Refused entry at the border: your rights, the Tribunal and the next application

Written by Alon, founder of IsraelVisa · Based on the procedures of the Population and Immigration Authority

Published: 5 November 2026

The short answer

A foreign partner who lands in Israel can be stopped at passport control, questioned and sent back. Section 9 of the Entry into Israel Law lets the border control officer hold up entry until it is clear whether entry is allowed. The border procedure, 6.4.0010 (1.1.2025), states that no one who is not a citizen or permanent resident has a vested right to enter, visa-exempt passport or not. The decision is written, it can be appealed to the Appeals Tribunal within 30 days, and it is weighed in any later application.

At the border: the questioning and your phone

At the back-line station the traveller is questioned about earlier entries and stays, restrictions on record, applications for status, contacts in Israel, means of support, and evidence of the declared purpose of the trip.

On devices the procedure is specific: the officer may ask to be shown concrete, relevant information on the phone while it stays in the traveller's hands, has no authority to search the device, and may copy what was shown only with written consent. A refusal may be weighed against the traveller. The grounds for refusal are an open list that includes suspicion of an intention to settle, lies at the border, non-cooperation, an unclear purpose and a past unlawful stay.

The written decision and the questioning report

A refused traveller receives a written decision in a language he or she understands, stating whether the ground is immigration, security or criminal. Keep it: the appeal is filed against that decision. The questioning report can be requested afterwards by the traveller or by a lawyer with a power of attorney, by email to the border control unit, and is sent within 14 working days; the flight is not delayed because of the request.

The facility at the airport and the return flight

A refused traveller is returned to where the journey began or to another destination that admits him or her. When an immediate return is not possible, the traveller is moved to the refused-persons facility.

At Ben Gurion Airport this is the custody facility run under procedure 10.7.0002. A traveller whose flight back leaves within about six hours waits in a room set aside in Terminal 3; a longer wait means admission to the facility. The procedure sets a bed, a daily shower, three meals, medical care, an hour a day outdoors and one call a day from the public telephone; a mobile phone is not allowed in the room. A lawyer representing the detainee may visit on Sunday to Thursday, 09:00 to 15:00, and when a flight is already set also outside those hours. A consular representative may visit by arrangement.

The appeal to the Appeals Tribunal within 30 days

A refusal of entry can be appealed to the Appeals Tribunal. Section 13(24)(b) of the Entry into Israel Law sets 30 days from the day the decision was published, received or became known.

The Tribunal's instruction sheet of 01.01.2026 describes the filing: an appeal signed in Hebrew by the appellant or the lawyer, with the application form, a copy of the decision, and an affidavit separating what the appellant knows personally from what he or she believes. The fee the sheet states is 755 NIS, and the appeal is not opened until it is paid or a fee-exemption request is filed; check the current amount on the Tribunal's page. The Tribunal's final decision can be appealed to the Administrative Court within 45 days.

The Appeals Tribunal's instruction sheet for filing an appeal (Hebrew, PDF)

Why the appeal alone does not stop the flight

Procedure 6.4.0010 is clear: without a court order directing otherwise, the return of a refused traveller is not delayed. Filing an appeal is not such an order; an interim order from the Tribunal is.

The request for an interim order is filed separately, with an affidavit; the Tribunal may reject it outright or decide on the papers after the Authority's response. Where waiting could cause serious harm that cannot be repaired, it may give a temporary order on the request alone, valid for up to ten days. Once a stay order reaches the airport facility, the removal is halted.

The next application, and the lesson: apply before arrival

A refusal does not disappear with the flight. Border control records a restriction on future entry, and a listed person may apply for entry in advance. In the Gradual Process procedures the background check on the foreign partner covers unlawful stay, removal and refusal of entry at border crossings; where restrictions or a removal are found, the file goes to the head of the visa team, who decides on further checks and on refusal, and the office manager may lift restrictions when there is no impediment. Attach the decision and the questioning report to your application.

Most refusals of a partner come down to arriving to live in Israel on a tourist entry. The procedures ask for the opposite order: the entry application is made before the foreign partner travels, also with a visa-exempt passport, and the application for status follows within 30 days of arrival.

A visa-exempt partner coming to Israel as a tourist: what the procedures say

How IsraelVisa helps

IsraelVisa helps you prepare the entry application, keep the decision, the questioning report and the appeal dates in one place, and build the file for the next application, yourselves and at your own pace. IsraelVisa does not give legal advice; if you wish, you can find independent lawyers through it.

ETA-IL and the foreign partner: when it is needed and when it is not

Frequently asked questions

Can the border officer go through my partner's phone?

No. Procedure 6.4.0010 says the officer has no authority to search the device; the officer may ask to be shown specific, relevant information while the phone stays in the traveller's hands, and may copy it only with written consent. A refusal may be weighed in the decision.

How long do we have to appeal a refusal of entry?

30 days from the decision, under section 13(24)(b) of the Entry into Israel Law, and the border procedure adds without delay. The appeal is written in Hebrew, with an affidavit and the fee; a request for an interim order is filed separately.

Does filing the appeal keep my partner in Israel until the hearing?

Not by itself. The border procedure says the return is not delayed without a judicial order. Only an interim or temporary order from the Tribunal, served on the Authority, stops the flight.

Will the refusal block a later application in the Gradual Process?

Not automatically. The refusal and any restriction on record are checked in every application and the file goes to the head of the visa team, who may order more checks or refuse; the office manager may lift restrictions when there is no impediment.

Related guides

Sources

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The information in this article is general and does not constitute legal advice. The procedures are updated from time to time; check the current version on the website of the Population and Immigration Authority.