Red List Changes Require Travelers to Reapply for Entry Permits

Additions to Israel’s red list of countries with high rates of coronavirus are forcing many travelers to renew their applications for entry permits, The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.

Hundreds of foreign nationals, mostly British, who were notified of approval of their applications before the country was added to Israel’s red-list, will now have to resubmit for new permits, following the annulment of their status by the Population and Immigration Authority.

The already overburdened offices of the Authority will need to reprocess the applications, likely resulting in new delays and problems.

The PIA blandly acknowledged the situation, saying that “the list of countries with a high risk [of COVID-19] infection is updated by the Health Ministry every so often. As has been published more than once, any country included on the list – entry permits that were approved – become invalid upon the entry of that country to the list. This principle applies to all countries defined as high risk, including Britain, and after it is removed from the list new applications must be submitted.

“We clarify again that the policy for foreign citizens entering the country over the last year and a half is that there is no entry into the country, except for exceptional cases, and giving the message that the entry of foreign nationals is something routine deceives the public.”