Israel: Longer Validity for Short-Term Work Visa for Foreign Experts

• Eligibility. To be eligible for a SEA B-1 Work Visa, foreign nationals must be from a country whose nationals can enter Israel visa free for tourism, such as Australia, EU Member States, Japan or the United States. They must also qualify as a foreign expert, which is defined as a foreign national with unique and specialized knowledge and expertise.
• Processing time. Per the new regulation, SEA B-1 Work Visas will be processed within 10 business days.
• Cost. The longer-duration SEA B-1 Work Visa will cost up to NIS 6,500 (depending on the number of days expected for each visit).
• Validity. Foreign experts can divide their 90-day stay into several different periods within a calendar year, but their employer must submit a new visa application to the Ministry of Interior prior to each entry.
• Requirements upon arrival. Upon receipt of the work permit, the foreign expert can travel to Israel and begin work immediately. However, the foreign expert must obtain a visa stamp in their passport from the Ministry of Interior within two days of arrival.
• Renewal limitation. The SEA B-1 Work Visa cannot be extended.

Foreign experts in Israel are now eligible for longer stays under the SEA B-1 Work Visa.

The Israeli government views foreign experts as an important category of foreign workers contributing to its economy. As a result, it has made concessions during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to continue to enter the country.

It is likely that the Israeli government will continue to implement policies to attract foreign nationals to fill gaps in the local labor market. We will report on relevant updates.