover dependents who require B-1 visitor visas and who will still be issued a physical passport stamp with a visa.