Do Israeli passport holders need a visa for the United Kingdom?
By Aarush Chopra · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
No visa, but you do need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before you travel. Israel is on the UK’s ETA list, so an Israeli passport holder applies online for an ETA rather than for a visitor visa. It costs 20 pounds, covers multiple trips of up to six months each, and lasts two years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.
Quick facts
Travel authorisation- Visa required
- No, but an ETA is mandatory before travel
- ETA fee
- 20 pounds, raised from 16 on 8 April 2026
- Maximum stay
- Up to 6 months per visit
- ETA validity
- 2 years, or until the passport expires
- Passport validity
- Valid for the whole of your stay. There is no six-month rule
- Apply at least
- 3 working days before travel
- Purpose covered
- Tourism, family visits, business, short courses
Entry requirements
- An Israeli passport valid for the whole of your stay in the UK.
- An approved ETA, applied for before you travel. It is linked electronically to the passport you applied with, so a renewal means a new ETA.
- The application needs a digital photo and, through the official app, a scan of the passport chip. Emergency, temporary and hand-written travel documents are generally not accepted for an ETA.
- Evidence of the visit if asked: where you are staying, how long for, and that you can support yourself.
How to apply for a UK ETA from Israel
Apply through the official UK ETA app or on gov.uk. The fee is 20 pounds. Third-party sites reselling the same authorisation at a markup rank well in search results and are not the official route.
The app scans the chip in your passport and takes a photograph of your face. If the chip will not read, the browser route on gov.uk asks for the same information without the scan.
Most decisions come back within minutes, but the Home Office asks you to apply at least three working days before travelling because some applications are referred for further checks. Do not leave it to the airport.
Once granted, the ETA sits against your passport. You do not receive a document to print, and the airline checks it electronically at the gate.
Good to know
- The fee changed this year and a lot of pages have not caught up. The ETA cost 16 pounds until 8 April 2026 and 20 pounds from that date. If a site is quoting 10 or 16 pounds it has not been updated since the increase, which is a reasonable signal about the rest of what it is telling you.
- The six-month passport rule that gets quoted for Britain does not exist. Several sites aimed at Israeli travellers state that a UK trip needs six months of passport validity beyond departure. The Home Office requires the passport to be valid for the whole of your stay and nothing more. Six months is a real rule in plenty of other countries, which is probably how it migrated here, but budgeting a passport renewal around it for a British trip is wasted money.
- An Israeli laissez-passer is not the same document as an Israeli passport, and we could not confirm whether the UK accepts one for an ETA. The teudat ma’avar is issued to a substantial number of Israeli residents and citizens, the ETA guidance excludes emergency and temporary travel documents generally, and the position for this specific document is not spelled out. If that is what you hold, confirm with the Home Office or the UK Embassy in Tel Aviv before booking rather than assuming the ETA route is open to you.
- Six months is the ceiling for a visit, not a rolling allowance you can top up. Each entry can be up to six months, but repeatedly spending long periods in the UK on visitor terms invites questions at the border about whether you are really visiting. The ETA does not change what a visit is; it only replaces the paperwork that used to sit in front of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do Israeli citizens need a visa for the UK?
No. Israel is on the UK’s ETA list, so an Israeli passport holder needs an Electronic Travel Authorisation rather than a visitor visa for stays of up to six months.
How much does a UK ETA cost for Israelis?
Twenty pounds. It rose from 16 pounds on 8 April 2026, so older pages quoting a lower figure are out of date.
How long is a UK ETA valid?
Two years, or until your passport expires if that is sooner. It allows multiple visits of up to six months each. A new passport requires a new ETA.
Does an Israeli passport need six months validity for the UK?
No. The UK requires the passport to be valid for the whole of your stay. The six-month rule applies in many other countries but not to a British visit.
How long before travelling should I apply for the ETA?
At least three working days. Most decisions arrive within minutes, but the Home Office asks for that margin because some applications go for extra checks.
Related pages
Other passports for the United Kingdom
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- Gambia passport holders visiting the United Kingdom
- Cape Verde passport holders visiting United Kingdom
- Yemen passport holders visiting United Kingdom
- Morocco passport holders visiting United Kingdom
- Venezuela passport holders visiting United Kingdom
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Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- UK Home Office — Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) factsheet, April 2026: 20 pounds, multiple journeys, up to six months per stay, valid two years or until the passport expires (homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk)
- GOV.UK — Check if you can get an electronic travel authorisation: Israel listed as ETA-eligible (gov.uk)
- GOV.UK — Visiting the UK: the passport must be valid for the whole of your stay (gov.uk)
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
