After going back and forth in the Population and Immigration Authority in Jerusalem to extend my tourist visa in Israel, I gave up and let it go. I wanted to prolong my stay to be able to process my Schengen Visa, but the lady who was in charge was not having it.
I got tired of being screamed at and following their rules and taking a joke on me. One time, I was asked to come back on Friday at 8 am, later on, I realised that on Friday they will be closed, because, yes, Shabbat. I personally think it was unprofessional.
On the other hand, I’m writing this not to rant about the service and unprofessionalism of this lady. This is for you to get useful information on how to extend Israel tourist visa. I did fail to do mine, but hopefully, yours should be fine. As I heard it should be easy!
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EXTEND ISRAEL TOURIST VISA
It’s best to check what you need and what to expect in this process. Keep reading as I discuss the step by step on how to extend your tourist visa.
Requirements:
- Your Passport (should be valid at least for another 6 months)
- Application Form
- An Appointment
- Bank Statement
- Fly-out Ticket
- Proof of your past accommodation bookings whilst staying in Israel
- Payment – 175-180 shekels
- Passport Photo
Step by Step Process: Getting An Appointment
Go to the Population and Immigration Authority – Jerusalem or Ministry of Interior- Tel Aviv to get an appointment
Head down to the Population and Immigration Authority/ Interior Ministry Office during the working hours. Get a queue number depending on your purpose. When your number is called out, explain to the person-in-charge that you need to get an appointment for the extension of your visa. You will receive an application form and a slip of paper indicating the date and time of your schedule.
Tip: If you are going to the office one in Jerusalem, go early in the morning or before 12 o’clock (lunch break) to avoid a long queue.
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Jerusalem – Population and Immigration Authority
- Street Address: Generali Building
- Telephone Number: *3450 | Fax: 02-6290297
Hours of Operation
- All services: Sun, Mon, Tue, Thur: 8:00-12:00, Mon: 14:30-17:00, Wednesday: 13:30-17:00
- Visa department: Sun, Mon, Tue, Thur: 8:00-12:00
Tel Aviv – Interior Ministry Office
- Street Address: 125 Derech Menachem Begin
- Telephone Number: *3450 | Fax: 03-7632523
Hours of Operation
- All services: Sun, Mon, Tue, Thur: 8:00-12:00, Mon: 14:30-17:00, Wednesday: 13:30-17:00
- Visa department: Sun, Mon, Tue, Thur: 8:00-12:00
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STEP BY STEP PROCESS: Your Appointment Day
Make sure to be on time and have your requirements ready on your appointment day. Get a number depending on your purpose. After your number is called, the person-in-charge will ask why you want to extend your tourist visa. Explain your reason, hand in your requirements in when asked.
Note: The person-in-charge I talked to was rude, I was terrified of her but who knows why she was like that. Perhaps part of her training? I’ll never know. It is hard to predict if you will be extended, the others had an easy journey, me, it wasn’t very smooth. I still suggest you give it a try, perhaps I was just unlucky.
If the person in charge let you extend your Israel tourist visa, you should be able to get another blue card or a stamp on the day of your appointment.
If you have any other question/s about how to extend Israel tourist visa, feel free to leave a comment or email me. I will try my best to help a traveller out.
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Hey Mary,
Thanks for this really helpful post! I’m trying to extend my Visa as well and was wondering if I can go to any other office then Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, eg. could I go in Beer Sheva?
Hi Joanna,
I honestly have no idea 🙁 I only tried in Jerusalem. But I don’t see the reason why not, it shouldn’t be an issue. I did it in Jerusalem because that’s where I spent most of my time, if you stay in Beer Sheva more often, I think it’s appropriate to do it there. If you give it a try please let me know so I can update this post – only if that’s ok to you. If you have more questions, let me know x
Hi, can I still try to apply or extend my visa even after my first request was denied? They gave me 54 days stay permit when I arrived at the airport but the original plan was 84 days. I hve a return ticket and I wanna stick to my original plan but when we went to MoI they denied my request. Can I still ask for another appointment for visa extension in another city?