Passport

Before passports: How travelers crossed borders

The passport was not the beginning of travel documentation, but the result of centuries of attempts to control movement, identity and access across borders.

AUGUST 2, 2026|ByIN COOPERATION WITH GIORGI JIKIA

Before passports became standard, travellers relied on permits, letters and personal recognition to cross borders.

Germany granted citizenship to 6,756 Israelis in 2025, making its embassy in Israel the country's largest passport office outside Europe.

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'Insurance certificate for escape': Israelis reclaim German citizenship in record numbers

Eighty years after the Holocaust, a record number of Israelis are reclaiming German citizenship – not out of nostalgia, but as a passport to security and opportunity

JULY 28, 2026|ByBEN KAUSCHANSKY

Ex-IDF soldier convicted for using foreign passport to enter Iraq, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia

Prosecutors said 27-year-old Lior Matan Weinstein entered countries Israelis are barred by law from visiting without approval, admitted the facts in the indictment, and was convicted on Tuesday.

JULY 23, 2026|ByHODAYA RAN

An illustration picture shows Israeli passports in Jerusalem, on January 18, 2023.

Israel's passport climbs to record high in Henley Passport Index despite conflicts

Israel's passport ranked 18th globally, its highest position since the ranking was launched 20 years ago, despite the country's low standing in the Global Peace Index.

JULY 22, 2026|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

New olim will now need to wait a year before receiving Israeli passport

The passing of the bill reverts the country back to a law that existed until 2017.

JUNE 14, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN, ELIAV BREUER

THE EXPECTATION that citizens should roam the length and breadth of the country in order to find an appointment slot somewhere to renew a passport is preposterous.

NGOs petition High Court against passport plan at expense of visas

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel: "The passport marathon operation continues in full force."

MAY 18, 2023ByMICHAEL STARR

People queue outside Jerusalem Interior Ministry office for passport renewals. May 2023.

Israel saw over 400 recent attempts to cross border with fake ID - comptroller

2.9 million Israelis, or around 37% of the population will have their ID cards expire in the coming years, Matanyahu Englman said.

MAY 16, 2023ByYONAH JEREMY BOB

An Israeli soldier opens a gate at a military base leading to the border crossing with Lebanon at Rosh Hanikra, northern Israel

Israel's appointment-free passport offices draw major lines on first day

Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel called for people to be patient and prepare to wait for hours in lines at the passport offices.

MAY 14, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

People queue up at the temporary appointment-free passport office in Tel Aviv the day it opens.

Israeli gov't passport plan a rights violation, denies urgent visas - NGOs

The NGOs called on the Interior Ministry to retract the cancellation of visa services, or reduce the plan to two days a week.

MAY 11, 2023ByMICHAEL STARR

Protests against cancellation of Interior Ministry services to all matters except passports

The Israeli passport crisis - opinion

The expectation that citizens should roam the length and breadth of Israel in order to find an appointment slot somewhere in order to renew a passport is preposterous.

MAY 8, 2023BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF

Israel Post prepares to deliver thousands of renewed passports

The amount of issued passports is expected to rise to 300,000 per month with the post office preparing to increase its passport delivery capacity accordingly.

MAY 5, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF