Airport Arrivals in Israel Must Now Pay for COVID Tests

YERUSHALAYIM
View of coronavirus swab sampling booths at the Ben Gurion International Airport. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

As of Sunday, passengers arriving at Ben Gurion airport must pay for the COVID-19 tests that they must take after landing in Israel. The payment set by the Health Ministry is NIS 100 ($30) but the amount can be reduced by NIS 80 ($25) (an option not available at land border crossings) by booking the test in advance on Omega’s Check2Fly website. Over the coming days, Omega will continue to test those landing at the airport before making way for the new company chosen to perform the tests by the Ministry of Health.

At the same time Israel’s health funds will be permitted to charge NIS 145 ($45) per test for PCR COVID tests that “are not for medical purposes” – for people needing the test result in order to travel abroad.

COVID tests that are obligatory for entering many countries for Israelis traveling abroad can either be conducted at Ben Gurion airport or privately. Omega currently charges NIS 45 ($14) for a regular test with the results available within 14 hours and NIS 135 ($42) with the results available within four hours.

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