Travel Documents

You must have ALL travel documents (passport, visa, and green card) in order to participate on a Hillel: Birthright Israel trip. The process can take up to 3 months. If you don’t have current travel documents, apply NOW!

If you are confirmed as a participant, you can find all of your travel information on the Birthright Israel App from Apple App Store, or Google Play Store.

For Participants That Are US Citizens

To participate on a Hillel: Birthright Israel trip, you must have a United States passport that is valid for six months after the program (this is an Israeli government rule). No visa is necessary. For more details, go to the Department of State’s Passport Services and Information site.

If you have not yet obtained or renewed your passport, please do so immediately. The process may take 4-6 weeks!

*Expedited processing may be available for a $60 fee plus delivery costs at a local passport agency. ​

For Participants That Are NOT US Citizens

To participate, you must have valid documentation and an Israeli entry visa. If you have not yet obtained valid documentation, please do so IMMEDIATELY. The process may take 3+ months!

Visas may be obtained at your local Israeli Consulate. The process usually takes 7-10 days. You will need a completed application form, two passport photographs per visa, confirmation of travel (which can be obtained from our travel agent upon acceptance to the program), and cash or money order for the processing fee.

  1. Students with a Green Card or US visa holding a foreign passport valid for at least six months after your school’s Birthright Israel: Hillel trip will require a visa from the local Israeli Consulate.
  2. Students with a Green Card or US visa holding a foreign passport that has expired or is about to expire can renew it for a reasonable fee at the country’s local consulate. This process can take weeks (Russia) to months (Ukraine).
  3. Students who do not hold a valid foreign passport or a Green Card must apply for an INS travel document—either a reentry permit for permanent residents (valid for 2 years), or a refugee travel document (valid for 1 year). This may take 3 months or more, though an agency can expedite this process for a fee of several hundred dollars. After receiving the INS travel documentation, students will then need to obtain a visa from the Israeli Consulate as described above. If this situation applies to you and you are interested in participating on a Hillel: Birthright Israel trip, you must begin this process NOW.

​Please note that you can check on the status of a passport application by calling the National Passport Information Center at 1-900-225-5674. (There is about a $1 charge to speak with a live person and $.35 to obtain information through their automated system.) 

For Participants Who Are Israeli Citizens
(or whose parents are Israeli citizens)

If you were born in Israel or have ever held Israeli citizenship or have held an Israeli passport you are not eligible unless you prove by official documentation that you left Israel before the age of 12. If you are accepted to the program you will need to obtain army exemption papers from your local Israeli Consulate and bring them with you.

*If you do not hold an Israeli passport, but have Israeli parents, you must obtain army exemption papers from your local Israeli Consulate.

This trip is a gift from Birthright Israel

This trip is a gift from Birthright Israel. The gift of a Birthright Israel trip is made possible thanks to tens of thousands of donors including individual donors and foundations, and alumni and their families that support Birthright Israel Foundation in the United States as well as the people of Israel through the Government of Israel, and Jewish communities and Federations around the world.

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